Maison dite maison Bouliac ou maison Rateau
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison dite maison Bouliac ou maison Rateau, located in Langoiran (Gironde), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Langoiran, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.7044, -0.3794
- Mérimée Reference
- PA33000021
An elegant neo-classical Bordeaux residence built between 1810 and 1815 for Baron Rateau, Maison Bouliac boasts a remarkable interior décor and a romantic landscaped garden overlooking the Garonne.
History
Nestling on the heights of Langoiran, in the Gironde, the Bouliac house - also known as the Rateau house - is one of the finest examples of the neo-classical movement that permeated Bordeaux bourgeois architecture at the turn of the 19th century. Sober in its exterior lines, generous in its proportions, it embodies the ideal of the provincial nobleman's home, both representative and intimate, a direct descendant of the architectural lessons disseminated from Bordeaux by the great masters of the 18th century. What really sets this house apart is the quality of its preserved interiors. Where so many contemporary homes have seen their decorations disappear with the passing of fashions and inheritance, Rateau still retains its original gypsum work, including the superb fireplace in the dining room, a testament to the skills of Bordeaux stucco craftsmen during the First Empire. These remarkably fine moulded plaster ornaments are a rare testimony to the taste of the Napoleonic era in the provinces. Visitors to the property will also discover one of the most attractive gardens on the right bank of the Garonne. Remodelled at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in the spirit of the Romantic landscape garden, it is laid out in successive terraces, offering skilful views of the river and vineyards. A vast central terrace, surrounded by a lower terrace on its north and west sides, elegantly structures the space. An old orangery in the north-east corner is a reminder of the aristocratic customs of a time when growing citrus fruits in our latitudes was a visible sign of wealth. The hornbeam bordering the northern part of the garden is a precious vestige of the regular French garden that preceded the landscaping. These string-cut paths, survivors from another age, create a singular dialogue between two conceptions of the garden, two philosophies of the relationship with nature, which can be read as a summary of the history of taste in France. Protected as a Historic Monument, the Bouliac house remains a must-see for anyone wishing to understand the neo-classical civil architecture of Gironde, far from the well-trodden paths of the Médoc vineyards.
Architecture
The Bouliac house is part of Bordeaux's neo-classical tradition of the first quarter of the 19th century, an architectural movement characterised by the purity of its volumes, the regularity of its facades and an ornamental vocabulary drawn from Greco-Roman antiquity. Typical of the homes of Gironde notables during this period, it undoubtedly features a well-ordered facade, punctuated by carefully proportioned window spans, moulded surrounds and a prominent cornice marking the transition between the walls and the roof. The materials used - local limestone and lime renderings, typical of Gironde architecture - give the building the golden hue so typical of buildings in the Bordeaux region. The interior is the real special feature of the house. The dining room features a fireplace adorned with gypseries - moulded plaster stucco - of a quality that bears witness to the care taken with interior decoration during the Empire and Restoration periods. These ornaments, typically composed of garlands, palmettes, geometric friezes and medallions, illustrate the neo-antique decorative vocabulary in vogue at the time of Percier and Fontaine. The relative rarity of such decorations preserved in rural Gironde gives this interior a documentary and aesthetic value of the highest order. The garden, an integral part of the architectural design, is laid out in a system of interlocking terraces. The central terrace, a vast plateau dominating the landscape, is framed to the north and west by a lower terrace that creates gentle transitions with the surrounding area. The orangery in the north-east corner, a secondary building with large arched windows to provide winter sunshine for plants that tend to freeze, is a useful addition to the overall layout. Finally, the bower to the north is a reminder that the current landscaped garden is the successor to a regular geometric garden, of which this trimmed plant structure is the last living testimony.
Related Figures
Baron Pierre-Auguste Rateau — commanditaire de la demeure, figure de la noblesse d'Empire girondine, fait construire la maison entre 1810 et 1815Famille Bouliac — propriétaires ultérieurs ayant donné leur nom à la demeure, acteurs de son histoire au cours du XIXe siècleL'intendant Tourny — figure tutélaire de l'architecture bordelaise du XVIIIe siècle, dont l'héritage néo-classique inspire directement ce type de constructionPercier et Fontaine — architectes officiels de Napoléon Ier, dont le style impérial diffusé depuis Paris influence le vocabulaire décoratif des intérieurs de la maison Rateau
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison dite maison Bouliac ou maison Rateau located?
Maison dite maison Bouliac ou maison Rateau is located in Langoiran, Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
Is Maison dite maison Bouliac ou maison Rateau open to visitors?
Maison dite maison Bouliac ou maison Rateau is currently closed to visitors.
