Gallery depicting the history of Troy at the Château d’Oiron, a cycle probably painted by Noël Jallier between 1546 and 1549

 

The fourteen murals in the gallery of the Château d’Oiron, a major work of the French Renaissance, are particularly original in that they depict the history of Troy in a scholarly manner, referring specifically to the only texts of the ‘Troy cycle’ that have survived to this day, namely Homer’s*Iliad * and*Odyssey *.

The painter’s sources of iconographic inspiration are sometimes specific, as with the reference to *The Dream of Poliphilo* used in the composition of *Aeneas’ Descent into Hades *. But for the most part, the iconography is original, even though scenes such as the Judgement of Paris, the Burning of Troy or Vulcan’s Forge have already been depicted, providing illustrious models.

Finally, the decorative design is also original: each painting is set within moulded frames featuring trompe-l’œil effects. Whilst the division of the wall surface by means of the frame is a recurring feature of Italian Mannerist décor, it is a far cry from the lavish ornamentation of the grand ceremonial gallery at Fontainebleau, designed by the Italian Mannerist artists Rosso Fiorentino and Primaticcio.

The cycle at the Château d’Oiron, for its part, blends several stylistic influences: on the one hand, there are classically inspired compositions, clear and balanced; on the other, a Mannerist approach to the figures, both in their proportions and their poses, where the influence of Michelangelo is clearly evident. But the Flemish influence is also evident in the treatment of the landscape, where shades of grey, green and blue dominate – those cool, light tones so familiar in Flemish landscapes.

This mastery in the depiction of the landscape might suggest a Flemish artist, many of whom visited Italy and went on to work in other countries such as France, especially as the technique used is not fresco but a glue-based paint on plaster, which seems to rule out an artist of Italian origin or under Italian influence. The mystery therefore remains unsolved, although Jean Guillaume attributes these frescoes to Noël Jallier, an attribution supported by a receipt cited by Benjamin Fillon.

The use of such a gallery should not be compared to that of François I at Fontainebleau. The plans show that the gallery is normally connected to the private rooms of the residence as well as to private activities. The lord of the manor could, of course, use it as a reception area if he so wished, but the gallery usually remained a private room that might occasionally be opened to visitors.

 

 

This prologue is dedicated ‘To François de Valois, King of the French, a most Christian, most invincible and most powerful prince’, according to the Latin inscription. The painted figures on either side depict Pegasus in the centre and, on the left, Apollo with his lyre, his laurel wreath and the two swans accompanying him.

 

 

Fourteen gods are present at the wedding of Thetis and Peleus. Discord, depicted with bat-like wings, has just thrown the golden apple—intended for the fairest of the goddesses—into their midst. Jupiter orders Mercury to lead Juno, Minerva and Venus to Mount Ida, where Paris will judge their beauty. The nude figure in the foreground on the left is typically Mannerist in his contorted pose.

 

This painting depicts the Judgement of Paris in a very classical manner: the son of Priam, wearing a Phrygian cap and holding a shepherd’s crook, is seated in front of a cave, near a spring personified by a nymph. He hands the apple to Venus, who is crowned by two cupids. The landscape features a curious detail: behind the shepherd and his flock, beside half-ruined ancient buildings, stands a slender pyramid twisted like a flame.

 

 

In the centre, Helen is being led towards the harbour by Paris and one of his companions. To the right, four horsemen are engaged in battle. The landscape evokes the ruined city of Sparta, where the Trojan ships are moored. The battle scene, rendered in dark, purplish tones, is illuminated by a strange light that occasionally draws the eye to certain details. On the left-hand side, the distant landscape is bright, and blue mountains overlook a green sea and a saffron-coloured sky. A stormy effect that heightens the drama of the landscape.

 

 

Helen, wife of King Menelaus, who was abducted by Paris, Prince of Troy, has provoked Menelaus’s wrath. It is Agamemnon, Iphigenia’s father, who is to lead the expedition against Troy. However, as Agamemnon’s armies prepare to set sail for Troy, a storm brings their ships to a standstill. The seer Calchas urges him to sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia, to the gods in order to calm the storm.

At that very moment, the goddess Artemis substitutes a doe for Iphigenia. Not all those present have yet realised the miracle. Some look away from the altar in horror; others are already giving thanks to the gods, such as Calchas in the foreground, who has just knelt down after throwing down his knife. The figure on the left could be Agamemnon.

