George Ist d'Amboise humanist : the stalls of the castle of Gaillon, dialogue of sibyls and virtues ; Georges 1er d'Amboise humaniste : les stalles du château de Gaillon, dialogue des sibylles et des vertus

Abstract

Cardinal George I d'Amboise is known for his clerical and political functions. When he had reached the height of his glory, by combining the apostolic functions of legate in France and Avignon, and political functions of first counsellor to King Louis XII, he had a splendid private palace built in Gaillon, within which he had several chapels erected. A set of stalls was built, between 1509 and 1518, for the high chapel whose apse is exactly superimposed on that of the low chapel. These stalls are kept in the Basilica of St. Denis, and are the only work, among those commissioned by the cardinal, which has come down to us in almost complete integrity. Like the Château de Gaillon, they present a mix of styles specific to their time, happily combining Gothic and ancient vocabulary. Italian craftsmen came to the site in 1509 and created the marquetry panels. Among them was Giovanni Barili who led this team. All the innovative elements were realized that year. The death of the cardinal in 1510 blocked the work, which was taken over in 1516 by Nicolas Castille. He created a few elements but not enough to make the fourteen stalls planned, so there are only twelve. The elements that were restored or created under Viollet-le-Duc have not altered the appearance or iconography of the ensemble. The sculpted scenes are chosen from the lives of saints or have been inspired by engravings of G. Reisch's Margarita philosophica or Ovid's Metamorphoses. The inlaid scenes call upon the Calendar of the Shepherds, the Book of Hours of Louis de Laval and the dialogue between the sibyls and the virtues links them to the collection of the Divine Institutions of Lactance. The humanist spirit of George I d'Amboise was thus able to reveal itself in the valorization of the ancient spirit and the care he put into dispensing this culture. ; Le cardinal Georges Ier d'Amboise est connu pour ses fonctions cléricales et politiques. Lorsqu'il eut atteint le faîte de sa gloire, en réunissant les fonctions apostoliques, de légat en France et en ...