Tuesday 8 January 2019

Provincial Portraits


The Chateau of Langeais has quite a collection of 16th century provincial furniture. You can tell it is furniture made by country joiners for comfortable but not really wealthy families. The pieces feature 'portrait' roundels but some of them look awfully familiar and it is clear that the sculptors are working from standard pattern books. The 'portraits' represent social 'types' not actual individuals. They are also clearly not the work of highly skilled carvers.

A woman in a headdress.
On a 16C provincial piece of furniture in the collection of the Chateau of Langeais. Photographed by Susan from Loire Valley Time Travel. https://tourtheloire.com

A sadly chinless woman (I don't think she's lost it, I think she was carved that way).
On a 16C provincial piece of furniture in the collection of the Chateau of Langeais. Photographed by Susan from Loire Valley Time Travel. https://tourtheloire.com

A man in a cap.
Photographed by Susan from Loire Valley Time Travel. https://tourtheloire.com

A man with the most extraordinary forked beard.
He is wearing a fashionable cap at a jaunty angle -- and check out that extraordinary beard! Photographed by Susan from Loire Valley Time Travel. https://tourtheloire.com

You may think this is a woman in a bonnet, but in fact it will be a mercenary soldier in a helmet.
The character is a mercenary soldier in a fancy helmet. Photographed by Susan from Loire Valley Time Travel. https://tourtheloire.com

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For details of our private guided tours of chateaux, wineries, markets and more please visit the Loire Valley Time Travel website. We would be delighted to design a tour for you.

4 comments:

Colin and Elizabeth said...

Number 4 looks like a Ballchinian... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NPw3WvpRL8

Susan said...

Yes! I didn't pick up the likeness, but now you point it out...

Katie Zeller said...

I've been in that castle but don't remember paying attention to these.... shame on me lol

Susan said...

Well there you go -- that's what you need a guide (ie me!) for :-)

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