Vasque de Lézireur
MonumentHidden Treasure
Vasque de Lézireur, located in Henvic (Département 29), 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
- Henvic, Département 29, Bretagne
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 48.6332, -3.9036
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00090004
In the heart of the Léon region of Brittany, the Lézireur fountain is a rare masterpiece of Baroque fountain design from the early 18th century, reflecting the refinement of the manor houses of Upper Brittany.
History
Nestling in the commune of Henvic, at the gateway to the Morlaix region, the Lézireur basin is one of those discreet heritage objects that Brittany knows so well how to preserve. Listed as a Monument Historique since 1930, this ornamental water feature dating from the first quarter of the 18th century is the very embodiment of the art of the French garden as interpreted by the local elite - nobles of the cloth and wealthy Morlaix shipowners - far from Versailles but with a similar aesthetic ambition. What makes the Lézireur basin truly singular is its surviving quality. While the vast majority of decorative elements in Breton gardens from this period have disappeared with the revolutions, fragmented inheritances and reshuffling of estates, this one has survived the centuries with remarkable integrity. Its shape, sculpture and granite patina are a living document of the ornamental art of late-Grand Siècle Brittany. The visit is as much about the object itself as its setting. The countryside around Henvic, between the Penzé estuary and the hedged farmland of Léon, offers a particularly gentle landscape, far removed from the hustle and bustle of tourism. To approach the basin is to enter a suspended time, that of the gardens of manor houses where water, even still, symbolised cultivated man's mastery of the natural world. The vasque is part of a tradition of sculpted pieces commissioned by the nobility of Brittany to adorn fountains and ponds, following in the footsteps of the models used in the châteaux and residences of the Loire Valley. Here, the local stone lends the ensemble a particular, almost mineral gravity that contrasts with the decorative lightness you'd expect from the continental Baroque style.
Architecture
The Lézireur basin is an ornamental piece of fountainware carved from Léon granite, a favourite material of Breton craftsmen since the Middle Ages. Its general shape is that of a large monolithic circular or polygonal basin, resting on a central pedestal or moulded base, as was common for garden basins in the first half of the 18th century. The sculpted decoration illustrates the Baroque repertoire in vogue at the time: gadroons, oves, stylised acanthus leaf friezes and possibly masks or animal heads acting as ornamental gargoyles. The quality of the carving, despite the hardness of the granite, reveals the hand of an experienced craftsman, probably trained in the workshop of a Morlaix or Léonard sculptor with knowledge of the decorative models in circulation in the province. The granite used, a bluish-grey, fine-grained stone typical of the Finistère subsoil, gives the basin a harsh hue, but one that is luminous in the Breton rain, with shimmering effects that enliven the sculpture. The dimensions, typical of this type of seigniorial garden object, allow us to imagine a basin one and a half to two metres in diameter, imposing enough to visually structure a garden space while remaining on a human scale.
Related Figures
Famille de Lézireur — seigneurs locaux commanditaires présumés de la vasque au début du XVIIIe siècleMaître tailleur de pierre morlaisien — artisan anonyme auteur probable de la sculpture, formé aux modèles baroques diffusés en BretagneInspecteurs des Beaux-Arts (années 1920) — responsables de l'identification et de la mise en protection du monumentNoblesse du Léon (XVIIe-XVIIIe siècle) — milieu social dont la vasque est l'expression du raffinement et du goût pour les jardins ordonnés
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Vasque de Lézireur located?
Vasque de Lézireur is located in Henvic, Département 29 department, Bretagne region, France.
When was Vasque de Lézireur built?
Vasque de Lézireur dates back to a period built during the Renaissance (16th century).
Is Vasque de Lézireur open to visitors?
Vasque de Lézireur is currently closed to visitors.