Posted 10 years ago
vetraio50
(756 items)
Not too far from the Panthéon and closer to the Seine, past the Sorbonne in the 5th arrondissement is a museum devoted to the Arts of the Middle Ages – the Musée de Cluny.
The museum is housed in a unique Gothic building built in the late 15th century by Jacques d'Amboise at 6 place Paul-Painlevé. It is the only surviving medieval palace in Paris. It was formerly the town house (hôtel) of the abbots of Cluny, started in 1334. It is partially constructed on the remnants of the third century Gallo-Roman baths known as the Thermes de Cluny.
In the photo of the postcard above the gate you can see the coat of arms of Jacques d'Amboise, the Abbot of Cluny (1485-1510).
The building survives because of a collector!
His name was Alexandre Du Sommerard (1779 - 1842) an amateur archaeologist and art collector.
He volunteered for the army at age 14 and took part in the French Revolutionary Wars.
The story is familiar to those of us on CW!
“Returning to civil life, he became attached to the Cour des comptes, at first as a référendaire, then as a conseiller-maître, spending all his leisure time and most of his modest fortune on collecting, classifying and publishing a collection of medieval and Renaissance art objects.
Each day, his cabinet of furniture, vases and utensils of all kinds which he saved from their destroyers, since for a long while he was almost the only person in Paris collecting these curiosities that were later so much studied. Little by little he gained imitators and, always ready to reply to questions of taste and even enquiries from the indiscrete curious, Du Sommerard welcomed people to see his collection and gave lessons in practical archaeology.
The hôtel de Cluny, a Gothic palace built in the late 15th century by Jacques d'Amboise and the only surviving medieval palace in Paris, owes its survival to Du Sommerard. He took it over as a home and as a place to house his collection. On his death the Musée d’antiquités nationales that he created was acquired by the French state and rue des Mathurins was renamed rue du Sommerard in his honour.” Wikipedia.
His collection covers the history of the Arts from Antiquity to the Renaissance.
His son Edmond du Sommerard, continued his father’s example and added more important items to the collection for forty years The most important was a tapestry collection, which includes the six fifteenth century tapestries called La Dame à la Licorne and the Visigoth crowns from the Treasure of Guarrazar, Guadamur, (Castille).
At Edmond’s death the collection numbered 11,000 catalogued objects.
Since 1992 the Musée de Cluny is now known as the Musée national du Moyen Âge. (6 Place Paul-Painlevé, 5th arrondissement, 75005 Paris, France)
This is a postcard published by N.D. Phot No. 86: Neurdein et Cie (1860’s-1919) Paris, France.
wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! VERY VERY BEAUTIFUL!! how nice it is to be in a place like that .
Incredible building and story.
I just went to the Museums website - it looks outstanding!
Many thanks SEAN, JEWELS, AGHCOLLECT, KAREN & PHIL too !!!!!!!
Many thanks TOM !!!!!!
Welcome back!
Many thanks MIKELV !!!!!!
Many thanks MUSIKCHOO !!!!!
Many thanks BELLTOWN, GARGOYLE, MANIKIN, RADEGRUNDER, & to WEIRDPUCKETT too for those very kind comments !!!!!
Many thanks ROYCROFTBOOKSFROMME !!!!!!
Many thanks VIOLET ORANGE !!!!!
Many thanks BLUNDERBUSS !!!!!
Many thanks TREY !!!!!!
Many thanks GARY !!!!!!!
Many thanks NORDICMAN & MANIKIN too !!!!!
Many thanks MIKELV !!!!!
Many thanks MIKKO !!!!!!!!!
Many thanks ELISABETHAN !!!!!!!!!!!
Many thinks CAPERKID !!!!!!
Thanks Thomas, but it was actually one of the collection of Septimus and Clara Miller of Caulfield, Melbourne in 1906.
I was able to find out that Septimus and his wife Clara Johnstone Bell left on a world tour in 1906 after his retirement from the Victorian Racing Club. He was a "racing identity". On the world trip he visited racing clubs around the globe and his journey is well documented in the newspapers of his time.
He was in New York in September, 1906 and visited the Coney Island Jockey Club. This is the first of the cards that I will post from their trip.
