A masterpiece from the Limousin region enters the Louvre

1. Limoges, c. 1230
Saint Peter
Champleted, enamelled, engraved, chased and gilded copper - 29.5 x 14.5 cm
Paris, Musée du Louvre
Photo: RMN-GP/H. Lewandowski

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13/3/24 - Acquisition - Paris, Musée du Louvre - Avidly collected by numerous enthusiasts in the 19th century, medieval works of art remain above all survivors of the upheavals of history, the ravages of time and destruction of all kinds, sometimes dictated by changing tastes or worship, not to mention the muted vandalism of the Wars of Religion or the results of revolutionary iconoclasm. The latter certainly did not spare the altar at Grandmont Abbey, in the Monts d’Ambazac, not far from Limoges, whose decoration was sold to a local foundryman in 1791! A few fragments managed to escape the worst, and it was certainly one of them that recently reappeared before the enchanted eyes of medieval art lovers when the Musée du Louvre announced by a simple tweet that this splendid Saint Peter (ill. 1) had joined the collections of the Objets d’art department, where it was promptly installed. It has to be said that this very elegant apostolic figure has a family resemblance: it has joined in its display case (ill. 2) a Saint Matthew that has been in the museum since the reign of Charles X, donated by Edme Antoine Durand in 1825!

2. Saint Pierre and Saint Matthieu in their display case at the Musée du Louvre
Photo: Alexandre Lafore

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Perfectly recognisable by its keys, this Saint Peter is easy to identify yet remained unknown until its recent rediscovery in a private French collection. Some art historians are very lucky: this is the third time that Élisabeth Antoine-König, General Curator of the Louvre’s Department of Objets d’Art, has been able to orchestrate the entry into the museum of such an unknown masterpiece. Connoisseurs will no doubt remember this tapestry from the canopy of Charles VII, which remained unpublished…