Trônes et lits grecs, extraits d’un MS. exécuté en 866.

Nicolas-Xavier Willemin prints come from Monuments français inédits, a great illustrated record of French art from the sixth to the seventeenth century. Willemin, a draughtsman, engraver and antiquarian, gathered costumes, armour, musical instruments, furniture, stained glass and ornament from churches, museums and private collections. Our collection of fine art prints includes nearly 300 of its plates, from Chartres Cathedral to the shield of François I.

About Nicolas-Xavier Willemin

Nicolas-Xavier Willemin was born in 1763 and died in 1833. He spent his whole life studying and drawing the art of the past: Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Egyptian, Oriental and French antiquities.

His great work was Monuments français inédits pour servir à l'histoire des arts depuis le VIe siècle jusqu'au commencement du XVIIe, a choice of civil and military costumes, arms, armour, musical instruments, furniture of every kind and decoration. It was published in parts from 1806 to 1839, with the later parts appearing after his death, and a second edition followed around 1839.

To make it, Willemin drew on museums, libraries and private collections, working with scholars, publishers, collectors and dealers. The book helped awaken interest in France's medieval and Renaissance heritage.

Style and Subjects

Willemin's plates are careful, documentary drawings, often with several objects on one sheet: a chair and a mirror, a sword and a shield, details of carved choir stalls or a cathedral portal.

The range is wide: angels playing music from a thirteenth-century window, the bronze throne of Dagobert, Bernard Palissy's faience dishes, beds and ornament of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and the embroidered armour of François I.

Famous Works

• Figures d'anges tenant des instruments de musique, d'après un vitrail du XIIIe siècle (1806–1839). Angels playing musical instruments, after a thirteenth-century stained-glass window.
• Partie du milieu et détails du grand portail de la cathédrale de Chartres (1806–1839). Details of the great twelfth-century portal at Chartres.
• Siège en bronze doré, appelé trône de Dagobert (1806–1839). The gilded bronze seat known as the throne of Dagobert.
• Bouclier de François premier (1806–1839). The shield of King François I.
• XVIe siècle, plat et bordures en faïence de Bernard Palissy (1806–1839). A dish and borders in Palissy's famous faience.
• Lit et ornement du XVIIe siècle (1806–1839). A seventeenth-century bed and ornament.

Decorating with Willemin Prints

Willemin's plates suit a library, study, hallway or dining room with a historic or Gothic feel. A set of stained-glass and manuscript plates in dark wood or gilt frames adds a medieval touch, while the armour and weapons plates suit a den or games room.

The furniture and interior plates are a natural choice for anyone restoring an old house, and the faience designs fit a kitchen or dining room.

FAQ

Who was Nicolas-Xavier Willemin?

Nicolas-Xavier Willemin (1763–1833) was a French draughtsman, engraver and antiquarian who devoted his life to recording the art of the past.

What is Monuments français inédits?

A large illustrated record of French art from the sixth to the early seventeenth century: costumes, arms, armour, musical instruments, furniture and decoration, published 1806–1839.

Where did Willemin find his subjects?

In museums, libraries and private collections, through contacts with scholars, editors, collectors and dealers.

Where can I see Monuments français inédits?

The New York Public Library has digitised many plates, and the Royal Academy in London holds a copy of the second edition.

Why are some plates published after his death?

The work came out in parts over more than thirty years, and the final parts appeared after Willemin died in 1833.

Related Artists

• Auguste Racinet: later French historian of costume and ornament
• Henry Shaw: English illustrator of medieval art and furniture
• Owen Jones: British author on historic ornament