I still have not got round to doing the American and Canadian part of the trip.
Those cards ar3 really spectacular.
Hi Thomas. I think he only got to the Coney Island Jockey Club. This is part of an article from 1905:
“
Mr. Septimus Miller, for many years the chairman of the V.R.C., accompanied by his wife, arrived at Largs Bay on Saturday en route to Melbourne by the R.M.S. Mongolia. Mr. and Mrs. Miller left Melbourne last July on an extended tour, which embraced Canada, America, England, and France. Mr. Miller's close associations with racing naturally impelled him to investigate the conditions of racing in all the countries he visited, and he returns home with a fund of information regarding the methods prevailing in other parts of the world. He said:- "We spent two months in Canada, though there was little racing taking place during our stay and but small interest seemed to be taken in the sport, except in Toronto, where they possess a remarkably good course. There were no meetings held at the time, but through the courtesy of the club's secretary (Mr. Fraser) I was enabled to visit a large training establishment in the vicinity and have a general look around.
Perhaps you are not aware that they try their colts very young over there. They sprint the yearlings to find out the duffers and then sell them, keeping the best. At Montreal they have a splendidly conducted hunt club, the master of which is Mr. William Miller, a cousin of mine. I was unacquainted with the fact till we met.
I had actually written to him previously under the impression that he was a stranger. It was a peculiar coincidence, the hunt club dates as far back as 1853 and possesses a fine back of hounds. They hunt the fox there just as they do in England and it is an exhilarating pastime. After- wards we continued our journey to New York, and before I proceed further I should like to say that I was treated courteously and hospitably by all those with whom I came in contact. I had a splendid reception from the hands of those who were connected with racing there. As a member of
the V.R.C. I was interviewed at nearly every place in Canada with regard to Australian methods and conditions, until in desperation I turned to politics. When I read the report in the papers next morning I could hardly believe it was mine-the press representative had made such a good job of it." Here Mr. Miller laughed. "It's a failing of you gentlemen to put in a little more than what is said, isn't it?"
Mr. Miller continued:-"I visited the Coney Island Jockey Club while at the American metropolis and was surprised. They hold a fifteen days' meeting there, fifteen consecutive days, with the exception
of Sundays, and provide excellent sport throughout. While there I was given the freedom of the course and was received kindly. After a brief stay at Quebec we went on to London and arrived about the end of September, in time to see the Cambridgeshire and Cesarewitch at Newmarket.”
Hi Thomas. In many ways Miller was a reformer of the racing industry here in Australia. Not just the Sport of Kings it was the sport of Everyman. Even today Australia stands still on the First Tuesday in November: The Melbourne Cup.
The conditions concern all aspects of racing.
As a taster here is the beginning of a long interview he did after visiting England in 1899:
“RETURN OF MR. SEPTIMUS MILLER.
IMPRESSION'S OF THE ENGLISH TURF.
Mr. Septimus Miller, the chairman of the Victoria Racing Club, who has timed his return to Melbourne so as not to miss the spring racing carnival, arrived at Largs by the H.M.S. Oceana on Sunday. Mr. Miller accorded an interview to a representativeof the "Argus" at Albany, in which he detailed some of the most important impressions which he had received during his trip.
Visitors from England who have seen the Flemington course have so consistently and so warmly praised it as an ideal course from the spectators' point of view, that it is not surprising to find Mr. Miller’s comparisons unfavorable generally to the English courses. "I was, on the whole, disappointed with the English racecourses," he said. "At the great historic courses at Ascot and Newmarket, where the charge for admission is considerable, the horses are lost to sight altogether during a portion of the journey, and the start can seldom be seen from the grand stands. I dliked Sandown and Kempton Park best of all the courses that I visited. The racing can be seen well at every point on both, these courses. The famous course at Epsom is hilly, and, in my opinion, badly laid out.
The trend of the ground is such, however, that a good stayer has all the beet of it.
The great difference which exists between Flemington and Randwick as regards the direction in which the horses race is not found at all in England, as the rule is, I fancy, uniform. At any rate, on all the courses that I visited they raced in one direction, namely, to the right." .....
Many thanks NEWFLD !.!!”!!.!