Maison du 16e siècle, sise autrefois à Blévy, en face de l'église, dite Maison de Blévy
MonumentHidden Treasure
A sculpted treasure of the Renaissance, the Maison de Blévy features bas-reliefs of rare finesse: Saint Peter, Pietà and grotesque figures adorn this 16th-century residence that has been transplanted to Nogent-le-Roi.
© Wikimedia Commons
History
Nestling in the town of Nogent-le-Roi, in the heart of the Eure-et-Loir region, the Maison de Blévy is one of those bourgeois residences that epitomise the artistic ambitions of the French Renaissance in the provinces. Moved from the village of Blévy, where it stood opposite the parish church, it has survived the centuries without losing its essential features: a sculpted decorative programme of unusual richness for a house of this scale. What immediately sets the Maison de Blévy apart is the quality and diversity of the sculptures on its façade. The ground floor, framing the entrance door on either side, is a veritable open-air stone altarpiece: a Saint Peter holding his apostolic attributes, a Pietà of poignant expressiveness, and a saint carrying a martyr's palm. These three works bear witness to a pious and meticulous commission, entrusted to a workshop that mastered the codes of Renaissance statuary. But the surprise also comes from above: the protruding beams running under the roof feature three grotesque figures, hybrid creatures inherited from the ancient repertoire and brought up to date by the Italian Renaissance. Their presence on a private house betrays a cultivated patron, aware of decorative fashions from across the mountains, unabashedly blending the sacred and the fantastic. A visit to this house, listed as a Historic Monument since 1914, is just as much for lovers of architecture as it is for enthusiasts of medieval and Renaissance iconography. Taking the time to examine each sculpted panel, to read the faces of the saints and the grimace of the grotesques, is to offer yourself a stone lesson in the spiritual and aesthetic aspirations of a 16th-century nobleman in Beauce. The setting of Nogent-le-Roi, a small town with a well-preserved heritage on the banks of the Eure, adds to the charm of this discovery. The Maison de Blévy is part of a coherent architectural ensemble that invites you to take a walk down memory lane after memory lane.
Architecture
The Maison de Blévy is a typical example of an early French Renaissance bourgeois house in a rural or semi-urban setting. Built in all likelihood from local limestone - blond or grey stone common in the Eure-et-Loir region - it has a sober facade, the sobriety of the wall contrasting powerfully with the richness of the sculpted programme that enlivens it. The most remarkable architectural feature is the frame of the entrance door, transformed into a veritable sacred tribune by the presence of the three sculptures: Saint Peter, Pietà and Saint Martyr. This arrangement, inherited from Gothic church portals but adapted to the domestic scale, bears witness to the constant dialogue between civil and religious architecture in the 16th century. The arrangement of the figures on either side of the threshold creates a solemn, almost liturgical welcome, typical of the homes of notables anxious to display their devotion. The roof, which is probably steeply pitched in accordance with Beauceron custom, is emphasised by exposed beams or armpit supports decorated with three grotesque figures. These hybrid masks, carved in wood or stone according to local custom, add a touch of humour and clever strangeness that tempers the seriousness of the pious scenes on the ground floor. The ensemble thus forms a complete decorative programme, from the threshold to the cornice, coherent in its ambition while playing on two registers - the sacred and the fantastic - characteristic of Renaissance aesthetics.
Related Figures
Commanditaire inconnu de la maison (notable beauceron du XVIe siècle, probablement officier royal ou chanoine)Sculpteur anonyme de l'atelier local (auteur des bas-reliefs de façade)François Ier (règne sous lequel s'épanouit la Renaissance en province française)Henri II (continuation du mécénat royal favorisant la diffusion des arts renaissants en Beauce)
