The Hôtel de Guillaume de Bernuy, also known as Hôtel de Buet, located at 5 rue de la Pomme, in

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

, France, is a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

hôtel particulier An ''hôtel particulier'' () is a grand townhouse, comparable to the Townhouse (Great Britain), British townhouse or mansion. Whereas an ordinary ''maison'' (house) was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side an ...

'' (''palace'') of the 16th century. This hôtel was built around 1540. Portal and windows of Nicolas Bachelier in the courtyard. During the 1562 riots the building was badly damaged requiring considerable restoration. This hôtel should not be confused with the more famous

Hôtel de Bernuy The Hôtel de Bernuy in rue Léon Gambetta, Toulouse, France, is a Renaissance ''hôtel particulier'' (''palace'') of the 16th century built by the mason Louis Privat for the wealthy woad merchant, Jean de Bernuy. This townhouse is considered a m ...

, built for Jean de Bernuy.

History

Circa 1540, Guillaume de Bernuy, son of the famous woad merchant Jean de Bernuy, undertook the renovation of an old house by employing the famous architect and sculptor

Nicolas Bachelier Nicolas Bachelier (1485–1557) was a French surveyor, architect, and sculptor who particularly worked in Toulouse. Bachelier is famous in Toulouse for having been the architect, proven or presumed, of several '' hôtels particuliers'' of the Ren ...

. From 1540 to 1544 Bachelier built a main house with two floors, which separated the courtyard from the garden and which stood at right angles with another building. Its staircase, as Bachelier previously did at

Hôtel de Bagis The Hôtel de Bagis in Toulouse, France, is a Renaissance ''hôtel particulier'' (''palace'') of the 16th century. It is a listed historical monument since 1889. Hôtel de Pierre, dit aussi hôtel Jean de Bagis It is also called Hôtel de Clary, ...

, is straight and contained within the building. Its façade is remarkable for its monumental door, windows and a truncated dormer window. In keeping with the logic of mediaeval honour, the walls are capped with decorative machicolation.Explanatory comments of ''Toulouse Renaissance'' exhibition (2018), Colin Debuiche. Bachelier focused his efforts on the windows, also he lent more attention to the monumental door, a veritable bravura passage replacing the staircase tower in its symbolic significance. These windows display the same classical style that Bachelier developed for Hôtel de Bagis in 1538, but the upper and lower section of the frames gained in sophistication through the use of tables decorated with masks and grotesques. The motifs resemble the ornaments of Francis I Gallery in

Fontainebleau Palace Palace of Fontainebleau (; ) or Château de Fontainebleau, located southeast of the center of Paris, in the commune of Fontainebleau, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. The medieval castle and subsequent palace served as a residence f ...

, that were being highly appreciated in the kingdom at that time. Designs also circulated within the bounds of the city, as demonstrated by the desire of 'classical windows' and the fact that the masks on this house were repeated on the consoles of the

Hôtel d'Assézat The Hôtel d'Assézat in Toulouse, France, is a French Renaissance ''hôtel particulier'' (urban palace) of the 16th century which houses the Bemberg Foundation, a major art gallery of the city. The hôtel was likely built by Toulouse architect N ...

passageway.

Pictures

Hotel-guillaume-de-bernuy_(2).jpg, Renaissance façades in the courtyard Buet-1.jpg, The main house Entrée d'immeuble originale.jpg, The monumental door Hotel-guillaume-de-bernuy_(7).jpg GBernuy-escalier (1).jpg, The straight staircase GBernuy-escalier (2).jpg, Worn stairs Fenetres-buet.jpg, Window GBernuy-fenetre_(2).jpg, Window Gbernuy-fenetre.jpg, Window G-bernuy-chapiteau.jpg, Doric column GBernuy-decor.jpg, Sculpted masks depicting hybrid beings Gbernuy-masque-1.jpg, Sculpted mask of a woman

Bibliography

* Guy Ahlsell de Toulza, Louis Peyrusse, Bruno Tollon, ''Hôtels et Demeures de Toulouse et du Midi Toulousain'', Daniel Briand éditeur, Drémil Lafage, 1997

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hotel Buet Houses completed in the 16th century Buildings and structures in Toulouse Renaissance architecture in Toulouse Hôtels particuliers in Toulouse

History

Pictures

See also

Bibliography

References