Paris: Cluny Museum Exhibition, “A Journey into Crystal”

In the Middle Ages in the West, the term quartz was used for all crystals until Georgius Agricola, in the 16^th century, limited its definition to pure silica, the designation of which varies according to color; transparent hyaline quartz is rock crystal.

Until January 14, 2024, the Cluny Museum—the National Museum of the Middle Ages in France—is offering A Journey into Crystal. Constructed in six acts of 12 chapters each, the exhibition reveals the thousand and one facets of rock crystal through the presentation of more than 200 pieces, true artistic masterpieces, from Prehistory to contemporary art.

The curation of the exhibition was handled by Isabelle Bardiès-Fronty, head curator of heritage at Cluny Museum, and Stéphane Pennec, archaeologist, founder and CEO of AÏNU, a company offering services for restoring and displaying works of art. The exhibition benefits from the support of L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts.

The beauty of quartz fascinates the artist, especially since its sculpture is particularly difficult. Quartz can be carved by direct or indirect percussion. It can also be polished and pierced. The same tools have been used since Antiquity, such as the “touret” (little tower), the saw, the “bouterolle” (tool with a rounded head head), or even the point of diamond. Its hardness necessitates work by abrasion, notably with emery powder.

Among the Greeks and Romans, we find luxurious rock crystal cult vases in sanctuaries. The artists of Antiquity also depicted human figures in hyaline quartz.

In Merovingian times, rock crystal was often present in tombs and embellished prestigious works in churches. In the Carolingian world, engraving of unrivaled skill revealed real paintings on quartz plaques, in a technique which heralded those of the great sculptors of the Renaissance.

In the Middle Ages, hyaline quartz was a preferred material for artistic commissions in churches, ranging from liturgical objects to reliquaries. On reliquary or altar crosses, large cabochons placed in the center of the arms symbolically refer to Jesus Christ, “the true light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world” (Jn 1:9).

Although quartz is often used for liturgical objects, it is not absent from the secular world. It has even been a popular material for luxury tableware since Antiquity, as evidenced by skyphos (drinking vase, with two handles) and cologne bottles. Goblets, spoons, and crystal bowls are available alongside more fanciful objects like an ewer in the form of a dragon from the Louvre Museum.

A Journey into Crystal runs until January 14, 2024. Cluny Museum, 28 rue du Sommerard, 75005 Paris. Open every day except Monday, from 9:30am to 6:15pm. Open in the evening on the first and third Thursdays of the month from 6:15pm to 9pm. Closed December 25 and January 1. Entrance fee: 12 euros, reduced rate 10 euros. Free on the first Sunday of the month.