Part 4

The Archeological Museum contains the following remarkable works of art: Three 14th century =statuettes= of the Virgin (two of wood, one of marble); an ivory =diptych= of the Crucifixion; a 13th century =reliquary cross= of Flemish origin; divers curious specimens of =brass-work=, including the Censer of Lille, rightly considered a masterpiece; a richly embroidered =altar-cloth=, representing the Annunciation.

IV.--The Wicar Collections

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 several =Renaissance bronzes= worthy of note, also a =marble bas-relief= by Donatello, representing the Beheading of John the Baptist, and a fine terra-cotta =Head of Child= by Verrochio. The drawings merit careful inspection. The following are especially remarkable: Studies on pink and yellow grounds, by _Filippo Lippi_, _Filippino_, _Ghirlandaio_, and _La Verrochio_; Head of Bald Man, by _Montegna_; 14 drawings on parchment, representing scenes from the Metamorphoses, Children's Games and Arabesques, attributed by L. Gonse to _Jacopo Francia_, attest marvellous delicacy and skill; two sheets of caricatures by _Leonard de Vinci_ and 60 sketches by _Raphael_; studies in black and red by _Michael 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_, _Sodoma_ and _André del Sarto_ are also well represented.

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

The "Wax Head"

The most celebrated work of art in the collections is the =Wax 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.

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 experts _Herr Demmler_ and _Herr Professor Klemen_ "requisitioned" the collections of the Museum _(p. 39)_, what they took away was a _copy_ of 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 Rue Denis Godefroy which opens on the Boulevard de la Liberté, in line with the Museum_, is the house where M. Eugène =Jacquet= lived _(his apartment was on the 1st floor, see photograph below and page 16)_.

_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 the =Church of St. Michael=. Continue as far as the Place Philippe le Bon: in the middle, =Monument to Pasteur=; on the left, =University of Lille=._

The =University of Lille= occupies 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 the =curious Monument=_ built 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)_.

_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._

[Sidenote: _See itinerary, p. 36_]

_=The "Dix-huit Ponts"= (see p. 22)_

On reaching the Rue de Douai, the cracked walls of the houses, many of them roofless, which were damaged by the =Explosion= of the =German Ammunition Depot= known 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. The =crater= is 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._

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, while below, 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.

_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 the =School of Arts and Craft= and the =Pasteur Institute=._

[Sidenote: _See itinerary, p. 36_]

The Paris Gate

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 the =Hospital of St. Saviour=._

This hospital, sometimes known as that of St. John the Evangelist, was founded 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 the =Noble 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 the =church of St. Saviour=, a modern, pseudo-Byzantine edifice.

_Return to the Paris Gate, via the Ruault Square, taking again the Rue de Paris. On the left, at No. 224, is_ a high gabled wall containing vestiges of a broken-arch bay, all that remains of the old =Hospice Ganthois=, founded in 1466 by _Jean 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.

THIRD ITINERARY

_(Follow the =arrows= along the streets indicated by =continuous lines=)._

From the Grande Place to the Citadelle

_Monuments to be seen on the way_: The =Monument to Desrousseaux= in the Jussieu Square, the =Testelin Monument=, the =Church of the Sacred Heart=, the =Palais Rameau=; the =Bridges over the Deule=, =Monument to Négrier=, =Churches of St. André= and =St. Catherine=.

* * * * *

The temporary bridges mentioned further on, existed in April, 1919. In whatever state the tourist may find them, he need only _follow the Deule canal, after the =Jardin Vauban=, cross the first bridge he meets, and turn back to the left (if necessary) on the other side, until he comes to the avenue which opens out on the right opposite the Boulevard de la Liberté, and which leads to the =Citadelle=._

_Leave the Grande Place by the Rue Nationale, following the latter as far as the church of the Sacred Heart_, whose high unfinished tower will be seen on the right. _To the right is the =Jussieu Square=_ (landscape garden laid out by Barillet in the moats of the old fortifications), at the entrance to which is a =monument= to the local poet and song-writer =Desrousseaux= (photo opposite), who started his career (1820-1892) as a simple working-man, and whose dialect songs are still sung. At the foot of the monument is the figure of a young mother rocking her child to sleep, recalling the composer's most popular song; _"Dors, min p'tit quinquin."_

_Cross the Boulevard de la Liberté, then skirt the =Testelin Monument=. M. Testelin_ was Prefect of the North of France and "Organizer of National Defence in the North in 1870-1871." The monument bears traces of the bombardment, while the bronze statues which surrounded the pedestal were carried away by the Germans.

