Maison dite des Marmousets
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison dite des Marmousets, located in Ploërmel (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
- Ploërmel, Département 56, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 47.9329, -2.3988
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00091510
In Ploërmel, the Maison des Marmousets (1586) fascinates with its entirely sculpted timber-framed façade: grotesque figures, acanthus leaves and Renaissance motifs make up a bestiary of stone and oak that is unique in Brittany.
History
In the heart of Ploërmel in Morbihan, the Maison des Marmousets is one of the most beautiful timber-framed houses in Brittany. Built in 1586, it owes its poetic nickname to the sculpted figures that populate its façade, like silent witnesses to a time when the art of building was also the art of telling stories. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1927, it is an exceptional architectural document of the Breton Renaissance at the end of the 16th century. What makes this house truly unique is the coherence and generosity of its sculpted decoration. Here, nothing has been left to chance or sobriety: every load-bearing element of the panelling - uprights, runners, crosspieces, brackets, joist ends - is chiselled, ornate and animated. Classical motifs inherited from the Italian Renaissance - oves, heart-shaped motifs, acanthus leaves - are mixed with a more popular and naive vocabulary, typical of Breton craftsmen of the period. This tension between the scholarly and the rustic gives the façade a special charm, at once erudite and earthy. Discovering the house is an experience of slow contemplation. You have to take the time to detail each jamb, to identify the figures emerging from their sheaths as if caught in their own momentum, to spot the two superimposed figures to the right of the entrance or the solitary figure keeping watch to the left. The façade reads like a pictorial text, with each line concealing a new surprise for the trained eye. Set within the urban fabric of Ploërmel, the house is part of a coherent heritage ensemble. The town still bears witness to its medieval and Renaissance past, making it an ideal stop-off point for lovers of Breton civil architecture. The Maison des Marmousets is undoubtedly the most expressive jewel, one that will leave a lasting impression on visitors.
Architecture
The Maison des Marmousets is a timber-framed building, a construction technique typical of 15th and 16th century Breton and Norman civil architecture. The framework is made up of oak pieces assembled according to the principles of traditional carpentry, but here elevated to the level of decorative art. The street façade is the focal point of the entire composition: organised over at least two levels, it features a ground floor whose vertical jambs are sculpted with figures emerging from plant sheaths - a motif known as "en terme" or "en gaine", borrowed directly from the Mannerist repertoire of the French Renaissance. On either side of the entrance, the composition is asymmetrical and narrative: on the left, a full-length figure rises to its full height; on the right, two superimposed figures seem to be in dialogue or supporting each other. Above, the transition between the ground and ground floors is provided by a row of sculpted modillions and brackets supporting the runners and trave pieces, which are themselves moulded and decorated. Between the floor of the first floor and the window sill, small figures are inserted into the intermediate uprights. The ornamental vocabulary as a whole - oves, hearts, acanthus leaves, foliage - bears witness to an assimilation, albeit crude and reinterpreted, of the classical models disseminated by the Renaissance. This assumed "naivety" is not a clumsiness but the sign of a local craft that translates in its own way the major aesthetic trends of the period, giving rise to a hybrid style deeply rooted in Breton identity.
Related Figures
Artisan charpentier-sculpteur anonyme (1586) — maître d'œuvre probable de la façade sculptéeCommanditaire bourgeois anonyme (1586) — propriétaire bâtisseur, vraisemblablement notable de PloërmelProsper Mérimée — inspecteur général des Monuments Historiques, initiateur des premières protections du patrimoine civil breton au XIXe siècleArchitectes des Bâtiments de France — responsables du suivi et de la restauration depuis le classement de 1927
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison dite des Marmousets located?
Maison dite des Marmousets is located in Ploërmel, Département 56 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Maison dite des Marmousets built?
Maison dite des Marmousets dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison dite des Marmousets open to visitors?
Maison dite des Marmousets is currently closed to visitors.