 |
| Horn of St. Hubert, Léonard Limousin (ca. 1506-1575), silver, grisaille and polychrome enamel over horn, French, Limoges, 1538 |
Finally taking our postponed excursion to the Met Cloisters, my friend and I traveled to Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan Friday afternoon to visit Fort Tryon Park and the museum to celebrate the Feast of Sant’Uberto di Liegi (St. Hubert of Liège). Seeing as it was a cool and pleasant day, we first took a quiet saunter through the verdant gardens and hills, admiring the inceptive fall foliage and exploring its many winding paths overlooking the scenic Hudson River and Palisades. |
| A view of the Hudson River from the Linden Terrace in Fort Tryon Park |
A few years since my last visit, the Cloisters used to be one of my favorite date spots. Serene and beautiful, I thought it was a romantic place to bring a cultivated young lady. Unfortunately, over the years commuting and crime in New York City has become a nightmare and curbed my willingness to make the trek as often as I used to. However, as someone who is brutally critical of the New York City Subway system I must admit this trip to and from the museum went as smoothly as can be expected. |
| Approaching the museum from one of the trails |
A hidden gem, there were few other guests there that day, so we were able to peruse all the cloisters, chapels and halls, including the ongoing “Rich Man, Poor Man” exhibit in the Glass Gallery, at our own leisure.  |
This copper alloy plate with wife spanking her husband (Netherlandish,
ca. 1480) was part of the "Rich Man, Poor Man" exhibit |
Unquestionably, the pièce de résistance of the amassed treasures is the Annunciation Triptych (Merode Altarpiece) from the workshop of Robert Campin (c. 1375-1444). A masterpiece of early Netherlandish painting, I promise you no reproduction I can show you could ever do it justice. Like Giuseppe Sanmartino’s Cristo velato (Veiled Christ) or Sandro Botticelli’s Nascita di Venere (The Birth of Venus), it must be seen in person to fully appreciate its transcendent beauty. |
Annunciation Triptych (Merode Altarpiece) workshop of Robert Campin
(Ca. 1375-1444), oil on oak, South Netherlandish, Tournai, ca. 1427-32 |
Perhaps it is the season and my current frame of mind, but I lingered a little longer in the somber Gothic Chapel giving thought to the stirring collection of sepulchral effigies, especially that of thirteenth-century chevalier Jean d’Aluye (d. 1248), son of Hugues V d’Aluye.  |
Tomb of Ermengol X, Count of Urgell, limestone with traces of paint, Catalan,
Lerida, ca. 1300-1350, from the Premonstratensian monastery of
Santa Maria de Bellpuig de les Avellanes, near Lerida, Spain |
 |
Tomb Effigy of a Boy, probably Ermengol IX, Count of Urgell, Limestone
with traces of paint, Catalan, Lerida, ca. 1300-1350, from the church
of Santa Maria at Castelló de Ferfanya, near Lerida, Spain |
 |
| (L) Double Tomb of Alvar Rodrigo de Cabrera, Count of Urgell, and His Wife, Cecilia of Foix. (R) Tomb of Ermengol VII, Count of Urgell. All three tombs are all limestone with traces of paint, Catalan, Lerida, ca. 1300-1350 and from the Premonstratensian monastery of Santa Maria de Bellpuig de les Avellanes, Spain. |
 |
Detail of tomb effigy of a lady, limestone, French, Normandy, mid 13th
century, from the priory of Notre-Dame-du-Bosc, near Le Neubourg |
Curious about the provenance of the crusader knight's effigy, I discovered that it was once used as a bridge (!) and he is depicted with a Chinese sword—a detail this dilettante would never have discerned. While that interesting sword detail baffles scholars, I am more amazed by the fact that following the French Revolution the effigy was pilfered from the Cistercian abbey of La Clarté-Dieu and used facedown as a bridge over a small stream before being rescued. (1) |
| Detail of A Knight of the d'Aluye Family with mysterious Chinese sword |
 |
| Detail of A Knight of the d'Aluye Family with hands palm to palm in prayer |
 |
A Knight of the d'Aluye Family, limestone, French, Loire Valley, after 1258-by
1267, from the Cistercian abbey of La Clarté-Dieu, north of Tours |
Devoted to Sant’Uberto, I was more than a little surprised when we stumbled upon the Horn of St. Hubert and a limestone relief of St. Hubert and the Stag in the Boppard Room. Before our visit, I searched the museum’s website for any artifacts related to the great saint and nothing came up. I double-checked before this writing and learned I needed to spell out “saint;” I typed “St.” Regardless of the spelling, the horn doesn’t show up either way. Anyhow, I took it as a good omen and a sign our heavenly patron was watching over us. |
| Another look at the Horn of St. Hubert |
 |
| St. Hubert and the Stag, limestone with paint, East French, early 16th century |
Taking in as much as we could, there is not enough time in the day to adequately ponder and digest this wondrous collection of Medieval European art and architecture. We stayed till closing before heading back to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, for our celebratory dinner for the Feast of Sant’Uberto at Amunì Restaurant. Being a Friday, we do not eat meat so instead we enjoyed a little sarde fritte and pasta con le sarde. Evviva Sant’Uberto di Liegi!~ Giovanni di Napoli, November 4th, Feast of San Carlo Borromeo
 |
| Sarde fritte |
 |
| Pasta con le sarde |
 |
(L) We set up a makeshift shrine to Sant'Uberto
at the restaurant. (R) My St. Hubert medal |
Notes:
(1) Medieval Monuments at the Cloisters as they were and as they are, Metropolitan Museum of art, 1972, The Effigy of Jean d'Alluye, pp. 60-62
