La Sainte-Chapelle was constructed in the 1240s (consecrated on 26 April 1248) on the orders of King Louis IX on the Île de la Cité in the River Seine in Paris. The whole structure was completed in just seven years; incredible when compared with its neighbour, Notre-Dame, begun around the same time, which took almost two hundred years. It was built to house the most sacred relics of the Passion of Christ, including the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the True Cross.

Engraving of La Saint-Chapelle, circa 1630

Louis had purchased the relics from Baldwin II, Latin Emperor of Constantinople, who had pawned them to the Venetians. They were brought from Venice by Dominican friars, with Louis himself carrying them in the final stages of the journey. He bought them for the enormous sum of 135,000 livres and then had them stored in a large silver chest, the Grande-Chasse, which cost a further 100,000 livres. Just how large a sum this was is illustrated by the fact that the entire chapel and its glazing cost 40,000 livres. In 1246, Louis would add to his relic collection by obtaining fragments of the True Cross and the Holy Lance. 

The Grande-Chasse

The chapel was built in the the Gothic rayonnant style, with a ribbed vault but, amazingly, there are no flying buttresses to take the weight of the roof. Nevertheless, the clusters of slender columns together with the robust architecture of the lower chapel provide enough support to allow for a vast expanse of stained-glass windows, a total of 1,113 of them.

The ribbed vaulted ceiling of the lower chapel

The ribbed vaults and stained-glass windows in the upper chapel

The Rose window in the west front, dedicated to the Apocalypse, was rebuilt during the reign of Charles VIII around 1485. It is extremely well preserved with very little restoration. It is nine metres wide and composed of complex flame-shaped sections, typical of fifteenth-century flamboyant Gothic.

The Rose of the Apocalypse, La Sainte-Chapelle

Below the oculus, two of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse are depicted. On the left, representing death, is a white horseman emerging from a dragon’s mouth, whilst on the right a horseman carrying a scale represents famine.

One of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse

During the French Revolution the chapel was a prime target for vandalism and many of the original sculptures were smashed. The chapel was turned into a storehouse for grain and the spire was pulled down. Much of the sculpture of the portals was damaged; however, between 1855 and 1870, the sculptor Adolphe-Victor Geoffroy-Dechaume was able to recreate it using 18th century descriptions and engravings. The tympanum over the portal of the upper chapel was recreated; it contains the central figure of Christ giving a blessing, with the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist alongside him.

Tympanum above the portal of the upper chapel

Some of the stained glass was also broken during the Revolution but nearly two-thirds of the glass today is original. During World War II the windows were removed and put into safe storage. The windows and the chapel generally have been subject to several expensive restoration projects over the years. In 2008, a comprehensive seven-year programme of restoration began and 10 million euros was spent cleaning and preserving the stained glass, cleaning the facade stonework and repairing some of the sculptures.

This exhibition tells the story of cultural advances and technical innovation in Paris just after the turn of the twentieth century up to 1925, when the city hosted the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts. Not only does it display almost four hundred works by artists working in the city during that period but also examples of fashion, jewellery and industry.

Galleries in the city displayed works by Fauvists, Cubists, Dada and Surrealists as well as Futurists and all are represented in the exhibition alongside fashion accessories, dresses, perfumes and industrial products including a Peugeot car and an airplane.

Henri Matisse ‘Marguerite lisant’ (1906)

Pablo Picasso ‘Buste de femme’ (1907)

Georges Braque ‘Tête de femme’ (1909)

Pablo Picasso ‘La Femme au pot de moutarde’ (1910)

Gino Severini ‘La Dance du pan-pan au Monico’ (1910 – 11)

Marcel Duchamp ‘Roue de bicyclette’ (1913 – 64)

Jeanne Hébuterne ‘Autoportrait’ (1916)

Pablo Picasso ‘Portrait d’Olga dans un fauteuil’ (1918)

Amedeo Modigliani ‘Maternité’ (1919)

Fernand Léger ‘ L’homme à la pipe’ (1920)

Chaim Soutine ‘La fiancée’ (1923)

Paul Poiret ‘Minaret’ dress (1911)

Jeanne Lanvin ‘Robe Lesbos’ (c.1925)

Deperdussin airplane (1911)

Peugeot type BP1 (1913)

Périgueux was founded around 16 B.C. when the Romans settled in the area near the river Isle and created the town of Vesunna. By around 40 B.C. the town already had a forum and the amphitheatre was under construction. The temple, known today as the Tour de Vésone, dates back to the beginning of the second century. 

