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  The Freiburg Cross and its World. Western European
Applied Art of the Middle Ages from the Collection of the State Hermitage The exhibition in the Blue Bedroom of the Winter Palace (Room 307) draws the visitor's attention to the stages of development of medieval applied art. One of the high points of this development was the main display item of the show, the so-called Freiburg Cross. The cross was created at the end of the 18th century in Strasbourg for the Monastery of St Trudpert near Freiburg. French and German cultural traditions came together in this city on the Rhine. The exhibition opens with the display of two caskets made of carved ivory which reflect the basic sources of medieval art: Roman culture and the culture of the barbarians. The Carolingian period is represented in the show by an ivory relief with evangelical subject. The diversity of Romanesque style is underlined by works in carved ivory, recessed enamel, bronze castings and objects made of silver. There is considerable space given to Limoges enamel, which at the time conquered hearts across Europe thanks to the everlasting colors it gave to the objects it adorned. One example of this is the reliquary casket used to preserve the relics of saints and dating from the 13th century. A special place in the exhibition is taken by a casket which was created in the atelier of the well known 13th century master Hugues d' d'Oignies. Unusually fine diptychs and elegant statuettes of the Madonna acquaint the visitor with the art of carving in ivory at the end of the 13th century. The influence of secular life on Gothic culture is reflected in items intended for daily use: jewel boxes, small boxes for mirrors, figure-shaped vessels, fabrics, as well as candlesticks and brackets for a horse's harness decorated with heraldic motifs. An essential part of Gothic interiors was woven wall hangings in the palace rooms and stained glass windows which cast rainbow-colored light on the cold stone floors. Churchly utensils were predominant. Among the first objects for churchly use to emerge were processional crosses, of which the Freiburg Cross is a very contemporary example. The exhibition also displays crosses of English, French, and Spanish provenance which feature predominantly elements of Gothic architecture such as covered the entire surface of art objects in the 15th century (for example, caskets). One clear example of this is a wrought iron door with so-called Maaswerk ornamentation (combination of different arches). The Hermitage's collection of medieval monuments of applied art is among the best in the world. It had its origins in the collection of A.P. Bazilevsky (1829 - 1899). In 1884 his collection was sold to Emperor Alexander III for the Hermitage. Thirteen of the items on display in this exhibition come from the Bazilevsky collection, among them the famous Freiburg Cross, a silver wine vessel (potir) of the 13th century, a Limoges reliquary casket and box covered in painted leather which is a real decoration for the exhibition. The other major private collection in which medieval objects occupied an important place was the collection of the Shuvalov family. Many of the works on display in the exhibition come from the collection of the Museum of the School of Technical Drawing founded by Baron Stieglitz (1814-1884). |
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