In the background, a harbour and a town perched on a rock can be seen, illuminated beneath a stormy sky: this is Aulis in ruins. Above the moored ships, on the right-hand side, a rainbow appears, confirming that the painter followed the version recounted by Ovid and Virgil, according to which it was a storm, not calm, that prevented the Greeks from setting sail.

The unicorns flanking the inscription symbolise the purity of the sacrificed maiden; the entwined dolphins at the top evoke swift journeys across the sea; the heads blowing into the upper spouts personify the winds.

 

 

The sixth mural marks the beginning of the narrative of the Trojan War. As the cartouche has completely disappeared, the scene is difficult to identify. The presence of ships on the left-hand side suggests the ‘battle near the ships’ described inthe *Iliad*. The Greeks suffer defeat after defeat and are cornered by the Trojans, who threaten to burn their ships. All the combatants are shown in profile, arranged in parallel rows in the style of Roman bas-reliefs.  Behind them looms a city by the sea, white and otherworldly; beyond a wood, a great bridge and another city, now in ruins. 

 

 

The scene depicts the pyre of Patroclus. Patroclus is Achilles’ squire and his cousin; he is one of the leading Greek warriors and dies in battle. The Greeks then erect a pyre: piled around Patroclus’s body are sacrificed animals and the bodies of twelve Trojans slain by Achilles.

 

 

 

This scene depicts a one-on-one combat between Paris and Menelaus against the Greek and Trojan armies. The lion’s heads and hares in the medallions on either side, symbolising courage and fear, allude to Paris’s dread in the face of Menelaus. Paris accepts the challenge, but owes his salvation solely to the intervention of Venus, who snatches him away from his opponent – a scene likely evoked by the reclining nude figures on either side of the cartouche, leaning against dolphins, the classical attributes of Venus. 

In the background, an urban landscape has been identified as that of the Tiber Island, featuring the Fabricius Bridge and, to the right, the slopes of the Capitoline and Palatine Hills. This is therefore a genuine view of Rome in ruins, rather than a conventional depiction. The imaginary and the real thus merge within the scene.

 

 

Hector went to meet Penthesilea, Queen of the Amazons, who was coming to Priam’s aid; Achilles lies in ambush at a ford and kills him. In the background, on the left, fantastical rocks support a dreamlike city whose ruins are overgrown with vegetation.

 

 

The famous monumental horse occupies the centre of the composition, appearing more lifelike than if it were made of wood, even though one can make out the joints separating the assembled pieces and even the tenons that fasten them together.  

 

 

Troy has been captured and is burning to the ground. Huge columns of smoke, bent by the wind, vanish into the night, whilst the wooden horse stands in a square lit from behind by the glow of the fire. Fleeing Trojans, in the foreground, occupy the centre of the composition. On the left, Aeneas carries Anchises and holds his son Ascanius by the hand. Behind them, four women follow, fleeing. The left-hand third of the composition is bathed in daylight, indicating a scene distinct from the main subject. A shoreline and ships can be seen, onto which the survivors will later embark.

 

 

The subject comprises several scenes, within a composition that is more complex than in the previous murals. Placed at the centre, a huge rock hollowed out into a cave houses a forge, where Vulcan and his companions are hammering on an anvil. The rocky platform occupies the entire foreground of the painting, thereby helping to distinguish the different spaces and the two side scenes. Vulcan and the Cyclopes are forging the weapons of the hero engaged in these battles. The painting thus illustrates a classical theme: the arms of Aeneas. The two side scenes—a naval battle on the right and a mounted battle on the left—complement the central subject.

 

 

The composition of the ‘Hell of Oiron’ bears a resemblance to the description of the place in *Le Songe de Poliphile*, which evokes, ‘enclosed by an old rusty gate’, an abyss at the bottom of which lie, side by side, a lake of fire and a frozen lake. The large-scale engraving accompanying the description is reproduced in its entirety, with the central section reversed. It features the pierced rocks, the two lakes, the ring-shaped footbridge and the diminutive silhouettes of the damned.

Jean Guillaume, *La galerie du Grand Ecuyer. L'Histoire de Troie au château d'Oiron*, Chauray, Editions Patrimoines, 1996.