Hôtel de Donine
MonumentHidden Treasure
Hôtel de Donine, located in Arles (Bouches-du-Rhône), 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
- Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 43.6776, 4.6294
- Mérimée Reference
- PA13000080
Joyau de la Renaissance arlésienne, l'hôtel de Donine dévoile une façade ornée de pilastres cannelés inspirés du théâtre antique voisin, et un rare plafond peint du XVIIe siècle aux candélabres feuillagés.
History
In the heart of the historic centre of Arles, the Hôtel de Donine stands as one of the most eloquent examples of the Provencal Renaissance. Despite the fact that the ground floor was remodelled in the 19th century, the upper storeys of the street façade have retained an architectural decor of rare coherence and finesse of execution that sets it apart from other private mansions in the city. What makes this monument truly exceptional is the dialogue it maintains with the surrounding Antiquity. The two superimposed friezes on the first floor imitate with skilful precision the entablature of the ancient theatre in Arles, just a few steps away. This deliberate archaeological quotation, as exact as an architect's sketch, betrays the work of an exceptional sculptor, whose mastery rivals that of the best workshops in Renaissance France. Inside, visitors will be struck by the beauty of the French-style painted ceiling on the first floor, which probably dates from the second quarter of the 17th century. Its predominantly reddish-brown motifs - leafy candelabras, bouquets and baskets of flowers, landscapes in grisaille set in ornate cartouches - evoke the refined decorative art typical of bourgeois and aristocratic interiors of the period. Although the hotel cannot be visited on an organised tourist circuit, its listing as a Historic Monument in 2016 guarantees the protection of this exceptional private heritage. The façade alone, visible from the street, is well worth a long stop. Arles, a city where Antiquity and the Renaissance coexist in stone, has no better ambassador than this discreet and sovereign private mansion.
Architecture
The Hôtel de Donine adopts a simple plan that is typical of Arles town houses: a single main building, aligned with the street, whose rear façade originally opened onto a courtyard that no longer exists. This layout, common in Provencal towns with dense urban fabric, concentrated all the decorative effort on the visible elevations. The street façade is a manifesto of the Arles Renaissance. Despite a ground floor rebuilt in the 19th century - which somewhat disrupts the overall effect - the upper storeys display a remarkably coherent programme of ornamentation: superimposed orders, fluted pilasters, sculpted entablatures. The first floor is distinguished by two superimposed friezes that reproduce the entablature of the ancient theatre in Arles with striking archaeological fidelity, testifying to an in-depth knowledge of the ancient vocabulary and a rare technical mastery for a private building. Inside, the French-style painted ceiling on the first floor is the building's other treasure. Executed in the reddish-brown tones typical of 17th-century southern decorative work, it combines leafy candelabras, floral compositions and grisaille medallions depicting landscapes, all set within a network of ornamental caissons and cartouches. This type of decoration, similar to that in the Hôtel Boussicaud, illustrates the vitality of the decorative painting workshops in Arles in the first half of the 17th century.
Related Figures
Famille de Donine — propriétaires éponymes ayant commandité l'hôtel à la RenaissanceSculpteur anonyme du XVIe siècle — auteur des frises inspirées du théâtre antique d'ArlesPeintre anonyme du XVIIe siècle — créateur du plafond peint à la française du premier étageCommanditaires bourgeois arlésiens du XVIe siècle — mécènes de la Renaissance provençale
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Hôtel de Donine located?
Hôtel de Donine is located in Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, France.
When was Hôtel de Donine built?
Hôtel de Donine dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Hôtel de Donine open to visitors?
Hôtel de Donine is currently closed to visitors.
