A morbid taste for bones
In addition to the Fondation pour la Sauvegarde de l’Art Français, I also work as a pro bono photographer for the Fondation du Patrimoine.
That other Fondation is also a private sector institution for protection of French Heritage, but with closer ties to the public sector, and a different focus. First, it is the only foundation that was created by a law in 1996, which makes it a much more recent creation than the Sauvegarde. Second, it collects a lot more money and some of it also comes from the public sector, such as unclaimed estates (which revert to the French State in the absence of any heir), or State-controlled games of chance, such as the “Loto”.
The Fondation du Patrimoine also helps bigger, more famous monuments (for the restoration of Notre-Dame in Paris after the April 2019 fire, it collected 219 million euros from 220,000 donors), as well as smaller ones, and extends its help to other items of heritage such as industrial or residential buildings, old cars or locomotives or boats, etc.
The Hôtel-Dieu is the name of an old hospital in the city of Lyon. Attested as early as 542, its current extensive buildings were erected in the 17th century. It comprises a vast chapel built in the classical and Baroque styles, which has already been partly restored (outside and roofing) with the help of the Fondation du Patrimoine. Inside restoration works will follow, and I was commissioned to take pictures to illustrate the various documents that will help collect funds for that purpose.
As you can imagine, I was not very interested by the building itself, but there are always little things and viewpoints that stimulate creativity...
This is one of several 19th century glass display cases that contain actual human bones, supposedly from the bodies of various saints. “A Morbid Taste for Bones” is the title of the first Brother Cadfael novel by Ellis Peters, and seeing this strange “collection” instantly reminded my of it.
A little label is attached to each bone, describing its origin.
In the center display, top left, you can clearly identify a large vertebra whose label tells us it comes from Saint Donato († 362), bishop of Arezzo and dead a martyr in Toscana. A bit freaky, if you ask me.
A morbid taste for bones
In addition to the Fondation pour la Sauvegarde de l’Art Français, I also work as a pro bono photographer for the Fondation du Patrimoine.
That other Fondation is also a private sector institution for protection of French Heritage, but with closer ties to the public sector, and a different focus. First, it is the only foundation that was created by a law in 1996, which makes it a much more recent creation than the Sauvegarde. Second, it collects a lot more money and some of it also comes from the public sector, such as unclaimed estates (which revert to the French State in the absence of any heir), or State-controlled games of chance, such as the “Loto”.
The Fondation du Patrimoine also helps bigger, more famous monuments (for the restoration of Notre-Dame in Paris after the April 2019 fire, it collected 219 million euros from 220,000 donors), as well as smaller ones, and extends its help to other items of heritage such as industrial or residential buildings, old cars or locomotives or boats, etc.
The Hôtel-Dieu is the name of an old hospital in the city of Lyon. Attested as early as 542, its current extensive buildings were erected in the 17th century. It comprises a vast chapel built in the classical and Baroque styles, which has already been partly restored (outside and roofing) with the help of the Fondation du Patrimoine. Inside restoration works will follow, and I was commissioned to take pictures to illustrate the various documents that will help collect funds for that purpose.
As you can imagine, I was not very interested by the building itself, but there are always little things and viewpoints that stimulate creativity...
This is one of several 19th century glass display cases that contain actual human bones, supposedly from the bodies of various saints. “A Morbid Taste for Bones” is the title of the first Brother Cadfael novel by Ellis Peters, and seeing this strange “collection” instantly reminded my of it.
A little label is attached to each bone, describing its origin.
In the center display, top left, you can clearly identify a large vertebra whose label tells us it comes from Saint Donato († 362), bishop of Arezzo and dead a martyr in Toscana. A bit freaky, if you ask me.