Meubles: The Ever Mobile Middle Ages
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2020
Journal / Book Title
The Medieval Globe
Abstract
Medieval furnishings preserved in aristocratic estates and ecclesiastical institutions took on new life in the nineteenth century as the turmoil of the French Revolution reactivated their use value, transforming them into collectibles, fuel, or raw materials for new building projects. This essay relies on the taxonomies of reuse proposed by archaeologist Michael Schiffer to evaluate the preservation, recycling, and repurposing of objects such as medieval choir stalls, chests, and beds by conservators, architects, artists, and collectors Alexandre Du Sommerard, Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, Albert Jacquemart, Victor Hugo, Pierre Loti, and Frédéric Spitzer. These prominent figures' repurposing of antique furniture mirrors nineteenth-century constructions of the medieval period itself.
DOI
10.17302/tmg.6-1.6
Journal ISSN / Book ISBN
2377-3553
MSU Digital Commons Citation
Emery, Elizabeth, "Meubles: The Ever Mobile Middle Ages" (2020). Department of World Languages and Cultures Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works. 61.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/modernlang-literatures-facpubs/61
Published Citation
Emery, Elizabeth. "Meubles: The Ever Mobile Middle Ages." The Medieval Globe, vol. 6 no. 1, 2020, p. 121-154. Project MUSE, https://dx.doi.org/10.17302/tmg.6-1.6.