From the living room to the museum and back again: The collection and display of medieval art in the fin de siècle

No longer the sole province of the cultivated private collector, by the fin de siècle medieval works could be seen and enjoyed by a large public. This article raises several important questions related to the intersection of private and public appropriation of medieval objects in the final decades of the nineteenth century. What was the relationship between the antiquary of old and the modern collector who filled apartments with medieval treasures and modern replicas of Gothic masterpieces? How did such private consumption reflect and influence larger public displays of medieval objects in the period? And at what level did popular consumption of medieval objects connect with scholarly research and the didactic goals of the national museum? In exploring these questions, we trace the journey of medieval works of art at the end of the nineteenth century, from living rooms to major public displays (museums and World's Fairs) and back to the sanctuary of the private interior.