Of incredible quality for a sketch dating from around 1419, this drawing measuring 2.05 meters long by 54 centimeters wide is attributed to the then architect of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Strasbourg, Johannes Hültz.
"This is the first known drawing representing the spire of Strasbourg Cathedral... which is altogether very different from the spire as it was finally built," says Paul Lang, director of Strasbourg museums.
"It is a great pride to have been able to acquire this work classified + national treasure +", underlines Anne Mistler, assistant to the Arts and Culture of the city.
"It is a drawing of extreme importance, an invaluable work. We see the increasingly precise development of architectural drawing at that time, the finesse of the detail, the precision."
This drawing was purchased for 1.75 million euros, thanks in particular to the significant sponsorship of Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale (1.2 million), with also funding from the Society of Friends of Strasbourg Cathedral (250,000 euros) , the Ministry of Culture (200,000 euros) and the city (100,000 euros).
More than three years of hard work and negotiations were necessary to acquire it.
"Strasbourg Cathedral was the tallest building in medieval Christianity, and it remained so until the 19th century," says Paul Lang.
"It is a great emotion, and also a relief to be able to bring this work into our collections, that we have been able to retain it despite the appetite of a major North American museum in particular".
Journalists look at the medieval parchment bought by the city of Strasbourg, representing the first known drawing of the spire of the city's cathedral, on January 10, 2023 at the Musée de l'oeuvre Notre-Dame in Strasbourg © Frederick FLORIN / AFP
Francis Limon, vice-president of the Society of Friends of the Cathedral, recalled that plans for the cathedral of Rouen had gone abroad a few years ago, the French museums not having been able to s match the asking price.
This plan initially appeared in the collections of the Notre-Dame foundation in Strasbourg, which has kept medieval architectural drawings linked to the construction of the cathedral for seven centuries, but it had disappeared during the revolutionary period.
The previous owner bought it in 1994 on the Parisian art market.
It will be presented to the public from January 21 to April 23 at the Musée de l'oeuvre Notre-Dame.
For conservation reasons, the drawing, presented in the shelter of a display case in a room at constant temperature, under subdued light, will only be visible on Saturdays and Sundays.
The adjacent drawing interpretation room is accessible during normal museum opening hours.
© 2023 AFP