_On reaching the =Church of the Sacred Heart=, turn to the right and follow the Rue de Solférino to the Boulevard Vauban, on the right of which is the =Palais Rameau=._

The Palais Rameau

This fairly large building was erected in 1878, with the financial help of an agriculturist named _Rameau_. The principal hall is used for exhibitions, more especially horticultural. The rather =curious façade= includes a =bust of Rameau= flanked by figures of the goddesses Flora (flowers) and Pomona (fruits). In the rear of the Palace Garden is a fine circular =conservatory=.

_On leaving the Palais, take on the right the Boulevard Vauban which, a little further on, crosses the =Jardin Vauban=_ (pretty public garden), leading to the =Canal de la Moyenne Deule=.

Skirting a portion of the Citadelle and continuing the canal of the Haute Deule, this canal connects Lille with la Bassée and Douai. The river Deule was first opened up to navigation in 1271, while in 1830 its sidings were improved and the water-way deepened.

In April, 1919, it was necessary to follow the Deule as far as the Square du Ramponneau, where a temporary wooden bridge had been built close to a half-destroyed foot-bridge. After crossing the bridge, visitors had to come back to the left as far as the first avenue on the right leading to the Citadelle _(see p. 49)_.

The Citadelle

This masterpiece of the fortification art is the work of Vauban (17th century). In shape a regular pentagon, it includes numerous detached out-works. Entrance to it is gained through the Royal Gate, which dates from 1670 _(photo above)_. It contains barracks and a chapel (photo below), and it was in the latter that the hostages of Lille spent their nights during the German occupation _(p. 12)_.

=Jacquet=, =Deconinck=, =Maertens=, =Verhulst= and =Trulin= were shot in the northern moats by the Germans _(p. 18)_.

_After visiting the Citadelle, re-cross the bridge, turn to the left and follow the =Façade de l'Esplanade=, fine avenue planted with linden-trees, which runs alongside the canal._ The ruins of =Napoléon Bridge=, blown up by the retreating Germans, _will be noticed (photo p. 52)_.

Further on, at the northern end of the avenue, is the =Négrier Bridge=, which was also destroyed by the Germans. Looking towards Napoléon Bridge, the =tower of St. Catherine's church= appears above the trees bordering the canal. Near by is the =statue of General Négrier= by Bra (1849), _photo below_, which was damaged by flying débris, when the bridge was blown up.

_Take the Rue du Magasin on the right to the Rue Royale, and follow the latter to the right. With its continuation, =the Rue Esquermoise=_, which leads to the Grande Place, the Rue Royale forms one of the main arteries of the old town.

The =Church of St. André= is reached shortly afterwards.

Church of Saint-André.

This church was erected in 1702. The doorway, with its two tall modern statues of St. Peter and St. Andrew in niches, is of two different orders, superposed and divided by an entablature, the whole being surmounted by a triangular pediment.

Near the entrance are two =paintings=: The Purification, and The Adoration of the Wise Men, by _Otto Venius_. In the southern aisle is a St. Theresa in Heaven by _A. de Vuez_; in the chapel of St Joseph: God sending his Son to save the World, by _Van Oost_; on the High Altar: Martyrdom of St. Andrew, by a local artist, _G. Descamps_; on either side of the choir, marble =busts= of St. Peter and St. Paul, by _Quellin_; in the northern aisle, the Annunciation, by _A. de Vuez_; in the Chapel of the Virgin, the Virgin giving the scapulary to one Simon Stock, by _Jean Van Oost_; a =silver Tabernacle= with bas-relief representing The Crucifixion, by the local goldsmith, _Baudoux_; an 18th century wrought-iron =railing=; 16th century sacerdotal =ornaments= from the Abbey of Loos. The _=pulpit= (photo p. 54)_ by _J.-B. Daneson_ of Valenciennes, dates from 1876. Its sounding-board represents a heavy curtain raised by an angel.

_Further on in the Rue Royale, after the Banque de France, in a small street on the right, is the Church of St. Catherine (photo below)._

Church of St. Catherine

Like many Flemish churches, that of St. Catherine has no transept, and consists of three practically identical naves. Standing out from the façade, a large square tower, flanked at the corners by eight buttresses, supports the ancient timber-work =belfry=--one of the finest in the region. The bell-chamber is lighted by broken-arch bays. One of the heavy bells (1403) bears a curious =inscription= in rhymes. Below the tower is the great doorway.

The exterior decoration is very sober in style. The right-hand side of the building is masked by houses. The left façade, between whose high mullioned windows are buttresses decorated with small ornamental arcades, has been restored in modern times. Belts of foliage run round the gutters of the roof. The carvings on the great and small doorways are modern.

