Maison dite de Vannes et sa femme
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison dite de Vannes et sa femme, located in Vannes (Département 56), 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
- Vannes, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.6566, -2.7576
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091793
In the heart of Vannes, this 16th-century timber-framed house fascinates visitors with its two stone busts in the corner: a middle-class man and his wife frozen for eternity, mischievous witnesses to a preserved medieval town.
History
Nestling on the corner of a street in the old town of Vannes, the house known as "de Vannes et sa femme" is one of the most endearing curiosities of Breton heritage. Its popular nickname comes from the two carved stone busts that adorn the corner of the ground floor: a middle-class man and his wife, depicted with a mischievous realism that belongs entirely to the spirit of the popular Renaissance. These expressive faces, neither really serious nor frankly smiling, seem to observe with ironic benevolence the passers-by who have been passing by for five centuries. What sets this residence apart from the multitude of half-timbered houses in Brittany is the quality and consistency of its sculpted decoration. Each of the three storeys has finely chiselled, moulded beams, testifying to the skills of local carpenters and sculptors in the 16th century. Wood is omnipresent, in dialogue with the stone of the busts to create a facade of unexpected richness in provincial civil architecture. In the attic, a discrete Franciscan statuette is a reminder of the omnipresence of religion in Vannes society during the Renaissance. This figure, less well known to the general public, is nonetheless worthy of attention: it testifies to the close links between the local bourgeoisie and the mendicant orders established in the town since the Middle Ages. The second floor and gable are clad in the slate typical of Breton architecture, giving the building a silhouette that is both robust and elegant. To visit this house is to immerse yourself in the daily life of a well-to-do middle-class man in Renaissance Brittany. It's the perfect place to take a stroll through Vannes' inner city, in the company of the other timber-framed houses on Place Henri-IV and Rue Saint-Salomon. The evening lighting, when the golden façades are ablaze in the city lights, creates a particularly striking atmosphere.
Architecture
The house in Vannes and his wife belongs to the well-established type of corbelled timber-framed house, typical of Breton and Norman towns from the 15th to 17th centuries. Its facade is built over three storeys, gradually rising above the street in accordance with the corbelling principle, which maximises the living space of the upper storeys without encroaching further on the ground. The oak framing is entirely exposed, in accordance with local custom, and each level features carefully moulded girders and brackets, demonstrating a greater investment in ornamentation than the average contemporary house. The most remarkable sculptural feature is the two carved stone busts in the corner of the ground floor. Representing a middle-class couple in a realistic style tinged with humanism, these sculptures illustrate the influence of the Italian Renaissance filtered through Breton regional workshops. At the top of the house, in the attic, a stone or wooden statue of a Franciscan bears witness to the persistence of devotional motifs in domestic architecture. The second floor and gable are covered in slate cladding, a noble and protective material par excellence in Brittany, giving the whole a contrasting visual texture between the warm brown of the wood and the bluish grey of the schist stone.
Related Figures
Le bourgeois inconnu commanditaire de la maison (XVIe siècle), dont le buste orne l'encoignureSon épouse, également représentée en buste de pierre, co-égérie du monumentLes charpentiers-sculpteurs vannetais anonymes du XVIe siècle, artisans du décorLes administrateurs des Monuments Historiques ayant instruit l'inscription de 1929
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison dite de Vannes et sa femme located?
Maison dite de Vannes et sa femme is located in Vannes, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Maison dite de Vannes et sa femme built?
Maison dite de Vannes et sa femme dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison dite de Vannes et sa femme open to visitors?
Maison dite de Vannes et sa femme is currently closed to visitors.