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| Angel of the Annunciation - 16th C. |
Lillian : We have a touristy tip - when you are in a new place make sure to visit the regional museum - the Museum that focuses on the culture of that particular place. It helps to get a real feel of the history of an area and the culture - what makes that area special.
Audrey : Good tip Lillian, the Musée Lorrain is in the splendid Ducal Palace & the ex-Franciscan monastery next door.
In this post we'll show you photos of some of the things in the Ducal Palace.
Lillian : Most museums & art galleries in Europe allow photography - just don't use the flash.
Audrey : Our stylist thought this was a marvelous opportunity to gather research on historical fashions and on lace - so we have lots of photos of clothes ... and the details of garments ...
Lillian : We've started with some splendid stained glass and the last 2 photos are parts of an Adoration of the 3 Kings (in French - l'adoration des Rois mages) from the l’église Sainte-Ségolène in Metz dated approx. 1390 and attributed to Hermann von Münster ...Audrey : Wasn't Herman Munster on the TV??
Lillian : I think that was a different Monster umm I mean Munster. Did you notice the fantastic detail of the shoes and scalloped edges?
Audrey : More lovely detail in the cap and garments in this bas-relief altarpiece of the Lamentation of Christ from the early 1600s. It is of "polychromed alabaster" - we think that means that it was painted.
Lillian : Apparently Lorraine produced a lot of alabaster statuary but few examples remain.
Lillian : The Ducal Palace was built in the 15th C for René II and I think that this is a statue of him - he is often pictured on a horse and waving a sword about ... notice the thistle on the pedestal (it's a symbol of Lorraine).Audrey : You are looking rather swashbucklish yourself with your velvet pants and froggy boots!
Lillian : Urr thanks. While we are thinking about weaponry - what about the cabinet with the wax-work diorama in it.
Audrey : A beautiful cabinet but ... the subject of the wax-work diorama was quite horrible.
Lillian : The Martyrs de Trèves (Trier) - this cabinet was made in Germany in 1759. The subject is horrid but you have to admire the work that went into making it - the wax figures are amazingly detailed - here is some detail - with the reflections off the glass this is the best photo our people could get...Audrey : All those little wax figures - and he isn't wearing very much. Is that his underwear showing over his tights?
Lillian : Looks like it - perhaps braies (medieval underwear for men) were worn with hose ...
Audrey : And I thought that showing the top of your undies above your trousers was a recent male fashion.
Lillian : Well, fashion has a habit or repeating itself. Let us look at more historical fashions in some portraits.
Audrey : That is sweet - 2 paintings of the same person. Nicole de Lorraine at 13months old in 1607 and then all grown up.
Lillian : Nicole, Duchess of Lorraine was the only surviving child of Henri II Duke of Lorraine, but she couldn't inherit the Duchy because she was a woman. She married the eldest son of the Count of Vaudémont and he became Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine. The marriage was not a happy one and they had no children.
Audrey : Oh that's sad - she looks like a dolly in all that dress & lace as a baby - and the collar in the other portrait looks so very Art Deco!
Lillian : I guess the collar was very fine and very starched linen. Here are more important people wearing uncomfortable clothes.
Audrey : Click on the details to see the wonderful lace. His frills are all gold lace - it was bobbin / pillow lace made from gold thread, actual gold - it was sold by the weight. Who was this gent with the 'five o'clock shadow'?Thérèse of Austria who is in the other portrait of this pair - attributed to Martin van Meytens.
Audrey : Oh - they are Marie Antoinette's mum & dad.
Lillian : Yes, Marie Antoinette was the 2nd youngest of their 16 children.
Audrey : A typical over-achieving couple of the 18th Century!
Lillian : François III was the last Duke of Lorraine. Under the Treaty of Vienna in 1738, Louis XV gave Lorraine to his father-in-law and ex-King of Poland - Stanisław Leszczyński.
Audrey : This portrait (C.1740) is of Stan's wife Catherine Opalinska. and, wearing a very similar frock is her daughter Marie.
This portrait (C.1726 by Francois Stiemart) shows Marie shortly after her marriage to Louis XV, she is holding a branch of orange blossom.
Audrey : While we are with Stan's family, remember the well-dressed ... well we thought this was a puppet.
Audrey : Those clothes were actually his.
Lillian : Stanislaw had his court in Lunéville, an area still famous for its ceramics & pottery. There are some nice examples in the Musée Lorrain ...
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| The Gardener after Paul-Louis Cyfflé (1724-1806) Biscuit de terre de Lorraine |
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| Epergne - Leda & the Swan - C.1770 after Paul-Louis Cyfflé Biscuit de terre de Lorraine |
Audrey : You liked that gazebo - I rather liked this chap - General Maximilien-Sébastien Foy.
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| General Foy (1775-1825) Manufacture de Niderviller C.1820 |
Notice the M cuts in his collar.
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| Jeune femme et l'enfant Pierre Jospeh Michel 1781 |
I found this terracotta figurine quite charming
Audrey : We found these pretty and very large things all of ceramic tiles ...
Lillian : Ceramic or tile stoves. They are basically heaters.
Not sure why this one has an urn on top - but I guess the heat was meant to escape through the lattice ...
Audrey : So many things to discover, so much to learn.
And then we found the room full of miniatures ... doll sized portraits of people!
Lillian : Yes, mostly on ivory, some beautifully done. We'll show you the best photos of the best outfits ...Audrey : Just look at these bonnets!
Lillian : There were lots of military gentlemen ... the early 1800s was a time of wars and upheaval.
Audrey : Probably slightly later - a chap with an interesting moustache.
Audrey : Then we had some lunch and in the afternoon, we came back to explore the other part of the museum - the folk art, regional furniture & traditional Lorraine interiors housed in the ex-Franciscan monastery next door to the palace.
Lillian : Let us show you our photos of all that in the next post.
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