The Vesone domus, the home of a wealthy aristocratic family, was erected in the first century, and its remains were uncovered in 1959 during an archaeological excavation. Since 2003, the site has been housed in a contemporary building, which now forms the Vesunna Museum.

Domus base, Vesunna Museum, Périgueux

Model of the original domus construction

The Vesunna amphitheatre was one of the largest in Gaul at 140 metres x 116 metres, a similar size to those in Arles and Nimes. It seated approximately 20,000 spectators. Illustrations discovered at the site show gladiators fighting in the arena.

Model of the amphitheatre

Columns decorated with a seascape frieze and a collection of weaponry (2nd century)

Corinthian capital (2nd century)

Heads of Bacchus and a mother-goddess

Tour de Vésone (2nd century)

A visit to the fascinating city of Périgueux, capital of the Dordogne department in France, where there is much to explore.

The cathedral of Saint Front was built around 1120. The site originally had a church, built by Bishop Chronope between 500 and 536, before becoming an abbey. In order to accommodate more pilgrims, the abbey was enlarged by the addition of a domed church, claimed to have been modelled on Saint Mark’s Basilica in Venice. It became a cathedral in the sixteenth century, taking its name, Saint Front, from the man who was, according to legend, the first bishop of Périgueux.

It has been classified as a historic monument since 1840 and was made a World Heritage Site in 1998, as part of the routes to Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle in France. 

Saint Front Cathedral, Perigueux

Amongst other religious buildings in the city is the Couvent des Dames de la Foi, which has an interesting Romanesque façade The house was built in the twelfth century and was a private residence before being given in 1680 to the congregation of the Ladies of the Faith which had been introduced to Périgueux in 1670. They established a convent there, intended for the conversion of young Protestant women.

The Romanesque façade of the Couvent des Dames de la Foi, Périgueux

Another fascinating building in the city is the Eschif, which was built in 1347 as a lookout post to allow surveillance of the Tournepiche bridge. It was built on the now-demolished ramparts of Puy-Saint-Front, the medieval city which corresponds to the historic center of Périgueux.

Eschif, Perigueux

The city’s ‘Musée d’art et d’archéologie du Périgord‘ has an interesting collection of African and Oceanic art and artifacts.

‘Warrior’s mask’ (Ivory Coast, early 20th century)

Sacred mask (Ivory Coast)

‘Gelede mask’ (Nago-Yoruba, Benin, late 19th century)

I was particularly interested to see this ceremonial breastplate used in a ‘mokka’ ceremony in the Mendi region of the Western Highlands in Papua New Guinea, as I have my own example that I bought from the Bishop Museum in Hawaii when I was there in 1987.

‘Mokka’ breastplate, purchased in Ohahu, Hawaii, 1987

Back in the Lot department, this time at the twelfth-century Eglise Saint-Laurent in Les Arques, and, for the second time recently, a concert by ‘Les Passions’, the Orchestre Baroque de Montauban. On this occasion, soloists from the orchestra provided a very enjoyable evening of Baroque concerti.

Orchestra leader Jean-Marc Andrieu, playing recorder, was accompanied by Flavio Losco, violin, Xavier Miquel, oboe, Etienne Mangot, cello, Laurent Le Chenadec, bassoon, and Yvan Garcia on harpsichord.

Jean-Marc Andrieu (left) with soloists from Les Passions

The concert began with two works by French composer Joseph Bodin de Boismortier: ‘Concerto in E minor for recorder, oboe, bassoon, violin and basso continuo’, and ‘Concerto in D major for cello, strings and basso continuo’. Both were new to me; they were very well performed and they provided a pleasant start to the evening.

They were followed by the ‘Chaconne’ by Henry Purcell from his semi-opera ‘King Arthur’ which was played with great enthusiasm and energy. Johann Christian Bach’s ‘Quintet in D major’ was also very well performed, especially by the recorder and oboe sharing the treble part. Excellent playing from the harpsichord ensured an extremely entertaining interpretation.

The concert really came to life with Telemann’s ‘Concerto in A minor’, with flamboyant playing from all, especially from the violin in the ‘vivace’ fourth movement – a very lively and joyful performance. The evening finished with Vivaldi’s ‘Concerto in G minor’ which was perfectly executed, especially by the oboe and bassoon, which were both played with great vituosity.

