Bringing Sixteenth Century France to Life Through Historical Fiction
It's always a thrill to discover sixteenth century artifacts in twenty-first century America. This past weekend, I visited one of San Francisco's art museums, the Legion of Honor , for the first time in years and was surprised at the number of French Renaissance treasures in the collection. The museum has a wide variety of Renaissance works on display, from furniture to tapestries to paintings and enamelware.
The carved panels create the illusion of a room of vast depth and height, its different floors supported by pillars and lit by arched windows. The blocks behind the central pilaster have a pocked appearance, mimicking the rough surface of stone. It is a beautiful piece of furniture, one any wealthy merchant or nobleman would be proud to own.