Along with the Renaissance-era châtelet d'entrée (on the right in the photo above), one of the most distinctive and impressive features at Carrouges is the château's grand staircase, l'escalier d'honneur, a brick structure that leads from the ground floor up to the ceremonial rooms (including le grand salon) and the main living areas of the château.
One web page I read yesterday says that, originally, the staircase brickwork was « enduit et peint en fausse coupe de briques... » I think that means the brick walls and arches were plastered over, but I don't know what the second part,« en fausse coupe de briques », means. Maybe CHM knows.
Different sources give different dates concerning when the staircase was built. Some say it's a 16th century feature, others say late 17th century, and still others say early 18th. The name of a 16th century architect named François Gabriel is often mentioned.
It seems that in the 1950s and 1960s, when the Château de Carrouges was being restored after the French government became its owner in 1936, the plaster was all removed to expose the brickwork.
One web page describes it this way: « ...victime du goût des années d'après-guerre pour la "vérité" du matériau,il a été dépecé lors des travaux de restauration menés au cours des années 1960, faisant ainsi disparaitre
son épiderme originel. »
Below there's a longish video about the château and restoration work there. I haven't watched it all yet...
First, thank you for this interesting video. I enjoyed it, even though I couldn't understand the commentary because of my almost complete loss of hearing acuity.
ReplyDeleteSecond, this grand escalier d'honneur is something else. Amazing and stunning, as your photos. It reminds me not only of the Saint-Philibert church at Tournus in Burgundy, also in bricks but of some works of Escher.
Last, I was so impressed by your photos that I almost missed your commentary!!! Now that I've read your text, just like you I don't have the slightest idea what fausse coupe de briques could mean! Personnaly, I don't miss the so-called épiderme.
Depending on the light, the color of the bricks goes from light pink to dark brown. And this is part of the stunningness (?) of this staircase, independently of the architecture.
DeleteIf my calculations are correct, the chateau de Carrouges was sold in 1936 to the French state after five centuries of ownership by the last Le Veneur de Tillières for a little more than €300,000.00!
DeleteMaybe it means something like a brick veneer... like when houses are solid brick (walls made of only brick about 3 bricks thick), vs brick veneer (wood frame houses onto which just a decorative one-layer-only brick layer is placed on the exterior, to give a brick look) ? Though why they would, in this case, go to the trouble of putting a coating of plaster, and then a decorative brick layer, over an already solid-brick wall, I don't know LOL.
ReplyDeleteKen & chm....
ReplyDeleteDeepL gives "fake brick cutting" for "fausse coupe de briques"....
we think we had something similar here....
Whilst uncovering a fireplace in the oldest C17th or earlier section of the longere, as we were removing the plaster from it, we discovered that it had been plastered flat and a brick finish had been painted on a smooth surface that covered the original stone of the fireplace. A "false brick effect".... the false stones painted on the final surface did not match the original cut stone either!! We had fun with that exercise, but we are now left with the original second fireplace, complete with the black marks from the countless times someone has rested their hand on the mantle to warm themselves in Winter.
Fashions change, and it seems that their may well have been a period when "brique" was the trendy appearance... and then it all changed again.....
Judy and Tim, you are probably right. That thought came to my mind, but was not sure enough to make a statement. It is like faux marble or faux wood. But why paint bricks on plaster when there was a stunning original?
ReplyDeleteIn the Construction and Public Works dictionary, I find a definition of fausse-coupe that has nothing to do with faux briques. Back to square one?
DeleteMagnificent brickwork and photos. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe staircase pictures remind of M C Escher.
ReplyDeleteGreat minds... That's what I said in my first comment!
DeleteWhat about I Carceri by G. B. Piranesi?
DeleteMy naive interpretation is a plaster brick-look was cut into thick plaster to resemble a brick layer.
ReplyDeleteAs we all must think - Why, when there is already real brick underneath?
To CHM, hadn’t read the comments, too bad my wife wouldn’t say the same!
ReplyDeleteEven more so, WS, great minds... Did you google I Carceri? It is worth it.
DeleteThanks, just enjoyed some of the drawings over morning coffee! Pretty amazing, from the Princeton site.
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