The BnF Museum or Museum of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, formerly known as the Cabinet des Médailles (French pronunciation: [kabinɛ de medaj]), is a significant art and history museum in Paris. It displays collections of the Département des Monnaies, Médailles et Antiques de la Bibliothèque nationale de France as well as manuscripts and books from the Library's collections. The BnF Museum is located in the Richelieu site, the former main building of the library bordering rue de Richelieu.
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👉 Cabinet des Médailles in the context of Black-figure pottery
Black-figure pottery painting (also known as black-figure style or black-figure ceramic; Ancient Greek: μελανόμορφα, romanized: melanómorpha) is one of the styles of painting on antique Greek vases. It was especially common between the 7th and 5th centuries BC, although there are specimens dating in the 2nd century BC. Stylistically it can be distinguished from the preceding orientalizing period and the subsequent red-figure pottery style.
Figures and ornaments were painted on the body of the vessel using shapes and colors reminiscent of silhouettes. Delicate contours were incised into the paint before firing, and details could be reinforced and highlighted with opaque colors, usually white and red. The principal centers for this style were initially the commercial hub Corinth, and later Athens. Other important production sites are known to have been in Laconia, Boeotia, eastern Greece, and Italy. Particularly in Italy individual styles developed which were at least in part intended for the Etruscan market. Greek black-figure vases were very popular with the Etruscans, as is evident from frequent imports. Greek artists created customized goods for the Etruscan market which differed in form and decor from their normal products. The Etruscans also developed their own black-figure ceramic industry oriented on Greek models.
In this Dossier
- ⭐ Core Definition: Cabinet des Médailles
- 👉 Cabinet des Médailles in the context of Black-figure pottery
- Cabinet des Médailles in the context of Giants (Greek mythology)
- Cabinet des Médailles in the context of Honoré Théodoric d'Albert de Luynes
- Cabinet des Médailles in the context of Cup of the Ptolemies
- Cabinet des Médailles in the context of Amykos Painter
- Cabinet des Médailles in the context of Kudurru
Cabinet des Médailles in the context of Giants (Greek mythology)
In Greek and Roman mythology, the Giants, also called Gigantes (Greek: Γίγαντες, Gígantes, singular: Γίγας, Gígas), were a race of great strength and aggression, though not necessarily of great size, known for the Gigantomachy (also spelled Gigantomachia), their battle with the Olympian gods. According to Hesiod, the Giants were the offspring of Gaia (Earth), born from the blood that fell when Uranus (Sky) was castrated by his Titan son Cronus.
Archaic and Classical representations show Gigantes as man-sized hoplites (heavily armed ancient Greek foot soldiers) fully human in form. Later representations (after c. 380 BC) show Gigantes with snakes for legs. In later traditions, the Giants were often confused with other opponents of the Olympians, particularly the Titans, an earlier generation of large and powerful children of Gaia and Uranus.
Cabinet des Médailles in the context of Honoré Théodoric d'Albert de Luynes
Honoré Théodore Paul Joseph d'Albert, 8th Duke of Luynes (15 December 1802 – 15 December 1867) was a wealthy French nobleman and scholar. He is most remembered for the collection of exhibits he gave to the Cabinet des Médailles in 1862, and for supporting the exiled Comte de Chambord's claim to the throne of France. Throughout his life, D'Albert inherited a number of French titles, including Duke of Luynes, de Chevreuse, and de Chaulnes.
Cabinet des Médailles in the context of Cup of the Ptolemies
The Cup of the Ptolemies (French: Coupe des Ptolémées), also known as the Cup of Saint Denis, is an onyx cameo two-handled cup, or kantharos. It is 8.4 cm high, and 12.5 cm across.
The cup, decorated with Dionysiac vignettes and emblems, was carved at some point in Classical Antiquity, probably in Alexandria. Eventually, it found its way into the treasury of the French kingdom, before it was donated to the abbey of St. Denis. During the Middle Ages, it was used as a Christian chalice, and lavish mounts were added, with Latin inscriptions. In 1804, the cup was stolen, and the mounts were lost, although the cup itself was recovered. It is now in the Cabinet des Médailles at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris.
Cabinet des Médailles in the context of Amykos Painter
The Amykos Painter (active around 430–400 BC in Lucania) was the name given to a South Italian vase painter who worked in the ancient Greek red-figure pottery technique. His exact date of birth and death are unknown.
As with any of the artisans working during the (late) fifth century BC, very little is understood about the Amykos Painter's life. It is generally agreed by scholars that the Amykos Painter learned his trade in Athens. He owes his name to a depiction on a Lucanian hydria depicting Amykos, who was the featured subject in one of his surviving works which currently resides at the Cabinet des Médailles, Paris. Among countless other vases, there is also a red-figure bell-krater depicting Silenus and two maenads which has been attributed to him.
Cabinet des Médailles in the context of Kudurru
A kudurru was a type of stone document used as a boundary stone and as a record of land grants to vassals by the Kassites and later dynasties in ancient Babylonia between the 16th and 7th centuries BC. The original kudurru would typically be stored in a temple while the person granted the land would be given a clay copy to use to confirm legal ownership. Kudurrus are often linked to what are usually called "ancient kudurrus", land grant stones from the third millennium (typically Sargonic and Ur III) which serve a similar purpose though the word kudurru did not emerge until the 2nd millennium (Middle Babylonian in fact).