The ROHAN Palace in Strasbourg | CARVED PANELING | 18th century Interiors

Rohan Palace in Strasbourg

PALAIS ROHAN

  Strasbourg - France.

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A blogentry by Patrick Damiaens
Ornamental Woodcarver

Visiting Museums and Castles is Probably the main source of inspiration for the Ornamental Woodcarver.
These are places where the craftsman gets his ideas, he is looking for new challenges and always new unexpected surprises . And even after 25 years of experience in carving ornaments,  he still has the feeling of learning something new.

Exploring and studying ,looking at problems and how your colleagues 300 years ago solved them, their knowledge of  tasteful proportions used in the interior decoration and their knowledge of carving techniques.

The ROHAN Palace in Strasbourg

Today we visit the Palais ROHAN in Strasbourg

The Palais Rohan (Rohan Palace) is one of the most important buildings in the city of Strasbourg in Alsace, France. It represents not only the high point of local baroque architecture, according to widespread opinion among art historians, but has also housed three of the most important museums in the city since the end of the 19th century: the Archaeological Museum (Musée archéologique, basement), the Museum of Decorative Arts (Musée des Arts décoratifs, ground floor) and the Museum of Fine Arts (Musée des Beaux-arts, first and second floor).

CARVED PANELING | 18th century Interiors

18th century Interiors | Rohan Palace Strasbourg

The palace was commissioned by Cardinal Armand Gaston Maximilien de Rohan, Bischop of Strasbourg, from the architect Joseph Massol and erected between 1731 and 1742 according to plans by Robert de Cotte. It was built on the site of the former residence of the Bishop, the so-called Palatium, which had been built from 1262 onwards. 

In 1744, Louis XV stayed in the palace, and Marie Antoinette stayed there in 1770. In 1805, 1806 and 1809, Napoléon Bonaparte stayed there and had some of the rooms changed to suit his tastes and those of his wife, Joséphine . In 1810, Napoleon's second wife Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma spent her first night on French soil in the palace.

On August 11, 1944, the building was damaged by English and American

bombs. 

The restoration of the premises was completed in the 1990s.

Carved panelling

CARVED PANELING | 18th century Interiors

The palace is built on a nearly square base which falls away toward the Ill River and is subdivided around a three-part inner court by a gallery. South of that, there is a main wing for the Prince-Archbishop, with its two representative Classic façades, which extends the entire width of the building. 

The most extravagant and overwhelming feature, from the viewpoint of the overall impression, is the façade which faces the Ill, with a small flat terrace with wrought-iron railings extending on both sides before it. The courtyard gate to the cathedral is wide and curved and has a roof with religious sculptures.

The chambers of the Prince-Archbishop, which can be viewed today in nearly their original condition, are divided into the grand appartement (display space, facing the river) and petit appartement (living space, facing the inner court), as in the Palace of Versailles  . On both sides of the suites are the two most spacious rooms of the palace, the dining hall and the library, which both extend over the entire longitudinal axis of the wing. The library also serves as the nave of the castle's very small chapel.

Pictures Patrick Damiaens

https://www.patrickdamiaens.info

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FESTOON CARVED IN WOOD | CARVING OF A GARLAND | Carve A Baroque Style Floral Garland

A Baroque Style Fruit and Floral Garland

Patrick Damiaens

Ornamental Woodcarver

A Festoon or garland

 

Fruit, tied together in combination with leaves and flowers was a popular decoration in the Roman period, and also later  in the ornamental decoration of the Renaissance and later style periods.

This form of ornamentation, decorative ornaments we can distinguish two different applications

 

1. A drooping form, In English this is called Clusters, "A coherent bundle of fruit and leaves' vertically suspended from a ribbon, and this (if necessary) repeating at the same ribbon. This 'Festoon' was widespread if more length than width were present to decorate. (Pilasters and pillars)

2. The festoon in pending form (most known) hangs from the two ends, is slightly curved and the present fruit and leaves are held together by a ribbon or rope. The correct name is Festoon or garland.

The 2 ends or attachment points are usually in the form of a rosette, button, ribbon or nails. Less commonly, in the form of faces or even skulls.

A festoon in the form of oak leaves, laurel leaves or even seafood tied together is another way which is very common in the ornamentation and decoration.

Origin

The origin of the festoon or the application is actually very simple, in the Roman temples were these festoons of real fruit and flowers hung on the friezes and columns of sacred places. These festoons of fruit and flowers were possible, specific conditions combined with sacrificial animals, skulls or religious artefacts.

This style of decorating was many centuries later (Renaissance) not only in sacred, but also in other (worldly) architectural buildings.

In the Roman period, the empty space above the festoon was filled up with rosettes, masks or figures. 

Patrick Damiaens, Carving a Festoon

In the Italian Renaissance, these items were replaced on the tombs and ecclesiastical architecture by Putti.

The Renaissance transformed the appearance of the Festoon in a more or less modified form, but it was no longer possible to ignore these types of ornaments  in architecture, decoration and furniture art.

Later style periods will each have their own specific characteristics and influence on this type of ornament.

In the present time of ornamental decoration, it is still possible to apply this ornament in a tasteful way , the following pictures show some possibilities, which were carried out by our Workshop.

Garland carved in limewood

garland in combination with instruments

Festoon carved in wood for a kitchen

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