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier: ‘Concerto in E minor for recorder, oboe, bassoon, violin and basso continuo’, opus 37 no. 6
Joseph Bodin de Boismortier: ‘Concerto in D major for cello, strings and basso continuo’
Henry Purcell : ‘Chaconne’, from King Arthur
Johann Christian Bach: ‘Quintet in D major for recorder, violin, oboe, cello and obbligato harpsichord’, opus 22 no. 1, W B76
Georg Philipp Telemann: ‘Concerto in A minor for flute recorder, oboe, bassoon, violin and basso continuo’
Antonio Vivaldi: ‘Concerto in G minor for recorder, oboe, bassoon, violin and basso continuo’, RV107

In Albi, in the Tarn region of southern France, where the Cathedral is claimed to be the largest brick building in the world. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. Whilst it has quite an austere exterior, the inside is richly decorated with frescoes and sculpures in the Southern French Gothic style (gothique méridional), which arose in the early thirteenth century following the victory of the Catholic Church over the Cathars. The main part of the cathedral was constructed between 1282 and 1300, with the 78 metre tall bell tower being added between 1355 and 1366. Much of the interior decoration was completed in the fifteenth century.

The rood screen, which separates the chancel and the nave, was made of filigree stone between 1474 and 1483. It is highly ornamental and surrounds the entire choir. Whilst it was threatened with destruction during the French Revolution and many of the statues on its outer face were smashed, fortunately the screen itself survived.

The fifteenth-century rood screen

The nave is 97 metres long, 30 metres high, and 19 metres wide and its walls and vaults are entirely covered with decoration.

The nave with its decorated vaults

The vaults of the choir

The mural of the ‘Last Judgement’ on the interior of the western front was painted at the end of the fifteenth century. Most of it is now in two parts as some of the central figures, including Christ and Archangel Michael, were removed in 1693 to make a doorway into the Chapel of Saint Clair. The upper part of the fresco depicts sinners awaiting judgement, whilst below are the torments of those condemned.

‘Last Judgement’ fresco (Fifteenth century)

The Treasury is a vaulted chamber attached to the ambulatory on the north side of the cathedral. It was constructed in the late thirteenth century and used to keep precious objects as well as the church archives.

‘Life of the Virgin and Child’ polyptych (Fourteenth century)

Chest containing relics of Saint Ursula (Fourteenth century)

At the Musée Goya in Castres for the exhibition ‘Goya dans l’œil de Picasso’, part of a series of fifty exhibitions being held throughout Europe to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Picasso’s death in 1973. This exhibition celebrates the links between the two great Spanish masters and in particular shows the influence of Francisco Goya on the career of Pablo Picasso.

Both artists shared a fascination with the tradition of bullfighting in Spain and both depicted it in their drawings, engravings and paintings and some of these form the main part of the exhibition. Examples of Goya’s print series ‘La Tauromaquia’, which consisted of thirty-three works completed between 1815 and 1816, were displayed alongside some of the twenty-six aquatints produced by Picasso for the 1957 republication of the bullfighting manual ‘La Tauromaquia’.

Francisco Goya ‘The Agility and Audacity of Juanito Apiñani in the Ring at Madrid’ (1816)

Francisco Goya ‘Another madness of his in the same ring’ (1816)

Pablo Picasso ‘Salto con la Garrocha’ (Pole Vault) (1959)

Pablo Picasso ‘El Picador Obligando al Toro con su Pica’ (1959)

Towards the end of his life, when almost blind, Goya produced four large lithographs, ‘The Bulls of Bordeaux’, which focussed on the bullrings and the attending crowds. Picasso also concentrated on the bullring in three coloured tracing papers produced for the documentary film ‘The Mystery of Picasso’ in 1956. Also displayed was Picasso’s more abstract depiction, ‘Corrida’, from 1935.

Francisco Goya ‘ El Famoso Americano, Mariano Ceballos’ (1825)

Pablo Picasso ‘Corrida’ (1955)

Pablo Picasso ‘Corrida’ (1955)

Pablo Picasso ‘Corrida’ (1935)

Both Goya and Picasso created hybrid, monstrous beings, possibly evoking the times they had lived through. Goya went into exile in Bordeaux after engraving ‘The Disasters of War’ and ‘Los Disparates’ and, now deaf, shut himself away in a world where he created his irrational monsters. Picasso had lived through two world wars and the Spanish Civil War and depicted his life through the figure of the Minotaur, which embodies his alter ego.

