Miniatures and castles of the Middle Ages
The Château de Saumur from its south side, on the September page in a 1410th-century manuscript. Fragment. "The Magnificent Book of Hours of the Duke of Berry". XNUMX year. Condé Museum
“- Run away, monsignor! Run away!
- he said. “But doesn’t your Eminence know
where is the Duke de Beaufort?
- Of course, I know that he is in the Château de Vincennes.
- Yes, monsignor, and in his room the walls
seven feet thick, iron-barred windows,
and each crossbar is thick in the hand.
A. Dumas "Twenty years later"
- he said. “But doesn’t your Eminence know
where is the Duke de Beaufort?
- Of course, I know that he is in the Château de Vincennes.
- Yes, monsignor, and in his room the walls
seven feet thick, iron-barred windows,
and each crossbar is thick in the hand.
A. Dumas "Twenty years later"
History and culture. Middle Ages. We have already cited illustrations from medieval manuscripts on the pages of VO several times and found out a number of interesting facts.
Firstly, that miniaturists, who depicted adults quite well, their weapons and armor, as well as horses, were very “peculiar” and, one might even say, even clumsily painted babies.
Secondly, again, depicting in every detail devices and tools for storming fortified castles and fortresses, they depicted these castles and fortresses as completely “unrecognizable”, apparently, “out of their heads”. That is, for them, the exact image of the "texture" of the scene did not play a role, and as a source of information about medieval castles, we can use the same miniatures only very indirectly.
But… as always, there are exceptions to the rule in any business. There are also in the painting of miniaturists. For example, in a completely unique manuscript "The Magnificent Book of Hours of the Duke of Berry" or otherwise - "The Luxurious Book of Hours of the Duke of Berry", dating back to the beginning of the 12th century. At the same time, the most famous illustrations of the hour book are the cycle “The Seasons”, consisting of XNUMX miniatures depicting the entertainments of noble persons or peasants at work against the backdrop of medieval castles.
The book was commissioned by Duke Jean of Berry to the miniaturists brothers Paul, Jean and Herman of Limburg in 1410-1411, and after the death of all three artists and their customer in 1416, it remained unfinished. It was then completed in the calendar part by an anonymous master in the 1440s and 1450s, and the artist who did this is believed to have been Barthélemy d'Eyck.
However, work on the manuscript continued later. In 1485–1486, by order of Charles I of Savoy, it was finalized by the artist Jean Colomb, only some of the sheets with his authorship remained unfinished. In 1856, the Duke of Omalsky bought the book of hours, and since then it has been kept in his Chantilly castle (now the Condé Museum). Moreover, the duke transferred it, along with the estate and the collection of works located in it, to the French state. True, according to his will, this manuscript, like other exhibits, should never leave the boundaries of this castle.
Well, for us, first of all, those of his miniatures, which depicted castles, are of interest. Moreover, it is obvious that they were drawn very accurately, thanks to which the restorers of those that have survived to this day used the drawings as models for reconstruction, although not always.
And this is how the “September” page in the “Book of Hours” looks like in its entirety. The peasants in the foreground are engaged in the traditional occupation of the French villagers: harvesting grapes. Moreover, even a pregnant woman works on cleaning. "The Magnificent Hours of the Duke of Berry", artists: Paul Limbourg and Jean Colomb. 1410 year. Condé Museum
Artists celebrate every little thing. For example, that peasant men even in September work with bare legs, in stockings to the knees and ... in short white shorts. It is interesting that the Samur castle depicted in the background has survived to this day, it has been very carefully restored several times, but still it has not found its former splendor!
Samur Castle today. Photo – Ministere de la Culture (France)
View of the then Louvre. Fragment. "The Magnificent Book of Hours of the Duke of Berry". 1410 year. Condé Museum
"October". The Magnificent Book of Hours of the Duke of Berry. Condé Museum
The miniature depicts a field opposite the Louvre castle (now the Malaque embankment). In the foreground is the sowing of winter crops. The man in the cap on the right sows, well, in exactly the same way as Gustlik and Tomasz sowed in the “Military Sowing” series in “Four Tankmen and a Dog” - nothing, as you can see, has changed over the centuries!
Magpies and crows are pecking at freshly sown seeds, near the white bag and the game bag. Behind is a stuffed animal in the form of an archer and stretched ropes on which feathers are suspended, designed to scare away birds. On the left, a farmer on horseback pulls a harrow, on which lies a stone, allowing the teeth to penetrate deeper into the ground.
In the background, the artist depicted the Louvre Palace. The central dungeon, which then housed the royal treasury, is visible, the east facade on the right, framed by the Tyleri tower and the Chapel tower, and on the left, the south facade with two twin towers in the center. Everything is surrounded by a wall with three towers and two gatehouses.
"November". Grazing pigs in the forest. Landscape - fictional, probably the artist was inspired by the views of Savoy, that is, the places where he worked. So the castle, which is a little visible on the left, is useless to look for. "The Magnificent Book of Hours of the Duke of Berry". Condé Museum
"December". Hunting. Place - an oak grove near the Chateau de Vincennes - one of the possessions of the Duke of Berry, and the place where he was born. "The Magnificent Book of Hours of the Duke of Berry". Condé Museum
First, on the site of the Château de Vincennes, around 1150, a hunting lodge was built for Louis VII. In the XIII century, this estate was gradually turned into a castle by Philip Augustus and Saint Louis (it was from the Vincennes castle that Louis went on his fatal crusade to Tunisia).