Inside the church are two rows of columns on moulded bases, the corbels of whose capitals are ornamented with foliage. The nerves of the vaulting are plaster.

In the northern aisle is a =painting= by _Rubens_: The Martyrdom of St. Catherine, dating from about 1622; in the Chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes, on the left of the choir in a small niche, is a =statuette= of Our Lady of the Seven Afflictions, given by _Philippe le Bon_, in 1450, to the collegiate of St. Peter. In the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, to the right of the choir, is a small 15th century =funeral monument= in a niche. The =carved stalls= ornamented with statues are also noteworthy.

_After visiting the church return to the Rue Royale_; at Nos. 1 and 3, =curious 17th century houses=.

_At the end of the Rue Royale, take the Rue Esquermoise (which is the continuation, and which contains =18th century houses=_ at Nos. 83 and 101), _as far as the Grande Place_.

FOURTH ITINERARY

_(Follow the =arrows= along the streets indicated by =continuous lines=)_

THE OLD TOWN

_Chief Buildings_: The =Church of Our Lady of the Vine=; =Comtesse Hospital=, =Law Courts=, =Church of St. Magdalene=, =Hôtel des Canonniers=, =Roubaix Gate=.

* * * * *

_Starting from the Grande Place, cross the Place du Théâtre and take the Rue de la Grande Chaussée, on the left of the Nouvelle Bourse_: 13th and 14th century houses at Nos. 11, 14, 15, 42 and 52. _On the right take the Rue des Chats Bossus and Place du Lion d'or, leave the Place St. Martin on the right, and take the Rue de la Monnaie on the left._ At No. 31 in this street, opens a narrow passage leading to the =Church of Our Lady of the Vine=, which is being erected on the site of the Castle of Buc. When finished, it will be one of the largest of modern Gothic churches. The inhabitants of Lille have already surnamed it "the Cathedral." Building was begun in 1855, from plans by the English architects Clutton and Burges, revised by the Jesuit, Arthur Martin. 13th century in style, the choir, over crypt, is only half-finished, while the remainder of the edifice has not yet been begun.

In the chapel of the apse, over the altar, is a =statue= of Our Lady of the Vine, venerated since the 13th century as the Patron Saint of the town. In a chapel on the left are =plans= and a =model in relief= of the finished basilica.

_Return to the Rue de la Monnaie_, at No. 32 of which is the =Comtesse Hospital=.

The =Comtesse Hospital= was founded in 1243 by Countess Jeanne de Flandre; the entrance dates from 1649, and opens on to a curious vaulted passage. A 15th century gable faces the Rue Comtesse.

Inside are =paintings= by _Arnould de Vuez_ and _Wamps_. The chapel contains fine =timber-work vaulting= and a =commemorative tablet= inscribed with the names of the French officers who died in this hospital of wounds received at the Battle of Fontenoy.

_Follow the Rue de la Monnaie as far as the Place du Concert. Turn to the right as far as the Canal de la Basse Deule_, by the side of which is the =Colonnade= of the Law Courts (1837) _(photo below)_.

The Deule is an important river about 40 miles long, which traverses the whole of the coalfields of Northern France, and helps to carry the enormous traffic connected with the metallurgical, cotton, woollen and sugar industries of that region.

_Follow the Deule Quay to the left, to the steps of the Pont Neuf. (If motoring or driving, the tourist will have to go via the Place du Concert, Rue St. André, then taking on the right the Rue du Pont Neuf.)_ The latter crosses the Deule by the =Grand Pont= or =Pont Neuf=, formerly called the Pont Royal. Built in 1701 from plans by the architect Vollant, this bridge connects up the two parallel roads which run alongside the canal. Originally it was composed of six arches, two of which spanned the river, the other four passing over the low-level roads on either bank.

To allow the trams to pass, the two arches on the quay where the colonnade of the Palais de Justice stands have been replaced in recent times by an unartistic platform resting on iron pillars, which has spoilt the appearance of the bridge.

Steps connect the bridge with the quays.

_After crossing the bridge, the tourist arrives in front of the =Church of St. Magdalene= (1675)_, a vast round edifice surrounded by chapels and surmounted by a cupola. It contains several interesting =paintings=: on the High Altar, the Resurrection of Lazarus, by _Jacques Van Oost_; under the dome, The Four Doctors of the Latin Church, by the same painter; in the Chapel of Our Lady of Help, The Adoration of the Shepherds, by _Rubens_; in the Chapel of the St. Sacrement, Christ crucified, by _Van Dyck_: at the entrance to the choir, The Woman of Samaria and the Canaanitish Woman, by _Arnould de Vuez_.