Pablo Picasso ‘Winged Bull Watched by Four Children’ (1934)

The exhibition ends with a section entitled ‘Death’, which explores the representation of death in the work of both artist through the genre of still-life, Goya is represented by ‘Still Life with Lamb’s Ribs, Loin and Head’ (1808 – 12) which is displayed alongside Picasso’s ‘Still Life with a Ram’s Head’ (1939). 

Francesco Goya ‘Still Life with Lamb’s Ribs, Loin and Head’ (1808 – 12)

I have been fortunate enough to see the excellent Quatuor Modigliani twice in the last three weeks – first in Montpellier and now in Monpazier in the Dordogne department of south-west France. Tonight’s performance in l’église de Monpazier was part of the Festival Eté musical en Bergerac.

Two of the three pieces in the first half of the concert, Haydn’s ‘String Quartet in G major, opus 54’ and Hugo Wolf’s ‘Italian Serenade’, were also played in Montpellier and tonight were performanced at the same high standard. The first half also contained Puccini’s ‘Crisantemi’, originally written as an elegy for the 1890 death of Puccini’s friend the Duke of Aosta, formerly King Amadeo I of Spain. It is a work full of emotion and was movingly played.

The highlight of the evening was Schubert’s ‘String Quartet no. 13 in A minor’, known as ‘The Rosamunde’. It was superbly played, as you might expect from a quartet whose latest CD release was a box set of all fifteen string quartets by Schubert. It was the only quartet to be published during the composer’s lifetime and takes its name from the play ‘Rosamunde, Princess of Cyprus’, for which Schubert composed incidental music, one of its themes reappearing in the quartet’s second movement. The beautifully melancholic main theme was played with great emotion and the Minuet was extremely elegant. It was an excellent performance to end a memorable concert.

Joseph Haydn ‘String Quartet in G Major op. 54 n°1; Hugo Wolf ‘Italian Serenade in G Major’; Giacomo Puccini ‘Crisantemi for String Quartet’; Franz Schubert ‘String Quartet no. 13 in A minor, The Rosamunde’.

At Château de Biron in the Dordogne for the periodic exhibition of works from the Maeght Foundation. This year’s exhibition, ‘Pensées premières – Maîtres du dessin’, also contains a selection of twentieth-century art from the Brache–Bonnefoi collection.

The exhibition shows how graphic expression has developed from the sixteenth to the twentieth century, with examples of engravings, preparatory designs for larger works, and paintings.

Abrecht Durer ‘Adam and Eve’ (1504)

Henri Matisse ‘Portrait de Fabiani’ (1943)

Georges Braque ‘Théière et Pommes’ (1946)

Marc Chagall ‘La Bastille’ (1954)

Georges Braque ‘Les Amaryllis’ (1958)

Marc Chagall ‘Paravent’ screen (1963)

Jean Dubuffet ‘Monument II (à l’oiseau)’ (1967)

Alexander Calder ‘Dimanche dans le jardin’ (1974)

Joan Miró ‘La Meneuse de Lune’ (1975)

Ensemble ‘Les Passions’, the Montauban Baroque Orchestra, under the direction of Jean-Marc Andrieu performed a programme of Baroque music in the abbey church of Saint-Cyprien in the Dordogne. This was a concert I had been particularly looking forward to as the third piece performed, Pergolesi’s ‘Stabat Mater’ is one of my favourite works from the Baroque repertoire.

The concert began with two works by Alessandro Scarlatti, ‘Salve Regina’ and the ‘Recorder Concerto in A minor’. The first was performed beautifully by both musicians and singers, with the voices working well off each other. Jean-Marc Andrieu played the solo in the ‘Recorder Concerto’ and whilst he played with great gusto, the acoustics of the high-ceiling abbey church were probably not the best for appreciating the nuances of the instrument.

Les Passions

The ensemble certainly did justice to the final work, the ‘Stabat Mater’. Giovanni Pergolesi composed it in 1736, finishing it just before his tragic death from tuberculosis at the age of only 26. It became one of his most celebrated sacred works, achieving great popularity after his death. ‘Les Passions’ performed it superbly, especially soprano Magali Léger and counter-tenor Paulin Bündgen, who both have voices wonderfully suited to Baroque choral works. A standing ovation brought the ensemble back for a repeat perfomance of the final two parts.

Soprano Magali Léger and counter-tenor Paulin Bündgen

Alessandro Scarlatti: ‘Salve Regina for two voices, two violins and continuo’;
Alessandro Scarlatti: ‘Concerto in A minor for recorder, 2 violins and continuo;
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: ‘Stabat Mater for two voices, strings and continuo’.