I just got back from the MUSEE DU GEMMAIL, where I was able to see the art of Gemmail. The technique of Gemmail uses pieces of glass to depict an image; however, Gemmail is quite different from stained glass. There is no lead setting and it is the juxtaposition of layers of glass that is important. This juxtaposition allows for a variety of interesting effects and colors to be created in the piece’s final form (which is illuminated by a light.) The technique of Gemmail was born in the 1950s in Tours by a man named Roger Malherbe Navarre.
It is impossible to put into words what I saw at this museum, let alone into a single photograph. With each piece of art so intricately created, with its many layers and the precise position of every piece of glass, I was instantly astonished and intrigued by what I saw. Many times you can walk into a museum or an art gallery and say ,“Oh, this technique reminds me of [artist]”, but with Gemmail, this was truly the first time I had every seen anything like it! I was amazed!
And, today, was sadly, the Musee du Gemmail’s last day of operation! At 5:30PM, the museum will be closed permanently (because of funding, I assume). With the museum being so small and off the beaten path… the traffic in and out of the museum must be minimal. Thus, I was extremely fortunate to be able to visit today.
Below, are a handful of photos of some of the pieces that I thought were truly incredible. Each of these pieces is composed of roughly an inch of glass layers and is backlit by light. Unfortunately, these photos do not truly capture what I saw…but they should give you all a good idea! Enjoy!
YES...this is made with glass!
You can see some of the layering of glass that creates the Gimmail technique.
All of the pieces created are replicas of pieces of art work (some famous, but many from "newer" artists.
Again, you can see the layering of glass. This was my favorite piece at the museum!
The coloring is amazing...all created by layering and with backlighting.
Tomorrow I am thinking about heading to another chateau (Villandry). I will keep you all posted on that trip (weather permitting).
-Alex
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