SECOND ITINERARY

Starting from theGrande Place, follow the streets indicated bycontinuous black lines, in the direction of thearrows.

RUINS IN THE RUE DE BÉTHUNE

SECOND ITINERARY

From the Grande Place to the Douai Gate quarter, destroyed by the Explosion of the "18 Ponts."

Principal sights on the way:The Prefecture,MuseumandParis Gate.

Starting Point:The Grande Place.

To the right of the Grand' Garde, take the Rue Neuve, continued by the Rue de Béthune(one of those which suffered most from the bombardments).

Follow this street to the Place de Béthune and to the Place Richebé; see the bronze equestrianStatueofGeneral Faidherbe(1896), at the foot of which are two feminine figures with palm-branches and arms symbolising France and Lille. Twobas-reliefsrepresenting the battles of Pont-Noyelles and Bapaume adorn the sides. The Monument is the combined work of the architectPugoland the sculptorMercié.

In front of the statue: Boulevard de la Liberté and the fine Place de la République;on the rightis thePrefecture,on the left, thePalais des Beaux Arts.

THE PREFECTURE, PLACE DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE

THE PALAIS DES BEAUX-ARTS.

ThePrefectureis a richly ornamented building, erected in 1869 fromthe plans of the architectMatteau. The walls have been deeply scarred in places by shell splinters(note the white patches on the blackened façade).

ThePalais des Beaux-Artswas inaugurated in 1892.

Composite in style, it is very richly ornamented. Flanked by two round pavilions with cupolas containing staircases, its principal façade is in the Rue de la République. TheMuseum of Lilleis installed there.

This is one of the finest provincial museums in France. As early as 1795 it contained 183 works of art. A Consular Decree, dated the 14th Fructidor, Year IX, added 46 paintings taken from the collections of the Louvre and Versailles. The first catalogue, dated 1850, comprised 274 works of art, which number had increased to 1,275 at the time of the inventory of January 1st, 1908.

The Museum was the edifice which most suffered from the German bombardments. On October 11th, 1914, it was struck by 75 shells. The curator took measures at once to have the roof repaired and protect the collections.

THE BELLE JARDINIÉRE,near the Museum (Boulevard de la Liberté).

However, the Museum was not proof against German greed. On Saturday, November 17th, two officers, accompanied by military policemen, came to "requisition" the works of art, in the name of the German authorities. After visiting the different rooms, and being unable to obtain the keys of the cabinets, they broke open the latter and took all the medals and miniatures, which they placed in paper bags from a neighbouring grocer's shop. The curator protested the same day, both verbally and in writing, to the Kommandantur and Military Governor.

The miniatures were brought back on November 19th, and the medals on December 3rd, less various antique gold jewels, two miniatures, and two gold medals, which had been "lost."

Later, two well-known German art expertsHerr DemmlerandHerr Professor Klemen, armed with carefully annotated catalogues, made a general "requisition" comprising: 1,500 drawings (including those by Raphael and Michael Angelo), 420 paintings and 518 other works of art, all of which were packed up, labelled and sent off. The famous"Wax Head"(page43)had, however, been hidden away in an underground vault, and replaced by a copy.

In an endeavour to justify their action, the Germans sent out a radiogram on November 4th, 1918, stating that the Museum of Lille had been damaged so seriously as to be unsafe for works of art, and that at the request of the curator, an inventory of the collections had been made and the latter transferred first to Valenciennes and then to the Old Museum in Brussels.

The collections are classed under four distinct heads:paintings,modern sculpture,archeological and lapidary specimensand theWicar collections.

THE MARTYRDOM OF ST. GEORGEby Veronese (Cliché LL.)

TheFlemishandFrenchschools are the best represented.(For a detailed description of the paintings, see "La peinture au Musée de Lille," by François Benoit, 3 vols.in 4to, with reproductions, 1908).

TheSpanishschool includes a St. Jerome, byRibera, dated 1643.

TheItalianschool contains The Martyrdom of St. George byVeronese(duplicate of the painting bySan Giorgio Maggioreat Verona); two circular panels: Eloquence and Science (symbolized by two Venetian women with auburn hair), also by Veronese; The Flight into Egypt byCarlo Saraceni, and the Assumption of the Virgin byPiazzetta(two very original painters little known in France); a delicate "Virgin with wild roses," of exquisite colouring, byRidolfo Ghirlandajo; "Magdalene at the feet of Christ" and a "Judith and Holopherne" byLambert Zustris(often called Lambert Lambard)—two paintings of limpid colouring; (note the delicate lilac-grey tints).

As befits the "Capital of Flanders," theFlemishandDutchSchools of the North are fully represented.

THE DESCENT FROM THE CROSS,by Rubens (Cliché LL.)

