The Upper Chapel contains four sections. The south wall presents Piety. The Sainte-Chapelle foundation charter is paired with a digital display of the relic windows. An audio station includes hymn attributed to Blanche and chansons d'amour which Thibaut de Champagne may have dedicated to her; each manuscript can be browsed alongside modern performances. The north wall presents Power: Blanche and her family's history of armed conflict and crusade. This is the third star exhibit grouping: rare armor and the Morgan leaf depicting them, a reproduction of the banner her father Alfonso VIII captured during the Reconquest of Spain, and a text panel of Blanche’s own letter describing the victory. The section culminates with Blanche's Treaty of Paris which she imposed after her husband Louis VIII’s death.
At the east end, Regency occupies both alcoves. In the south alcove, a nineteenth-century statue of Blanche compared with the medieval black marble gisant that may bear her likeness. In the north alcove, the empty Throne of Dagobert signals the absence of the king that necessitated Blanche's regency. A Passion for Relics is the fourth star exhibit, located below the original architectural surround that once held the Grande Châsse. Included are Rayonnant Gothic objects: the Châsse of Saint-Taurin and the Lys Crosier (probably commissioned by Blanche herself). These are some of few extant objects like those commissioned and used in veneration by Blanche and her son Louis. These are displayed alongside manuscript miniatures with a medieval depiction of the reliquaries in the apse where the visitors stand.
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Interactive olfactory exhibit with aromas of incense used in medieval sacred ceremonies; screen imagery of angels holding censers from alcoves in the Upper Chapel. Produced for exhibition by Scent Experience, S.L.U. Barcelona.
High-resolution eye-level display of details from the Passion Relic windows depicting Blanche, with captions drawn from Archbishop Gautier Cornut's account.
Date
1248
Materials
Ink on parchment, wax
Dimensions
244 x 358 mm
Holding Institution
Archives nationales
City
Paris
Shelfmark
AE/II/2406
Date
13th century
Author
Blanche of Castile (attributed)
Materials
Ink on parchment
Holding Institution
Bibliothèque nationale de France
City
Paris
Shelfmark
nouvelles acquisitions françaises 21677, fol. 2r
Date
13th century
Author
Thibaut de Champagne
Materials
Ink on parchment
Holding Institution
Bibliothèque nationale de France
City
Paris
Shelfmark
MS françaises 844, fol. 16v
Date
early 13th century
Materials
silk and gilt thread, tapestry weave
Dimensions
330 x 220 cm
Holding Institution
Museo de Telas Medievales
City
Burgos, Spain
Saul's demand of David for Michal's hand; David defeats two hundred Philistines. I Samuel 18: 15–16, 20–25, 27.
Date
c. 1244–54
Materials
Ink, tempera, and gold leaf on parchment
Dimensions
390 x 300 mm
Holding Institution
The Morgan Library & Museum
City
New York
Shelfmark
MS M.638, fol. 29v
Date
Second half of the 13th century
Origin
Dargen, Pomerania (Germany)
Materials
Riveted plate steel
Weight
2.26 kg
Holding Institution
Deutsches Historisches Museum
City
Berlin
Catalogue Number
W 1003
Date
c. 1293–1341
Origin
Egypt or Syria
Materials
Iron, gold
Holding Institution
Art & History Museum KMKG-MRAH
City
Brussels
Date
1415-1460
Illuminator
Jean Fouquet
Materials
Ink and pigment on parchment
Holding Institution
Bibliothéque Nationale de France
City
Paris
Shelfmark
Ms. fr. 6465, fol 251v
Date
1415-1460
Illuminator
Jean Fouquet
Materials
Ink and pigment on parchment
Holding Institution
Bibliothéque Nationale de France
City
Paris
Shelfmark
Ms. fr. 6465, fol 284v
Date
1229
Materials
Ink on parchment, wax
Holding Institution
Archives nationales de France
City
Paris
Catalogue Number
AE-II-230
Date
1837
Sculptor
Antoine Etex
Materials
marble
Holding Institution
Château de Versailles
City
Versailles, France
Catalogue Number
MV 1849
Possibly originally intended for Blanche of Castile; believed to be a portrait reference for the standing statue of Blanche by Antoine Etex.
Date
13th century
Origin
Maubuisson
Materials
Black Tournai marble
Holding Institution
Basilica of Saint-Denis
City
Paris
Date
c. 1240-1250
Origin
Northern France
Materials
Elephant ivory
Holding Institution
Musée du Louvre
City
Paris
Catalogue Number
OA 2742
Date
12th century (base possibly 7th–9th century)
Materials
cast bronze
Holding Institution
Bibliothèque nationale de France, Cabinet des médailles
City
Paris
Date
c. 1247–55
Origin
Paris
Patron
Abbot Gilbert de Saint-Martin
Materials
Silver and gilt copper over oak core, champlevé enamel, glass cabochons
Dimensions
H. 70 cm (120 cm with spire); L. 105 cm; W. 45 cm
Holding Institution
Commune d'Évreux
City
Évreux, France
Date
c. 1180
Origin
Limoges workshop
Materials
Silver and gilt copper over oak core, champlevé enamel, glass cabochons; cood core
Dimensions
H. 29.8 (with tang), 25.4 (without tang) × W. 12.5 × D. 2.5 cm
Holding Institution
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
City
New York
Catalogue Number
2002.18
Date
13th century
Origin
France
Patron
Blanche of Castile (?)
Materials
Silver gilt; rock crystal
Holding Institution
Musée Lambinet
City
Versailles, France
Date
1862
Origin
France
Designer
Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc
Goldsmith
Placide Poussielgue-Rusand
Sculptor
Adolphe-Victor Geoffroy-Dechaume
Materials
Gold, rock crystal, enamel, precious stones
Holding Institution
Treasury of Notre-Dame de Paris
City
Paris
Original manuscript details:
Date
c. 1430 (destroyed 1871)
Origin
France
Illuminator
Signed MB (copyist)
Patron
John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford
Materials
Ink and pigment on vellum
Holding Institution
Musée national du Moyen Âge
City
Paris
Catalogue Number
Cl. 22847/85-001496
Date
c. 1330–40
Origin
France
Illuminator
Mathieu le Vavasseur
Materials
ink, tempera, and gold leaf on parchment
Dimensions
225 × 150 mm
Holding Institution
Bibliothèque nationale de France
City
Paris
Shelfmark
MS fr. 5716, fol. 67r.
Date
c. 1225–35
Origin
France
Illuminator
Master of the Workshop of Blanche of Castile
Materials
ink, tempera, and gold leaf on parchment
Dimensions
280 × 200 mm
Holding Institution
Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal
City
Paris
Shelfmark
MS 1186 réserve, fol. 122v
