New collection agreement: Medieval tomb sculpture from the Court of Burgundy

July 7, 2010

ARTstor is collaborating with the French Regional & American Museum Exchange (FRAME) to share approximately 1,600 images of 39 seminal medieval sculptures from the tomb of John the Fearless (1371-1419) in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon. Carved by Jean de La Huerta and Antoine Le Moiturier between 1443 and 1470, these unique sculptures, known as "pleurants" or "mourners," decorate the tomb of John the Fearless, second Duke of Burgundy, and his wife, Margaret of Bavaria. The ongoing expansion and renovation of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon created the opportunity for the alabaster figures from the tomb to tour the United States and consequently presented a once in a lifetime opportunity to create new, high-resolution photographs. These images will allow viewers to zoom in and explore intricate details in 360° and from angles above and below the objects. The sculptures can also be viewed in stereoscopic 3-D using the appropriate glasses. The Mourners Photography Project was directed by Leonard Steinbach, Project Director for FRAME, and was made possible by a generous grant from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.

Never before seen in their entirety outside of France, the mourners will be presented in a travelling exhibition to seven cities in the United States from 2010-2012. The exhibition is co-organized by the Dallas Museum of Art and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon, under the auspices of the French Regional & American Museum Exchange (FRAME). Founded in 1999, FRAME is a formal collaboration of twelve museums in France, twelve museums in the United States, and one associate member in Canada. FRAME is dedicated to cultural exchange between France and the United States and seeks to encourage cooperation among its member museums, their collections, and their professional staffs.


For more detailed information about this collection, visit The Mourners: Tomb Sculpture from the Court of Burgundy collection page.


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