The Mystic Press, byJean Bellegambe; the triptych, Virgin surrounded by Angels, attributed toGerard David; the first portrait of Philippe le Bon, attributed toPierre Etret; the Symbolical Fountain, an exceedingly fine altar-screen panel byThierry Boutsde Haarlem, is particularly noteworthy; a portrait of Emperor Charles Quint at the age of 32, byChristophe Ambergerand Charles Quint taking the Monk's Gown, byNicolas Francken the Elder.Rubensis represented by seven paintings: The Descent from the Cross, of admirable clearness; the expression is more natural than that of the painting in Antwerp; Vision of the Virgin appearing to St. Francis, of warm colouring; St. Bonaventure Meditating, and St. Francis receiving the Stigmas (two fine long panels); The Death of Magdalene (a somewhat monotonous but strangely intense monochrome).Van Dyckis well represented by the following: The Crucifixion, considered by Paul de St. Victor to be his greatest masterpiece (the figure of Christ stands out clearly against a cloudy sky pierced by lightning); Portraits of an Old Lady and Marie de Médicis (in the background are seen Antwerp and the Escaut). The following artists are also represented:Jordaens, by the Prodigal Son, Christ and the Pharisees, the Temptation, and a wonderful study of cows;Gaspard de Crayer, by Martyrs buried alive (fine harmonious composition);F. Franchoys, by a Portrait of the Prior of the Abbey of Tongerloo, Gisherts Mutsarts, dated 1645. (Paintings by this artist are exceedingly rare).Verspronck, by the Portrait of Young Boy;JansenVan Ceulen, by a very fine portrait of Anne Marie de Schurmann;Pieter Codde, by Conversation, of delightful colouring.

PORTRAIT OF OLD LADYby van Dyck (Cliché LL.)

BOY'S PORTRAITby Verspronck (Cliché LL.)

TheFrenchschool, although incomplete (Prudhon,IngresandAntoine Watteauare not represented), is nevertheless rich and instructive. First of all ananonymous17th century Portrait of an Architect, whose pale harsh face arrests the attention and haunts the memory.Ph. de Champaigneis represented by the Good Shepherd;Restoutby a Jesus at Emmaüs;Mignard, by A Judgment by Midas;Largillière, by a very fine portrait of his father-in-law, the painter, John Forest;Douvé(native of Lille), by a fine portrait of the painter Savage;Jean Voilles, by a delightful portrait of Madame Liénard;François Watteau(grand nephew of Antoine Watteau), by two amusing sketches: Procession of our Lady of the Vine in 1789 and The Old Clothes Market of Lille;David, by his first picture after returning from Rome, "Bélisaire" (1781), of which there is a reduced copy in the Louvre (this painting marks the re-birth of the antique);Boilly, a native of the district of Lille, is fully represented by his Triumph of Marat—masterpiece of great truth and delicacy—and 28 portraits of artists painted for the picture "Réunion d'artistes dans l'atelier d'Isabey." The following are the names of these portraits:Van Dael, flower painter;Houdon, sculptor (grey overcoat);Chaudet, sculptor (seated);Duplessis Berteaux, designer (head resting on hands);Hoffman, art critic (long powdered hair);Redoute, flower painter;Bourgeois, designer;Demarne, painter;Thibaut, architect;Swibach, genre painter;Lemot, sculptor;Serangeli, historical painter (half-length, hands in pockets);Taunay, landscape painter;Isabey(red coat);Percier, architect (looking at a plan);Talma, actor;Drolling, portrait-painter (red waistcoat);Corbet, sculptor (grey coat and white waistcoat);Meynier, painter;Fontaine, architect;Blot, engraver;Bidault, painter;Boilly-Chenard, singer;Girodet-Trioson,Gerardand the remarkable groupLethièreandCarle Vernet.

THE TRIUMPH OF MARAT,by Boilly (Cliché LL.)

MEDEA KILLING HER CHILDRENby Delacroix (Cliché LL.)

In themodernschool, the following are especially noteworthy: La Medée, byEugène Delacroix(strikingly dramatic), L'après-diner à Ornans,byCourbet, the colouring of which is unfortunately fading; La Becquée, charming genre painting byMillet; Effet du Matin, byCorot, remarkable for its beautiful effects of silvery light.

Of the collections of sculpture, only the finebustof Bonaparte byCorbet, dated 1799, is worthy of special mention.

The Archeological Museum contains the following remarkable works of art: Three 14th centurystatuettesof the Virgin (two of wood, one of marble); an ivorydiptychof the Crucifixion; a 13th centuryreliquary crossof Flemish origin; divers curious specimens ofbrass-work, including the Censer of Lille, rightly considered a masterpiece; a richly embroideredaltar-cloth, representing the Annunciation.

The important Wicar Collections were bequeathed by the Lille painter,Jean Baptist Wicar, pupil of David (1762-1834), who in 1815 succeeded in protecting the Museum of Lille from spoliation by the Allies.

