By observing and analyzing remarkable Merovingian ornaments, how can we reveal the wealth of technical knowledge and the circulation of people and materials in the Middle Ages?
This is what Prof. Philippe Walter and Isabelle Bardiès-Fronty, Chief Curator at the Musée de Cluny, propose to tackle in a "live" study, from the angle of chemistry and art history.
In 1862, two aquiliform fibulae and a belt buckle were unearthed in a gravel pit near Valence d'Agen (Tarnet-Garonne), making them among the finest examples of Visigothic art in Europe. Probably from the same 6th-century burial site, they testify to the refinement of early medieval artists. The animal theme of the two stylized eagles, the geometric elegance of the buckle plate and the brilliant colors of the three objects are all characteristic of the goldsmiths of the Visigoths, who settled in south-western Europe from the 5th century onwards, and whose kingdoms were successively capitalized in Toulouse and Toledo. The gilding techniques and glass and garnet inlays, now better understood thanks to scientific analysis, illustrate the skills of the craftsmen and tell us about the circulation, sometimes over long distances, of the materials used to decorate these ornaments.
In the form of a dialogue, Philippe Walter and Isabelle Bardiès-Fronty will bring their expertise in chemistry, archaeology, history and art history to bear on this exceptional ensemble.
