The Castle of Gaillon in 1509-10

Abstract

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. This content downloaded from 130. The sight of a Renaissance castle in all its pristine glory is always a pleasingexperience. When the castle in question turns out to be in France, such a pleasure is furthermore enhanced by the display of Italian classicism successfully blended with Gothic tradition. Such a merging, tempering the imaginative flamboyance of the Renaissance with the romantic severity of the North, was certainly achieved at Gaillon in Normandy, where the castle erected by Cardinal Georges d'Amboise (1460-151 o) showed a satisfactory compromise between the two styles of architecture, complexioned by an attractive sense of proportion effective enough to overcome any threats of dubious gaudiness. The earliest large-scale example of the Italian impact upon French ways of building, Gaillon was the expression of the italianized tastes of Cardinal d'Amboise translated into stone with a new magnificence hitherto unseen north of the Alps; in many a way it was the Cardinal's reaction to what he had seen in Italy, a challenge meant to show to the world that France also could produce buildings second to none in grace and elegance. For Georges d'Amboise,2 the minister of Louis XII who played so significant a r6le in the history of his time and nearly secured the papal throne at the death of Alexander VI,3 knew Italy well. He had taken part in the Italian wars and had been governor of Lombardy.4 He had met Machiavelli at Nantes in November 1500 and had told him that the Italians had no understanding of war, thereupon receiving the retort that the French were incompetent in political matters.5 Yet whatever his opinion of the Italians as soldiers, he certainly displayed a warm appreciation for their artistic achievement. Not only the architecture, but also the sculpture and painting of Italy aroused his enthusiasm: little wonder, then, that he saw that each of these branches of Italian art was well represented at Gaillon.6The building of Gaillon was started in I502.7 When D'Amboise died eight years later some parts of the castle had not yet been completed,8 although the enormous sum of 151,181.8.7 livres had already been spent on it by then.9Completion was, however, ensured by the Cardinal's will, which specifically earmarked a sum of io,ooo livres for building activities at the castle.x0 The making of Gaillon had doubtless been one of the activities closest to D'Amboise's heart. Yet on his death-bed, when the vision of eternity was pressing upon him the squalid vanity of all worldly things, he was reported to have II express here my thanks to Professor C. Dionisotti for his advice and to Professor H. O. Corfiato for drawing my attention to a recently published book on Gaillon. 2 A...

Some Reflexions About the French and “French-Style” in Architecture in the Iberian Peninsula in the Transition From the Mediaeval to the Modern Era

“…65;Szmolka Clares et al, 1996 (Fig. 6) (Chirol, 1952;Weiss, 1953;Smith, 2003;Thomas, 2003;Bardati et al, 2003;Hamon, 2006;Pagazini, 2008), enriched with works of art imported from the Italian peninsula and the craftsmanship of workers from the same area, a clear distinction can be made between what could be achieved using the local traditions (late mediaeval in origin) in response to the wishes of the developer, while aiming to adopt, albeit it superficially, the models offered among everything brought together to construct the building, and genuinely Italian parts -whether imported or built on site by Italians -undertaken in "the ancient way", and raised to the level of archetype.…”