Medieval Art across Time. Erudition and restorations on medieval works of art (17th-19th centuries)

Projet financé par l'Idex de l'Université de Bordeaux (programme Emergence) 

Abstract:

The ambition of the project Medieval Art across Time is to focus on the different forms of interaction (mainly studies and restorations) with medieval art between the seventeenth and the nineteenth century. It starts with a case study to be used as laboratory to elaborate a more theoretical framework and a sound methodology. The chosen case is the fourteenth-century tomb of cardinal Hugues Aycelin, located in the former Dominican church in Clermont. During the first phase of the project, we will carry out a study of the nineteenth-century restoration of the tomb and of the entire church and convent, through archival research, non-invasive methods of observation of the paint layers and bas-reliefs (microscope, XRF, FORS) and topographic survey of the extant convent buildings. The aim is to understand the condition of the tomb and the church before the restoration, and to highlight the choices made by the restorers.