The exhibition Trésors enluminés de Normandie (Normandy’s Illuminated Treasures), to be held at the Museum of Antiquities between 9 December 2016 and 19 March 2017, will reveal a little-known side of the mediaeval and Renaissance collections of Normandy’s museums and collections.

Illuminated manuscripts and sheets have been scattered far and wide, and whilst the majority of them in France are held by public libraries or archives, museum exhibits are often not very well documented. Nonetheless, they are valuable evidence of the art of illumination. In 2004, France’s National Institute of Art History launched a huge systematic inventory campaign in order to identify these items. This first research effort was then supported by the fieldwork of the Museum of Antiquities, which will report on the discoveries made in Normandy.

 The exhibition will focus on the great stylistic evolutions of illumination, from the simple magnificence of ornamental letters to actual manuscript painting, as well as on the various ways in which books and illustrations were used. The inclusion of some loose sheets reveals the practice of carving works up that was often and unfortunately common amongst collectors. In keeping with the archaeological precociousness that emerged in Normandy in the early 19th century, and to which the Museum of Antiquities owes its creation, the exhibition will also take visitors on a journey through the more general rediscovery of the heritage of illumination. A key figure in this journey will be Léopold Delisle, a historian and librarian from Normandy, who helped to shine new light on the manuscript collections of the National Library of France, whilst also redefining the codicology of the Middle Ages. The illuminations of the Dutuit collection are presented in a completely new way and will touch on Rouen’s collecting at its peak.

The project has been labelled as an Exhibition of National Interest 2016 by the Ministry of Culture and Communication. Under the framework of the digitisation plan of the Books and Reading Directorate, the French Institute for the Research and History of Texts, which is a research department within the French National Centre for Scientific Research, has undertaken the complete digitisation of the collection’s illuminated manuscripts and sheets. Numerous multimedia devices will be used to reach out to the largest possible audience.

Museum of Antiquities
198 Rue Beauvoisine or Rue Louis Ricard- 76000 Rouen
Opening hours: Open from Tuesday to Saturday between 1.30pm and 5.30pm, and on Sundays between 2pm and 6pm.
Closed on Mondays and on the following public holidays: 1 January, 1 May, 1 and 11 November, 25 December.

Prices: Free admission to the permanent collections,
€ 4 flat rate admission for the temporary exhibition.

Information:  02 35 98 55 10 - publics1@musees-rouen-normandie.fr