France MARKET CITY HALL ANGOULEME Medieval Architecture 1865 Art Print Engraving

Description: MARKET PLACE - ANGOULEME Artist: T. Allom ____________ Engraver: M. J. Starling Note: the title in the table above is printed below the engraving AN ANTIQUE STEEL ENGRAVING MADE IN THE 1860s !! ITEM IS OVER 130 YEARS OLD! VERY OLD WORLD! INCREDIBLE DETAIL! Angoulême is the main city of the department of Charente. With a population of about 50 000 inhabitants in the center and 50 000 in the peripheral suburbs, Angoulême is the biggest pool of population of the department. For centuries, Angoulême has been sitting with pride on its rocky peak, yesterday surrounded with strong ramparts, the city has now developed beyond its ancient limits. The cradle of Angoulême is the top of the hill known as d'Ecolisma, where the ancestors of the people of Angoulême settled safely in the past. Saint-Ausone and especially Saint-Cybard, which gave its name to over 20 churches of the diocese, evangelized the city which little by little spread down from the "plateau" to the valley. Hence, we can see in the old Angoulême; the high city and the low city. The upper city includes in the north the primitive Angoulême, with its narrow streets, its City Hall located in the ancient castle and, in the south, the prefecture department, with its wide avenues and its beautiful bourgeois home fronts. The lower city comprises the working-class areas, the first is the one of Saint-Cybard, close to an ancient abbey, where the bridge crosses the Charente. Angoulême holds the souvenir of Marguerite de Valois, sister of François the 1st, clever and well-read woman who was the maternal grand-mother of Henri IV. It remembers the writers Guez-de-Balzac (1597-1664) and Honoré de Balzac who adopted Angoulême as his city. The modern city has grown around the ancient, and industrial zones fill the wide peripheral areas. The industrial vocation of Angoulême was set a long time ago: It was born during the middle-age from the possibilities offered by this magnificent water way made of the Charente and its tributaries. It established itself during the 17th century, when about a hundred mills were producing water-marked paper for Holland. There is not much left of the industrial paper activity today. The castle of the Lords of Angoulême has been the property of City-Hall since 1840, it was deeply rearranged at this time. The architect Paul Abadie junior was in charge of the work, and the least we can say is that he did some heavy modifications. The only relics that were spared by Adabie are the two towers. We recommend the magnificent sight from the top of the two towers. For the visit, contact the City-Hall patrimony services - located at the left end corner of the courtyard -. Know that it is in the round tower that Marguerite of Angoulême was born. Her statue can be seen in the beautiful gardens surrounding the building. From far away, the belfry high tower holding the clock, announces the presence of City-Hall. The facades are all different. On the gardens side, the facade shows big windows openings, filling the great lounges (once the ballroom) with light. The courtyard is closed by more sober long constructions, occupied by the administration. As you will agree, a renovation of the facades would be appropriate, however the city finances do not make it possible at this time. Indeed, as a result of a hazardous management from the old municipal team, the city debt is colossal, and the investments must be chosen by order of strict priority. This house is located in the old part of the city. It is a townhouse, which is the residence of rich proprietors, and was referred to by the name of its residents the Saint-Simon-Montbléru family. The building surrounds a courtyard. Its facade is abundant of ornaments. It is covered with horizontal banners and with vertical pilasters. Diamond forms and medallions, sometimes carved with characters busts, brighten up these banners and pilasters. The skylights on the roof are still decorated. The large windows are divided in four parts by mullions. the entrance is in the square courtyard where the spiral staircase is. Built during the 16th century this hotel is of renaissance style. The architect of the Saint-Simon house was probably inspired, in his choice of decorative designs, by the castle of La Rochefoucauld, built during the same era. FROM THE ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: Returning to Contras, we proceed to Angouleme, surrounded, by delightful terrace-walks, made on the sites of the old ramparts. The town presents a most cheerful aspect, being built of white stone, and standing on the top of a hill, 200 feet above the