I’m so glad you enjoyed the visit. It’s a terrific church. By the way, I think it’s quite likely that the ‘drowned woman’ is Marie Gaudin. What I don’t believe is that the effigy is of a drowned woman. I think it is exactly contemporary with a similar effigy of Catherine de Medici in the Royal Mausoleum in the Basilica of Saint Denis, Paris. CdM rejected the first version of hers because it was too emaciated and gruesome, and I suspect a similar sentiment with this one in Amboise.
I’ve got posts coming up on the Mary Magdelene figure and the ‘drowned woman’ this week.
Many thanks for the link to my post on the Babou family mise au tombeau.
Rosemary Kneipp
February 1st, 2016 at 10:11 pm
You mean that Catherine de Medici was shown her emaciated gruesome drowned woman effigy? I’d hate that!
Looking forward to your next posts.
CdM commissioned the work while she was still alive. Many aristocrats did.
Lesley
January 31st, 2016 at 9:57 am
How wonderful to have such a well informed guide.
On a ‘practical’ note, who would be responsible for the cleaning (week to week) and general upkeep of the statues?
In terms of weekly cleaning the regular cleaner might be allowed to gently swish over them with a ‘feather’ duster style tool. They should not be allowed to wipe them in any way (although I suspect that wouldn’t stop some). The statues are the property of the State and will be inspected annual or as required by a curator or conservator from the Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles. Periodically they may be conservation cleaned (using a soft brush and a museum vac). I would recommend annually, but I suspect it doesn’t actually happen.
Rosemary Kneipp
February 1st, 2016 at 10:13 pm
Fancy there being such a thing as a museum vacuum!
They are lightweight low suction machines that you can wear on your shoulder or back, leaving both hands free (one to direct the vacuum nozzle, one to use the brush).
Rosemary Kneipp
February 1st, 2016 at 10:12 pm
It makes such a difference!
Jacqueline
January 31st, 2016 at 11:19 am
That was very interesting! One thing I was surprised at was that women in the 16th century knew how to read but I assume it is on the upper class women who could read? Also the mud rampart. How did it withstand the march of time, wood and mud????
Middle class and aristocratic mothers were expected to ensure their daughters could read, because of the widely disseminated tradition that Mary was taught to read by her mother Saint Anne. Sensible men ensured their daughters were educated sufficiently to manage the family estates because the men were so often absent. Reading for pleasure was also encouraged, due to the popularity of the chivalric romances, which were used at least partly for teaching practical morals (as opposed to piety) and civilised behaviour.
Rosemary Kneipp
February 1st, 2016 at 10:16 pm
Thank you, Susan, for that answer. I didn’t know about the tradition of Mary being taught to read by Anne.
Jacqueline, I shall have to look into the question of how the rampart was so well preserved. Often these things got buried which preserved them.
What a difference it makes to have the benefit of expert knowledge.
I confess that as a philistine I’d have been bored stiff (and probably frozen too by the sound of it), just looking at statues and effigies. But once you know the story behind them, it becomes really fascinating.
Rosemary Kneipp
February 1st, 2016 at 10:17 pm
I absolutely agree. I’ve been reading the biography of Catarina Sforza in Romagna and can’t wait to go to Forli and see the places she lived in. It will make such a difference knowing the story – just like your Marie-Antoinette bicycle ride.
It’s interesting that I can’t remember if we visited the Church of Saint Denis in Amboise. These are quite beautiful works of art, I probably wasn’t in this church since I can’t remember them. You have very good light in some of these pictures although it was dark in the church.
Rosemary Kneipp
February 1st, 2016 at 10:20 pm
Anda, you probably didn’t visit it as it is a bit out of the way. We had never seen it before.
My iPhone does a surprising job sometimes when there isn’t much light but it doesn’t do well with distance, I’m afraid.
I was sorry I didn’t take more photos of the drowned woman but there was a lot of light reflected on the marble and we all kept casting shadows on it. I’ll have to go back sometime!
These are impressive works… I’ve not seen anything like it in a Catholic church here.
That’s the problem when you live in a more recently built country!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the visit. It’s a terrific church. By the way, I think it’s quite likely that the ‘drowned woman’ is Marie Gaudin. What I don’t believe is that the effigy is of a drowned woman. I think it is exactly contemporary with a similar effigy of Catherine de Medici in the Royal Mausoleum in the Basilica of Saint Denis, Paris. CdM rejected the first version of hers because it was too emaciated and gruesome, and I suspect a similar sentiment with this one in Amboise.
I’ve got posts coming up on the Mary Magdelene figure and the ‘drowned woman’ this week.
Many thanks for the link to my post on the Babou family mise au tombeau.
You mean that Catherine de Medici was shown her emaciated gruesome drowned woman effigy? I’d hate that!
Looking forward to your next posts.
CdM commissioned the work while she was still alive. Many aristocrats did.
How wonderful to have such a well informed guide.
On a ‘practical’ note, who would be responsible for the cleaning (week to week) and general upkeep of the statues?
In terms of weekly cleaning the regular cleaner might be allowed to gently swish over them with a ‘feather’ duster style tool. They should not be allowed to wipe them in any way (although I suspect that wouldn’t stop some). The statues are the property of the State and will be inspected annual or as required by a curator or conservator from the Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles. Periodically they may be conservation cleaned (using a soft brush and a museum vac). I would recommend annually, but I suspect it doesn’t actually happen.
Fancy there being such a thing as a museum vacuum!
They are lightweight low suction machines that you can wear on your shoulder or back, leaving both hands free (one to direct the vacuum nozzle, one to use the brush).
It makes such a difference!
That was very interesting! One thing I was surprised at was that women in the 16th century knew how to read but I assume it is on the upper class women who could read? Also the mud rampart. How did it withstand the march of time, wood and mud????
Middle class and aristocratic mothers were expected to ensure their daughters could read, because of the widely disseminated tradition that Mary was taught to read by her mother Saint Anne. Sensible men ensured their daughters were educated sufficiently to manage the family estates because the men were so often absent. Reading for pleasure was also encouraged, due to the popularity of the chivalric romances, which were used at least partly for teaching practical morals (as opposed to piety) and civilised behaviour.
Thank you, Susan, for that answer. I didn’t know about the tradition of Mary being taught to read by Anne.
Jacqueline, I shall have to look into the question of how the rampart was so well preserved. Often these things got buried which preserved them.
What a difference it makes to have the benefit of expert knowledge.
I confess that as a philistine I’d have been bored stiff (and probably frozen too by the sound of it), just looking at statues and effigies. But once you know the story behind them, it becomes really fascinating.
I absolutely agree. I’ve been reading the biography of Catarina Sforza in Romagna and can’t wait to go to Forli and see the places she lived in. It will make such a difference knowing the story – just like your Marie-Antoinette bicycle ride.
It’s interesting that I can’t remember if we visited the Church of Saint Denis in Amboise. These are quite beautiful works of art, I probably wasn’t in this church since I can’t remember them. You have very good light in some of these pictures although it was dark in the church.
Anda, you probably didn’t visit it as it is a bit out of the way. We had never seen it before.
My iPhone does a surprising job sometimes when there isn’t much light but it doesn’t do well with distance, I’m afraid.
I was sorry I didn’t take more photos of the drowned woman but there was a lot of light reflected on the marble and we all kept casting shadows on it. I’ll have to go back sometime!