Glanz und Größe des Mittelalters (Splendour and Glory of the Middle Ages)
Cologne masterpieces from the world’s great collections
4 November 2011 – 26 February 2012
In its heyday from 1000 to 1550, Cologne was one of the leading art centres in Europe. Exchanges with Paris, Prague, the Netherlands and Italy led its resident masters to develop an artistic language typical of Cologne. The exhibition presented 225 works from collections across Europe and the US. These included wood and ivory carvings, works of the goldsmith’s art, book illuminations and panel paintings, textiles as well as stained glass. They were presented side by side with prominent works owned by churches in the Rhineland, which were created in medieval Cologne and are still – in part – in use today.
The exhibition thus not only demonstrated the most important aspects of artistic practice in medieval Cologne, but also gave insights into the interplay of the arts within the medieval metropolis.