river Gharente, by which it is nearly encircled. After the battle of Poictiers, it was the residence of the English Black Prince. One of the gates of the town, distinguished as La Porte de Ghandos, was not removed till 1808, notwithstanding that it had been erected by that nobleman while filling the office of Constable of Aquitaine for Edward III. There is one circumstance which must strike the tourist as remarkable in France, and that is, the astonishingly large number of memorials, existing in that country, of the English. Everywhere, about the eastern half especially, are traces of them to be found, generally in such a form as to be by no means flattering to the military egotism of the French. In the centre of Angouleme rises the castle, still exhibiting three towers and a high donjon, which now serves the purposes of a prison. The towers have, by the genius of a modern architect, been incorporated with a handsome Hotel de Ville, which contains a number of vaulted apartments, interesting to some from its being the abode of the ancient Counts of Angouleme. Here Margaret de Valois, the most accomplished princess of her time ("La Marguerite des Marguerites," as Francis 1. was wont to call her), and Queen of Navarre, was born. Here, also, Marie de Medicis, the wife of Henry IV., found shelter after his assassination. "She retired hither, after her husband's assassination, under the protection of the Due d'Epernon, governor of the Angoumois, who has been suspected of being the accomplice of Ravaillac; while the queen-mother herself was not entirely free from suspicion. The death of Henry did not sufficiently surprise her." Ravaillac was born in Angouleme. In the centre, whence diverges a number of promenades, there is a column erected to the Duchess of. Angouleme, and we believe there is a fruit-pear named after this lady. There is in the town a Place du Murier, which receives its name from a mulberry-tree which grew in the middle of it when it was the garden of one of the convents of the Dominicans. On this tree Michel Grillet was hung by the Galvinist soldiery in 1562, when his dying words were prophetic of the tragic end which was to overtake Admiral de Coligny. "You shall be thrown out of the window like a Jezabel," he exclaimed, "and shall be ignominiously dragged through the streets." If this prophecy was made, it was certainly literally fulfilled, but the very circumstance of its having been made in that age of wild and determined fanaticism, might alike have served for the suggestion and the stimulation to its accomplishment. The cathedral of Angouleme is built in the Romanesque style, and dates its foundation from 1120. It suffered during the period of the Revolution, but has been restored. Its interior is in the form of a Latin cross, the nave having no side-aisles, and the roof formed by three vaulted cupolas. This style of building is not met with north of the Loire. ABOUT THE ARTIST: Thomas Allom (1804-1872) was born in London, England on 13th March 1804. He was articled to Francis Goodwin, an architect in 1819. He was to become a founder member of the R.I.B.A. (Royal Institute of British Architects - which is still the premier institution today). He is best know for his topographical drawings, so many of which were engraved on steel & appeared in many of the travel books of the time. He travelled extensively, not just in the UK & Europe, but further afield, covering such countries as Turkey & China. Collections of his work can be found in the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum. SIZE: Image size is 5 inches by 7 inches. Print size is 9 1/2 inches by 12 1/2 inches including white borders. CONDITION: Condition is excellent. Bright and clean. Blank on reverse. SHIPPING: Buyers to pay shipping/handling, domestic orders receives priority mail, international orders receive regular mail. Please note: the terms used in our auctions for engraving, heliogravure, lithograph, print, plate, photogravure etc. are ALL prints on paper, NOT blocks of steel or wood. "ENGRAVINGS", the term commonly used for these paper prints, were the most common method in the 1700s and 1800s for illustrating old books, and these paper prints or "engravings" were inserted into the book with a tissue guard frontis, usually on much thicker quality rag stock paper, although many were also printed and issued as loose stand alone prints. So this auction is for an antique paper print(s), probably from an old book, of very high quality and usually on very thick rag stock paper. EXTREMELY RARE IN THIS EXCELLENT CONDITION!

Price: 11.99 USD

Location: New Providence, New Jersey

End Time: 2024-02-16T21:08:40.000Z

Shipping Cost: 7.95 USD