Thread by @MiyamotoBen

I’m tired of the clickbait and sensationalist « #discovery  » trope in #arthistory . The Angers Tapestry was rediscovered in the 19th century, (not unusual for tapestries) not by the guardian yesterday 1/. Forgotten French tapestry/The Guardian theguardian.com/artanddesign/2…

The first paragraph uses « basement gallery » and « provincial » to bolster the discovery claim. The « basement » gallery is a high tech LED-equipped prize-winning museography, reopened in 2010. . 2/

The gallery hosting it was opened in 1950 - but before that it was exhibited in the episcopal palace, where the artist Jean #Lurçat was so enthralled upon seeing it that he created his masterpiece Chant du Monde. Now also hosted in Angers. 3/

You don’t « discover » a masterpiece when its part of the Centre des Musées Nationaux @leCMN and one of the core works for medieval art history students @EcoleduLouvre, and has been the subject of a grandiose fully illustrated Diane de Selliers book @EditionsDS 4/

I know its tempting to spice up an article, but you’re hurting #experts when you say « Yet few people know about it, even in France; fewer still have visited it. » @laBnF lists 47 specialized books on it since 1877, 14 of which have been written since 2015, @johnkampfner 6/

Its listed number one of the 10 most beautiful tapestries onthe BBC culture website. Right, I’m off to« discover » the Holy Grail #Tapestries of basement artist #EdwardBurnesJones in the provincial town of Birmingham for a @lemondefr #arthistory article. Toodeloo...