Ancien hôtel du Bouexic de Pinieuc
MonumentHidden Treasure
Ancien hôtel du Bouexic de Pinieuc, located in Rennes (Département 35), is a Renaissance château built in the 16th century. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Renaissance (16th century)
- Location
- Rennes, Département 35, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.1116, -1.6849
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090688
A Baroque gem dating from 1631, the Hôtel du Bouexic de Pinieuc is striking for its animal frieze and pediments sculpted with foliage - a rare example of Italian influence in Brittany.
History
In the heart of Rennes, the Hôtel du Bouexic de Pinieuc stands as a unique reminder of a time when the Breton elite looked to Italy to define their lifestyle. Built in 1631, this mansion from the second quarter of the 17th century stands in stark contrast to the sobriety of most of the town's residences, and is one of the few authentic Baroque buildings in the whole of Brittany. What is immediately striking is the generosity of the façade's decoration: where regional architecture tends towards restraint, the Hôtel du Bouexic displays a profusion of ornament inherited from Roman and Florentine palaces. The superimposition of orders, the dialogue between the rough granite of the ground floor and the white stone of the upper floors, the alternating triangular and rounded pediments, all combine to create an effect of surprise and elegance that is rare in these Atlantic latitudes. The experience of visiting the exterior - the building is now used for private or institutional purposes - begins with the frieze crowning the façade, a veritable sculpted bestiary in which animal heads, bunches of grapes, flowers and scrolls follow one another in an almost musical rhythm. This decorative style, typical of late Italian Mannerism, has no equivalent in Brittany and is well worth a look. The surrounding area, with its wealth of 17th and 18th century private mansions, offers an architectural journey of the highest quality. The Hôtel du Bouexic de Pinieuc stands out not for its size - its volume remains measured - but for the boldness of its decorative style, which says a lot about the cultural and social ambitions of the family who had it built at the dawn of the reign of Louis XIII.
Architecture
The layout of the Hôtel du Bouexic de Pinieuc is typical of private mansions built in the early 17th century: a main building flanked by two non-protruding pavilions of unequal length, an asymmetrical composition that gives the building a certain liveliness. The façade is distinguished by an eloquent duality of materials: the ground floor, clad in granite - a stone emblematic of Brittany - anchors the building in its geography, while the upper floors, clad in white limestone, give it a luminosity and finesse conducive to sculptural work. The decorative programme, unusually rich for the region, is divided into several superimposed registers. On the ground floor, an arched door framed by open-jointed pilasters introduces an Italianate note right from the entrance. The first floor is punctuated by windows with a rusticated, segmental-arched pattern, framed by cross-braced flowerbeds, each bay topped by a triangular pediment. On the second floor, the Mannerist fantasy comes into its own: the pediments alternate between triangular and rounded shapes, all richly decorated with leafy plant motifs reminiscent of the stuccowork of Roman villas. The ensemble is crowned by the most spectacular feature of the façade: a sculpted frieze with intertwining animal heads, flowers, bunches of grapes and various scrolls, topped by a modillion cornice. This ornamental vocabulary, borrowed directly from the transalpine Baroque repertoire, has no equivalent in Brittany, making this mansion a first-rate architectural document on the circulation of artistic forms in 17th-century France.
Related Figures
Famille du Bouexic de Pinieuc — commanditaires de l'hôtel, noblesse bretonne ayant fait construire l'édifice en 1631Jacques V Gabriel — architecte du roi ayant dirigé la reconstruction de Rennes après l'incendie de 1720, contexte qui souligne la rareté des édifices antérieursLouis XIII — roi de France sous le règne duquel l'hôtel fut construit (1631)Richelieu — Premier ministre dont l'action politique encadra la vie de la noblesse bretonne au moment de la construction
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Ancien hôtel du Bouexic de Pinieuc located?
Ancien hôtel du Bouexic de Pinieuc is located in Rennes, Département 35 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Ancien hôtel du Bouexic de Pinieuc built?
Ancien hôtel du Bouexic de Pinieuc dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Ancien hôtel du Bouexic de Pinieuc open to visitors?
Ancien hôtel du Bouexic de Pinieuc is currently closed to visitors.
