Burgundy: The Splendid Duchy. Stories and Sketches in South BurgundyAllen, Percy
History
Burgundy: The Splendid Duchy. Stories and Sketches in South Burgundy
Allen, Percy
Burgundy (France) -- Description and travel
We have no space left in which to deal with details of the tombs, the
choir stalls, altar pieces, and other marvels the church contains. The
reader must discover them for himself; we can only give a few general
impressions.
[Illustration: Ornament from the Tomb of Marguerite d'Autriche]
As you face the east end of the Church, the tomb of Marguerite
d'Autriche is on your left, that of Philibert le Beau in the centre,
and that of Marguerite de Bourbon on the right. This last, the earliest
of the three, is obviously inspired by the royal tombs at Dijon, but,
having no base, it lacks their dignity, just as it lacks their harmony
and simplicity. The pleurants are very poor, when compared with those
of Claus Sluter and his nephew. The minute detail is extraordinarily
good, but there is a superabundance of ornament, and the whole is
tortured and conscious. The meaning of the device bearing the letters F
E R T has been much debated. Some say that it represents Fortitudo Ejus
Rhodum Tenuit, or Tuetur, in memory of Amédee le Grand's victory over
the Turks; others that it is a chevaleresque French device; Frappez,
Entrez, Rompez Tout. The guide, however, gave us Fide et Religione
Tenemur, as the true solution.
Philibert's tomb is quite fittingly the best of the three, as being the
simplest and most dignified. The detail is very Flemish, some of the
figures recalling in pose as well as in costume, the manner of Van Eyck
and his school.
The tomb of Marguerite d'Autriche is beautifully proportioned, but much
of the ornament has so little relation to the design that it appears
to be appliqué. Tortured lines are the inevitable result. Many of the
figures however, are very charming; notably the Madeleine holding her
hair, and Catherine of Alexandria trampling down the Emperor Maximilian
of Italy. The Marguerites make effective and appropriate ornament, as
also do the briquets of the house of Burgundy--two sticks in the form
of St. Andrew's cross.
The altar piece of the virgin in the north transept is one of the
most extraordinary productions of its kind that I know. It is more
magnificent even than the tombs, and far exceeds them in grace, charm,
and realism. The seven scenes represented are: The Ascension of the
Virgin; the Visitation; the Annunciation; the Nativity; the Adoration;
Pentecost; Christ appearing to His Mother. In the oratory of Marguerite
d'Autriche there is a curious oblique arch, enabling her to see both
altars at the same time.
Let me close these few notes on the church of Brou with some lively
comments from Paradin's Chronique de Savoie.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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