Commissary to Bonaparte in Italy, and later Director of the Royal Academy at Naples, Wicar adopted Roman nationality, and collected a large number of fine drawings and art treasures. Parts of his collections are to-day at Oxford. The famous "Wax Head"(p.43)is in the centre of the Wicar Room.

There are severalRenaissance bronzesworthy of note, also amarble bas-reliefby Donatello, representing the Beheading of John the Baptist, and a fine terra-cottaHead of Childby Verrochio. The drawings merit careful inspection. The following are especially remarkable: Studies on pink and yellow grounds, byFilippo Lippi,Filippino,Ghirlandaio, andLa Verrochio; Head of Bald Man, byMontegna; 14 drawings on parchment, representing scenes from the Metamorphoses, Children's Games and Arabesques, attributed by L. Gonse toJacopo Francia, attest marvellous delicacy and skill; two sheets of caricatures byLeonard de Vinciand 60 sketches byRaphael; studies in black and red byMichael Angelo, especially a Dead Christ, figure of a naked man, fantastic masks and a series of 184 architectural drawings, generally known as the "Book of Michael Angelo."Annibal Carrache,Le Guide,Guerchin,SodomaandAndré del Sartoare also well represented.

On the other hand, French drawings are few in number, the most remarkable being one byDavidfor his "Serment des Horaces." The others include: "Le Corps de Garde," byBoilly(fine, carefully-finished drawing); a naked Woman, byWatteau; two drawings byIngresfor his "Apotheose d'Homère;" a drawing byPoussinfor the "Massacre des Innocents"; a wonderful Portrait of Old Man, byLagneau, an artist little known in the reign of Louis XIII, but a great master; lastly a fascinating fusain drawing byMillet: "Le Troupeau de Moutons an milieu d'un bois."

The most celebrated work of art in the collections is theWax Head(Tête de Cire), which has so often been reproduced in engravings, photographs and casts. This funeral souvenir, which stands in a golden niche in the middle of a room draped with red plush, was made to perpetuate the memory of a young girl 15 to 18 years of age. The pedestal and draperies are of terra-cotta, and date from the 18th century.

THE WAX HEAD(Cliché LL.)

Of Italian origin, the head is attributed by some to Raphael, by others to Leonard de Vinci. The possibility of its being antique is no longer admitted. According to Gonse, it came from the Tuscan studio of Orsino Benitendi, and dates from about 1480. The wax was tinted at a later date.

Leaning to one side, the face is pensive in expression. The neck is flexible and sits with easy grace on the shoulders. The cheeks are rather broad and somewhat flat, the chin round and short. A faint smile hovers round the delicate mouth. The eyes are considered by some to be rather small. The waving hair is divided into two graceful masses, which are rolled up on the back of the neck.

The expression of the face is enigmatical and changes with the angle from which it is regarded. Psychologists and artists alike will long discuss its charms.

When the two German expertsHerr DemmlerandHerr Professor Klemen"requisitioned" the collections of the Museum(p.39), what they took away was acopyof this head, the original having been hidden in one of the underground vaults. It narrowly escaped destruction in October, 1918, when the Germans, previous to evacuating the town, cut the water-mains, so that the sub-basement of the Museum was flooded. Fortunately, the water did not rise high enough to do serious damage, and the head was eventually restored intact to its velvet pedestal.

Near the Museum, at the corner of the Rue Jeanne Maillotte and the RueDenis Godefroy which opens on the Boulevard de la Liberté, in line with the Museum, is the house where M. EugèneJacquetlived(his apartment was on the 1st floor, see photograph below and page16).

M. JACQUET'S HOUSE

Leave the Place de la République by the Rue Nicolas Leblanc (at the corner of the Square, by the side of the Museum) at the end of which is theChurch of St. Michael. Continue as far as the Place Philippe le Bon: in the middle,Monument to Pasteur; on the left,University of Lille.

TheUniversity of Lilleoccupies spacious buildings inaugurated in 1895. An important library and various wings have since been added, including the Coal and the Gosselet Geological and Mineralogical Museums, the Electro-Technical and Pasteur Institutes, etc. The University of Lille is the second in importance in France.

On the left, at the end of the Place Philippe le Bon, take the Rue Solférino which crosses the Place Jeanne d'Arc and leads to the Rue de Douai.

From the Place Philippe le Bon, the tourist may visit thecurious Monumentbuilt by the Germans in the Southern Cemetery, where several thousands of their soldiers were buried. The monument represents a Walkyrie carrying off a dead warrior to the Walhalla(p.64).

