French language
Built from 1538 for Anne de Montmorency, constable of France under the reigns of François I and Henri II, Ecouen is the masterpiece of one of the most prominent French architects of the Renaissance: Jean Bullant. A warlord, of course, but also a great art lover, initiated into the Renaissance...
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French language
Built from 1538 for Anne de Montmorency, constable of France under the reigns of François I and Henri II, Ecouen is the masterpiece of one of the most prominent French architects of the Renaissance: Jean Bullant. A warlord, of course, but also a great art lover, initiated into the Renaissance style during the Italian campaigns, Montmorency invites the best artists of the kingdom to the site: the sculptor Jean Goujon, the ceramists Bernard Palissy and Masséot Abaquesne...
Later, for the Condé family who succeeded the Montmorency family in 1632, Jules Hardouin-Mansart redesigned the garden.
Despite the vicissitudes of the great princely residences, the castle and its chapel have preserved precious testimonies of the decorations and the art of living as a great lord during the Renaissance: fireplaces, painted ceilings, floors, stairs....
There is no better example in France of the Italian way rubbed against the know-how of French artists and craftsmen. This castle is a great book, and the richness of its decoration makes it an exhilarating read.
This book is published on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the creation of the National Renaissance Museum.
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