CN-685226

BY-604475

Brest. Park. Mukhovets River

DE-1590208

"Molecule Man" in the River Spree, Berlin

DE-1590200

Nouvelles Images, Breakfast (PHC 2524)

Paris

I've visited all places shown on this card except Madeleine.

Saint-Bénigne de Dijon

Dijon Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Bénigne de Dijon), dedicated to Saint Benignus of Dijon, is a Roman Catholic cathedral, and national monument of France, located in the town of Dijon, Burgundy.

Originating as the church of the Abbey of St. Benignus, it became the seat of the Bishopric of Dijon during the French Revolution, and has been the seat of the succeeding Archbishopric of Dijon since the elevation of the former diocese in 2002.

The present Gothic cathedral was built between 1280 and 1325, and was dedicated on 9 April 1393.

The Bourbons

The Valois

The Middle Ages

Another card bought in the Cluny Museum

The Lady and the Unicorn

During my recent trip to France I bought some postcards. I will show them to you :)
So, the first six show tapesties that I saw in the Museum of the Middle Age, the whole cycle is commonly called "The Lady and the Unicorn".

The Lady and the Unicorn (French: La Dame à la licorne) is the modern title given to a series of six tapestries woven in Flanders of wool and silk, from designs ("cartoons") drawn in Paris in the late fifteenth century. The suite, on display in the Musée du Moyen-Âge, is often considered one of the greatest works of art of the Middle Ages in Europe.
Five of the tapestries are commonly interpreted as depicting the five senses – taste, hearing, sight, smell, and touch. The sixth displays the words "À mon seul désir". The tapestry's meaning is obscure, but has been interpreted as representing love or understanding. Each of the six tapestries depicts a noble lady with the unicorn on her left and a lion on her right; some include a monkey in the scene. The pennants, as well as the armor of the Unicorn and Lion in the tapestry bear the arms of the sponsor, Jean Le Viste, a powerful nobleman in the court of King Charles VII.
The tapestries are created in the style of mille-fleurs (meaning: "thousand flowers").
The tapestries were rediscovered in 1841 by Prosper Mérimée in Boussac castle (owned at the time by the subprefect of the Creuse) where they had been suffering damage from their storage conditions. Novelist George Sand brought public attention to the tapestries in her works at the time. The cycle is currently held in the Musée de Cluny (Musée du Moyen-Âge), Paris (France), where it has resided since 1882.

Taste

The lady is taking sweets from a dish held by a maidservant. Her eyes are on a parakeet on her upheld left hand. The lion and the unicorn are both standing on their hind legs reaching up to pennants that frame the lady on either side. The monkey is at her feet, eating one of the sweetmeats.

Hearing

The lady plays a portative organ on top of a table covered with a Turkish rug. Her maidservant stands to the opposite side and operates the bellows. The lion and unicorn once again frame the scene holding up the pennants. Just as on all the other tapestries, the unicorn is to the lady's left and the lion to her right - a common denominator to all the tapestries.

Sight
The lady is seated, holding a mirror up in her right hand. The unicorn kneels on the ground, with his front legs in the lady's lap, from which he gazes at his reflection in the mirror. The lion on the left holds up a pennant.

Smell

The lady stands, making a wreath of flowers. Her maidservant holds a basket of flowers within her easy reach. Again, the lion and unicorn frame the lady while holding on to the pennants. The monkey has stolen a flower which he is smelling, providing the key to the allegory.

Touch

The lady stands with one hand touching the unicorn's horn, and the other holding up the pennant. The lion sits to the side and looks on.

À Mon Seul Désir

This tapestry is wider than the others, and has a somewhat different style. The lady stands in front of a tent, across the top of which is written "À Mon Seul Désir", an obscure motto, variously interpretable as "my one/sole desire", "according to my desire alone"; "by my will alone", "love desires only beauty of soul", "to calm passion". Her maidservant stands to the right, holding open a chest. The lady is placing the necklace she wears in the other tapestries into the chest. To her left is a low bench with bags of coins on it. The unicorn and the lion stand in their normal spots framing the lady while holding onto the pennants.
This tapestry has elicited a number of interpretations. One interpretation sees the lady putting the necklace into the chest as a renunciation of the passions aroused by the other senses, and as an assertion of her free will. Another sees the tapestry as representing a sixth sense of understanding (derived from the sermons of Jean Gerson of the University of Paris, c. 1420). Various other interpretations see the tapestry as representing love or virginity. It is also debated whether the lady in "À Mon Seul Désir" is picking up or setting aside the necklace.

"Bieres de la Meuse" by Alphonse Mucha

Choose a Country RR, Group 500, from Sabine22

Alphonse Mucha, "Bieres de la Meuse"

RE-122

My first official card from La Reunion!!! :)

Royal Botanical Gardens, Ontario, Canada

Different Countries RR, Group 232, from LizzyS

Royal Botanical Gardens, Ontario, Canada

Just Postcards RR, Group 647, from emillin

Choose a Country RR, Group 500, from magenta

Dance of Ami Tribe, Taiwan

Choose a Country RR, Group 500, from Hsinchieh

Aboriginal people from Taiwan called Ami. They have an important ceremony called the Harvest Festival. They dance and sing to thank nature for the great harvest.

ES-177508

Monument of Apology to the Heart of Jesus. Monteagudo Castle.

 

RU-1190166

NL-1128327

ZA-25865

Cape Town, South Africa

HK-79803

BE-163992

Brussels

RU-1173022

Kirillovskaya Street, Vologda

DE-1544203

US-1844043