The wonderful Treasure of Oignies - 13th century sparks of brilliance - Exhibition catalog
MX025099
€ 22
WRITTEN IN FRENCH
The Oignies treasure, made up of around fifty objects and especially pieces of goldwork, has been part of the "Seven Wonders of Belgium" since 1978.
It is associated with the 13th century history of the Saint-Nicolas d'Oignies priory (near Namur), founded around 1192, and with the meeting of three remarkable personalities: the mystic and ascetic Marie d'Oignies († 1213) ; the prelate Jacques de Vitry († 1240), brilliant preacher and chronicler, main patron of the priory; and the goldsmith Hugues de Walcourt, known as Hugo d'Oignies († around 1240), who made the priory an important center of creation, active until around 1260. The artist Hugo innovates with the profusion of niellos, filigrees, naturalistic and hunting motifs, and is part of the northern art of the first half of the 13th century , in the wake of the "1200 style", while the productions of the workshop alone, after 1240, belongs to Gothic art.
The Oignies treasure has had a turbulent history. Following the French Revolution, the priory was abolished, and the treasure hidden in a farm in 1794 then entrusted in 1818 to the convent of the Sisters of Notre-Dame in Namur. Becoming the property of the King Baudouin Foundation in 2010, it was deposited with the Archaeological Society of Namur to be exhibited by the province of Namur at the TreM.a-musée des Arts anciens du Namurois. The extreme refinement of the objects, the technical mastery and the preciousness of the materials, as well as the particular history of the pieces make it a collection of international reputation.
Exhibition « The wonderful Treasure of Oignies : 13th century sparks of brilliance », at the Musée de Cluny - musée national du Moyen Âge from 19 March to 20 October 2024.
