The Hôtel du Vieux Raisin in

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and fr ...

, France is a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

hôtel particulier An ''hôtel particulier'' () is a grand townhouse, comparable to the British townhouse or mansion. Whereas an ordinary ''maison'' (house) was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side and directly fronting on a s ...

'' (palace) of the 16th century. This townhouse is surely one of the most beautiful private mansions of the time. It was built for Berenger Maynier, professor of law, lord of Canac and Gallice and

capitoul The ''capitouls'', sometimes anglicized as ''capitols'', were the chief magistrates of the commune of Toulouse, France, during the late Middle Ages and early Modern period. Their council and rule was known as the ''Capitoulate'' (frenc ...

in 1515–1516; The style chosen was that of this period, strongly influenced by

Italian Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought ...

History

Hôtel du Vieux Raisin is based on a fifteenth-century building, which stood on the huge plot of the neighbouring

Hôtel Dahus The Hôtel Dahus (also known as Hôtel de Tournoer) in Toulouse, France, is a Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity a ...

and was later partially demolished to make way for Rue Ozenne. Dating from this period are the

embrasure An embrasure (or crenel or crenelle; sometimes called gunhole in the domain of gunpowder-era architecture) is the opening in a battlement between two raised solid portions (merlons). Alternatively, an embrasure can be a space hollowed out ...

s and

gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry wa ...

s in the upper part of the façade that looks over Rue José Félix.Explanatory comments of ''Toulouse Renaissance'' exhibition (2018), Colin Debuiche. In 1515, lawyer Béringuier Maynier purchased the house and undertook

building restoration Conservation and restoration of immovable cultural property describes the process through which the material, historical, and design integrity of any immovable cultural property are prolonged through carefully planned interventions. The indivi ...

. A new house was added to the original building, to separate the courtyard from the garden, and given a staircase tower on either side. The house was extended with two short wings. In the courtyard, on the side adjoining the garden and Rue José Félix, many richly decorated windows were installed. Busts

medallions Medallion or Medallions may refer to: * Medal (shortening of "medallion"), a carved or engraved circular piece of metal issued as a souvenir, award, work of art or fashion accessory * Medallion (architecture), a large round or oval ornament on a bu ...

were placed between the openings on the great tower in the courtyard. From 1547 to 1577 the house was owned by magistrate Jean Burnet. The main courtyard took on an idealized form (square) with the extensions of the wings. The entrance was closed off with a

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cul ...

inspired by the

loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns ...

of the

Hôtel d'Assézat The Hôtel d'Assézat in Toulouse, France, is a French Renaissance ''hôtel particulier'' (urban palace) of the 16th century which houses the Bemberg Foundation, a major art gallery of the city. The hôtel was likely built by Toulouse architect ...

(Doric columns, mixture of brick and stone). The coffers continue to show Burnet's arms and those of his wife. Next, Pierre de Lancrau, a bishop who owned the property between 1580 and 1591, heightened the great staircase tower and installed in the main courtyard several windows featuring

telamon In Greek mythology, Telamon (; Ancient Greek: Τελαμών, ''Telamōn'' means "broad strap") was the son of King Aeacus of Aegina, and Endeïs, a mountain nymph. The elder brother of Peleus, Telamon sailed alongside Jason as one of his Argo ...

Street windows

Due to the absence of nearby stone quarries, the predominant building material in Toulouse was brick, so adding a stone window to a house was an effective way of displaying success and social rank, such features attracting the eyes of passers-by. The various owners of the hôtel were consistent in the care they took over the decoration of the windows. On rue Ozenne, the windows commissioned by Béringuier Maynier feature magnificent

pilaster In classical architecture, a pilaster is an architectural element used to give the appearance of a supporting column and to articulate an extent of wall, with only an ornamental function. It consists of a flat surface raised from the main wal ...

s, candelabra and

rinceaux In architecture and the decorative arts, a rinceau (plural ''rinceaux''; from the French language, French, derived from old French ''rain'' 'branch with foliage') is a decorative form consisting of a continuous wavy stemlike motif from which small ...

. On rue du Languedoc, a sculpted window commissioned by Jean Burnet between 1547 and 1555 took inspiration from an engraving by the architect

Jacques Androuet du Cerceau Jacques I Androuet du Cerceau, also given as Du Cerceau, DuCerceau, or Ducerceau (1510–1584) was a well-known French designer of architecture, ornament, furniture, metalwork and other decorative designs during the 16th century, and the founder ...

. It retains the general composition of the engraving but simplifies the upper section and adds sculpted human and hybrid figures. This window had its admirers because in 1555 the parliamentarian Pierre de Nos copied it for the castle on his estate.

Courtyard ornaments

In the courtyard, some of the telamon windows can be attributed to

Nicolas Bachelier Nicolas Bachelier (1485–1557) was a French surveyor, architect, and sculptor who particularly worked in Toulouse. Bachelier is famous in Toulouse for having been the architect, proven or presumed, of several '' hôtels particuliers'' of the Ren ...

. Those of the ground floor belong to another hand and date from the late sixteenth century. On the first floor, the figures supporting the entablatures of the windows seem to be straining under the weight. On the ground floor, the hybrid figures with lion feet or on pilasters show exceptional diversity as well as great anatomical and psychological realism. Imprisoned in the stone, they bear their burden with dignity and solemnity. Other sculpted motifs abound in the frames and reference royal buildings, such as the Francis I Gallery at the

Palace of Fontainebleau Palace of Fontainebleau (; ) or Château de Fontainebleau, located southeast of the center of Paris, in the commune of Fontainebleau, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. The medieval castle and subsequent palace served as a residence ...

, and sometimes even draw inspiration from the famous works of

Benvenuto Cellini Benvenuto Cellini (, ; 3 November 150013 February 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and author. His best-known extant works include the ''Cellini Salt Cellar'', the sculpture of ''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'', and his autobiograph ...

and

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was ins ...

The fireplace

Focal point for pomp, a sumptuous fireplace displays a classical vocabulary, and thus demonstrates the humanist knowledge of Béringuier Maynier. At the center of the

frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

, two kneeling

putti A putto (; plural putti ) is a figure in a work of art depicted as a chubby male child, usually naked and sometimes winged. Originally limited to profane passions in symbolism,Dempsey, Charles. ''Inventing the Renaissance Putto''. University o ...

present the owner's arms in a floral wreath (called 'triumphal garland'). Medallions framed with triumphal garlands or supported by hybrid beings, chubby cherubs playing with an imposing garland of fruits and vegetables on the pediment: the iconographic work constitutes a panegyric of fortune, abundance and fertility.

Pictures

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References

Bibliography

* Guy Ahlsell de Toulza, Louis Peyrusse, Bruno Tollon, ''Hôtels et Demeures de Toulouse et du Midi Toulousain'', Daniel Briand éditeur, Drémil Lafage, 1997 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hotel Vieux Raisin Houses completed in the 16th century Buildings and structures in Toulouse Renaissance architecture in Toulouse Hôtels particuliers in Toulouse