In the second half of the 52th century, kings Philip III and Philip IV married in the Vincennes castle; Louis X, Philip V the Long and Charles IV died here. In the XIV century, under Philip VI Vincennes, they significantly expanded and built a donjon tower 1410 meters high in the center. It housed the royal chambers and the library. Then, already around XNUMX, under Charles VI, the construction of the outer walls was completed.
Château de Vincennes, miniature by Jean Fouquet, c. 1452–1460 Condé Museum
Later, the castle turned into a royal prison, where everyone was kept. The prisoners of the castle were the Duke de Beaufort and the Superintendent of Finance Nicolas Fouquet, the Marquis de Sade, the encyclopedists Diderot and Mirabeau. It was here that in 1804 the Duke of Enghien, kidnapped on the orders of Napoleon, was shot, and in 1917 the super spy Mata Hari was executed, and in 1944 the Germans shot 30 hostages - completely peaceful citizens.
View of the donjon of the castle of Vincennes today. Impressive, isn't it? Photo by Pierre Kamateros
"March". Depicted spring plowing, sowing, processing the vineyard. Location: Lusignan Castle in Poitou. At the crossroads there is a milestone - "montjoie". A dragon is depicted above the Poitevin castle tower, but in fact it is the fairy Melusina, the patroness of the Lusignan family, who, according to legend, guarded this castle. "The Magnificent Book of Hours of the Duke of Berry". After 1440 Condé Museum
The Lusignan Castle already existed in the XNUMXth century. According to legend, the first castle was built by a water spirit - the fairy Melusina, who became the wife of one of the Lusignans - Raymondin. It was her magical assistance in the construction of the castle that made it so powerful and beautiful.
But a curse hung over Melusina: on Saturdays she turned “into a golden-scaled winged serpent”, and now the miniaturists Limburg brothers, knowing this legend, in the “Magnificent Hours of the Duke of Berry” took it and depicted it in this form, hovering over the extreme right tower of the castle. To the left of the tower adjoin the so-called Chambers of the Queen, next to it is the tower of Melusina, behind which rises the tower of the Clock in the distance. Well, in the XV century, this castle became the residence of Duke Jean I the Magnificent of Berry.
The dragon piece...
"April". "The Magnificent Book of Hours of the Duke of Berry". After 1440 Condé Museum
The month was considered not only a time of flowering, but also of love. Here is a miniature and shows how a couple of newlyweds exchange rings in the garden, in the presence of family and friends. It is believed that the betrothal of the granddaughter of the Duke of Berry Bonne d'Armagnac and Charles of Orleans is depicted here. However, there is also such a point of view that the engagement of Mary of Berry with Jean of Clermont takes place here, which took place in 1400. The scene of action is either the castle of Dourdan or Pierrefonds.
Castle of Pierrefonds. Modern look. Photo - 2004 Idarvol de Wikipedia
Castle of Pierrefonds. Reconstruction of Viollet-le-Duc
The castle of Pierrefonds (which, by the way, was bought by the notorious Porthos from The Three Musketeers and their sequel, Vicomte de Brazhelon, to his possessions) has survived to this day. However, after the restoration of Viollet-le-Duc, according to some of his critics, this castle became even "more medieval" than it actually was!
"June". "The Magnificent Book of Hours of the Duke of Berry". After 1440 Condé Museum
Haymaking. Interestingly, everyone works barefoot, both men and women. Men, as expected, mow, women collect mown with a rake. Place - Paris, a meadow on the island of Juif, next to the Cité (now the embankment of the Pont Neuf), in the distance you can see the castle of the Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle. None of this has survived to this day.
"July". Sheep shearing is in the foreground, and Poitiers Castle can be seen in the distance, located at the confluence of the Maple River in Poitou. It was also the property of the Duke of Berry, but today this castle does not exist. "The Magnificent Book of Hours of the Duke of Berry". After 1440 Condé Museum
"August". "The Magnificent Book of Hours of the Duke of Berry". Between 1412 and 1416 Condé Museum
In the foreground, noble ladies and gentlemen from the castle go falconry. A falconer walks ahead with a long stick to beat the bushes and scare the birds away. He carries two birds on his arm and on his belt a decoy in the form of a bird to which meat is attached to force the falcons to return. The procession is accompanied by dogs, bringing game. Other hunters have their own birds, probably hawks or gyrfalcons.
In the background are the agricultural work of August. One peasant mows the field, the second collects the ears in sheaves, and the third loads them on a cart drawn by two horses. Nearby, bathers bathe in the river - perhaps the Juna - or wipe themselves off, sitting on the bank in the sun.
In the background stands the Château d'Etampes, which the Duke de Berry acquired in 1400 after the death of Louis d'Evreux, Count of Etampes. Behind the ramparts we can see the quadrangular fortress and the Guinette tower, which has survived to this day, although in a badly damaged form.
The siege of Etampes Castle in 1411. Engraving from the book of Leon Marquis: “Etampes. City and its environs. Monuments and ruins. Maps, views and walks. Thirty drawn and signed engravings "Paris, Auguste Aubry, 1873
The only remnant of the medieval fortress today is the Tour de Guinette, built in 1140. Her appearance, even in a ruined form, is very impressive ... Photo - Ministère de la Culture (France)
This is what it looks like from the inside today. Photo – Ministere de la Culture (France)
Standing on a hill, the tower directly hangs over the houses of the town of Etampes. Photo – Ministere de la Culture (France)
In general, as we have seen, there is at least one illustrated manuscript that reproduces in detail the external appearance of the castles of the era of their creation. Surely there are such images in some other manuscripts, but only the author of this material did not come across them ...
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