THE UNIVERSITY

To reach the Cemetery, take the Rue des Pyramides, on the right of the Church, then the Rue des Postes, go through the Porte des Postes and follow the Rue du Faubourg des Postes to the cemetery. Return to the Porte des Postes, taking on the right the Boulevard Victor Hugo which leads back to the crossing of the Rue Solférino and the Boulevard des Écoles (see Itinerary, p.36).

If preferred, the tourist can go direct from Philippe le Bon Square to the Douai Gate, via the Rue Solférino (continued by the Rue de Douai), passing between the University and St. Michael's Church.

See itinerary, p.36

CRATER CAUSED BY THE EXPLOSION

On reaching the Rue de Douai, the cracked walls of the houses, many of them roofless, which were damaged by theExplosionof theGerman Ammunition Depotknown as the "Dix-huit Ponts," come into view. The tourist will get a closer view of them as he proceeds.At the Douai Gate, take the Boulevard de Belfort on the left, which leads to the scene of the catastrophe. Thecrateris still plainly distinguishable, although its sides are no longer sharp, and grass is springing up everywhere.

Climb to the highest point of the fortifications above the crater, to get a good view of this moving scene.

SPINNING MILL DESTROYED BY THE EXPLOSION

To the right and left extends the regular and picturesque line of the Vauban fortifications, the red brick walls standing out well against the green of the grass-covered slopes. In the nearest walls are large crevices, whilebelow, the tourist sees the crater strewn with rubbish and portions of the vaulting. In front, the wrecked spinning-mills, of which only the chimneys remain standing, and the devastated streets (Rue de Ronchin, Rue de Trévise, etc.), form impressive silhouettes.

THE RUE DE RONCHIN

Return to the Douai Gate, in front of which traces on the ground mark the site of a block of buildings burnt down by the Germans in October, 1914, when they entered the town.Take again the Rue de Douai, then the Boulevard des Écoles, following the latter to the Rue and Porte de Paris.

To the right of the Rue de Paris, in the Boulevard Louis XIV, are theSchool of Arts and Craftand thePasteur Institute.

THE RUE DE RONCHIN

See itinerary, p.36

This gate was built in 1685-1695 from the plans of a local architect (Simon Vollant), to commemorate the return of Lille to France (1667). It was completely restored in 1895. The demolition of the old line of fortifications left this gate isolated in the middle of the town, and it was to ornament and finish off those portions which adjoined the ramparts that additions in the same style were then made. The whole forms a Monumental Gate and Triumphal Arch.

In a large semi-circular arch is the Royal Coat of Arms, while below are the Arms of Lille carved on a stone tablet. On either side of the latter are channels for receiving the drawbridge levers.

To the right and left, two Doric columns on pedestals support the whole of the entablature with frieze and cornice, above which are trophies, helmets and flags. On pedestals between the columns are statues of Hercules(on the right)and Mars(on the left), while above are sculptured motifs in demi-relief.

The most remarkable part of the monument is the great sculptured motif which crowns the whole. In the middle, Victory seated amidst arms and standards, raises her right hand to crown the King (Louis XIV), seen in the medallion immediately below. At Victory's feet, somewhat to the right and left, two figures of Fame proclaim the glory on trumpets.

The whole is expressive and graceful, attesting the great ability of the artist in treating this somewhat commonplace theme.

Take the Rue Carnot to the right of the Gate, skirting the Square Ruault, which is the continuation, as far as theHospital of St. Saviour.

HOSPITAL OF SAINT-SAVIOURDoor in one of the galleries

This hospital, sometimes known as that of St. John the Evangelist, wasfounded in 1216, after the battle of Bouvines, by the Countess Jeanne de Constantinople. The present brick and stone buildings date from the 17th and 18th centuries.

In the Middle-Ages, hospital wards contained an altar at one end, so that the patients could hear Mass from their beds. A heavy curtain was then drawn, cutting off the altar from the remainder of the room.

In the hospital of St. Saviour, the choir of the chapel, which is lighted by high, broken-arch windows, still exists. A low, vaulted room, opening on the right, serves as an oratory for the nuns.

Skirting the Hospital on the right, the tourist comes to theNoble Tower.

Built in 1459, the Noble Tower was formerly the centre of the town's defences. It consisted originally of three stories, one of which contained ribbed Gothic vaulting. Of great size and massive construction, the tower is flanked by two smaller ones connected by a curtain. The upper portion of the tower has disappeared.

Near by is seen the steeple of thechurch of St. Saviour, a modern, pseudo-Byzantine edifice.

THE NOBLE TOWER

Return to the Paris Gate, via the Ruault Square, taking again the Rue de Paris. On the left, at No. 224, isa high gabled wall containing vestiges of a broken-arch bay, all that remains of the oldHospice Ganthois, founded in 1466 byJean de la Cambe, surnamed Ganthois. The right wing was rebuilt in the 17th century. Over the entrance appears the date "1664." An interior court, shaped like a cloister, leads to the patients' ward.

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