Maison dite maison Couturier
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison dite maison Couturier, located in Bordeaux (Gironde), 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
- Bordeaux, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.8360, -0.5688
- Mérimée Reference
- PA33000125
Jewel of 18th-century merchant Bordeaux, the maison Couturier combines residential elegance with a commercial spirit, with its wood-panelled drawing rooms, its original ironwork and its façade set against the ancient ramparts.
History
In the heart of old Bordeaux, the Maison Couturier stands as a rare and well-preserved reminder of the bourgeois and merchant opulence that made the city so glorious in the Age of Enlightenment. Far from the anonymous façades, this "oustau"-type building - a term used to describe a multi-purpose dwelling combining a home, office and warehouse - is the very embodiment of the fertile alliance between Atlantic trade and the refinement of the Aquitaine art of living. What makes the Couturier house truly unique is its threefold vocation, set in stone: it was where people lived, worked and stored exotic goods from the colonies. Groceries from all over the world passed through here - sugar from the West Indies, indigo, spices and cocoa - while on the upper floor, the Bordeaux bourgeoisie met in elegantly panelled salons. The 'green' salon, with its intact wood panelling and white marble fireplace, is one of the rare 18th-century domestic interiors to have survived the centuries without major alteration. The tour reveals a social stratification inscribed in the very verticality of the building: the vaulted cellars and half-basements on the rear ground floor, a legacy of the ancient medieval ramparts on which the façade rests, contrast with the light ornamental style of the upper floors. The interior well, tucked away in the depths of the courtyard, evokes the daily life of a busy, industrious household. The remarkably well-preserved original ironwork offers lovers of the decorative arts a subtle dialogue with the architectural lines of the street façade. The quality of their workmanship betrays the hand of Bordeaux blacksmiths at the peak of their art, in a city then in the throes of urban expansion. For heritage lovers and curious walkers alike, the Couturier house is an invitation to step back in time in one of Bordeaux's historic districts, a stone's throw from the Garonne, in a city that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Architecture
The Couturier house is part of the classical Bordeaux domestic architecture of the 18th century, characterised by a sober façade tinged with bourgeois elegance. The building follows the "oustau" model, a tri-functional plan that articulates storage and work spaces on the lower levels, and living and entertainment spaces on the upper floors. The main facade on rue Rénière has a rhythmic layout, typical of provincial classicism, with regular openings whose sober framing is enhanced by wrought ironwork of remarkable quality - one of the few exterior decorative elements to have been preserved in their original state. Inside, the vertical layout reveals a keen sense of the hierarchy of uses. The main decorative features are concentrated on the first floor: the "green" salon is an intact example of panelled woodwork and a white marble fireplace, representative of the temperate classical taste that prevailed in Bordeaux's high society in the middle of the 18th century. The four lounges lined up on the street side form an enfilade characteristic of the prestigious residences of the period. The rear façade is the building's most distinctive architectural feature: resting on the remains of Bordeaux's old medieval ramparts, it features two levels of semi-basements with rooms covered in barrel or cross vaults, absorbing the significant difference in level between the two streets framing the plot. An interior well, built into this service area, bears witness to the ingenuity with which the architect took advantage of the topographical constraints to create a functional and coherent whole.
Related Figures
Isaac Couturier — armateur et négociant bordelais, commanditaire et premier propriétaire de la maison, figure de la bourgeoisie marchande du XVIIIe siècleÉtienne Dardan — architecte bordelais du XVIIIe siècle, probable concepteur de l'édificeLes forgerons bordelais anonymes — artisans à l'origine des ferronneries d'origine, chefs-d'œuvre de l'art du fer au siècle des Lumières
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison dite maison Couturier located?
Maison dite maison Couturier is located in Bordeaux, Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Maison dite maison Couturier built?
Maison dite maison Couturier dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Maison dite maison Couturier open to visitors?
Maison dite maison Couturier is currently closed to visitors.