Le Parement de Narbonne

The Parement de Narbonne, created around 1375 by an anonymous master of the French court school, is one of the greatest surviving works of Parisian Gothic art from the reign of Charles V. This monumental silk altar frontal depicts scenes of the Passion of Christ in grisaille (gray monochrome) painting on white silk, with portraits of King Charles V and Queen Jeanne de Bourbon kneeling in devotion. Now in the Louvre, it epitomizes the refined, courtly elegance of French International Gothic art at its zenith.

Executed in ink and wash on white silk rather than the usual tempera on panel, this is a rare example of monumental textile painting. The grisaille technique creates a sculptural effect through subtle gradations of gray, with extraordinarily refined drawing that combines monumental figure compositions with miniaturist precision in the drapery and facial details.