This past Sunday, Dr. Francis’s Chaucer class took a trip to the Met Cloisters and Renaissance Faire in Fort Tryon Park NYC.
The Met Cloisters is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art that’s devoted to medieval Europe art and architecture. The building includes traditional sculpture and architectural elements from France, containing three cloisters (enclosed courtyards), and chapels from Spain and France. The artwork within the museum can be traced from all over Europe.
Some of the great works from history the class was able to see were the Reliquary Cross, claimed to hold a piece of the true cross of Christ, The Annuncuation Triptych, several illuminated manuscripts, and the famed Unicorn tapestries.
(The Unicorn in Captivity) (The Unicorn Purifies Water)
The class went to study medieval history and artwork for their class, as well as interact with characters from a medieval setting at the renaissance faire held around the museum. According to Dr. Francis, the faire has grown since she’s last taken a class on this trip, but the larger crowd provided more attractions.
For those who don’t know, Renaissance Faires generally follow a medieval story, and the troupe at this faire featured the story of Robin Hood. The day included demonstrations from the Armored Combat League, aerial acrobatics, human chess, traditional music, falconry demonstrations, and jousting tournaments.
The trip was jam-packed with information, excitement and fun, and was an overall success for the class.
