A collection of exceptional works

Liturgical vestments, gold embroidery and tapestries... Observe the meticulous work of painters, cartonniers and lissiers.

In the 18th century, at the height of Lyon's silk industry, some factories specialized in gold cloth. Thanks to embroiderers working at home, chasubles and chapes were transformed into embroidered tableaux.

Détail de la chasuble du Cardinal de Bonald
© Centre des monuments nationaux / Clément Apffel

Real paintings in wool and silk, tapestries rival their painted counterparts in detail. Treasures from Flanders recount the exploits of Greek mythological heroes such as Ulysses, or biblical figures like Jacob.

Aubusson's animated verdures, meanwhile, stand out for their sober brown-green or blue-green palette, perfect for depicting bucolic landscapes and more or less atypical fauna ranging from birds to unicorns.