The Musee Jacquemart-André is a treasure house that graces the Haussmann boulevards in Paris and is perhaps not nearly as well-known as it should be. The recent re-opening of the museum on 6th September, following a period of closure for conservation, therefore provides a welcome opportunity to draw fresh attention to this most romantic and beguiling of collections and the elegant building that houses it.

Although renowned in particular for his expertise on the art of François Boucher, Alastair Laing had very wide-ranging art historical taste and knowledge, which he shared with great generosity of spirit. He curated some important exhibitions and brought scholarly rigour to his inspired custodianship of the art collections of the National Trust.

John Lavery (1856–1941), a vibrant painter of the Impressionist era, was born and partly raised in Northern Ireland, grew to adulthood in Ayrshire and Glasgow but remained a proud Irishman. ‘On Location’ is a fitting title for a retrospective about this artist, who vividly recorded so many aspects of the changing world in which he lived.

No sorrow like unto my sorrow: Philip the Bold, the Great Cross at Champmol and the Battle of Nicopolis The Great Cross (Well of Moses) at the Chartreuse de Champmol, built by Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy, is one of the most extraordinary and striking late medieval monuments. A new reading of its imagery, and the context of its creation in the wake of Burgundian crusading ambitions, provides a compelling explanation for its form and purpose. The research builds on a series of articles published by the author in this Magazine (2005–08).