HALLES DE COMMERCE. PLACE DE LA PUCELLE D'ORLEANS (JEANNE D'ARC.)
BASSO-RILIEVO OF THE CHAMP DE DRAP D'OR. PALACE AND COURTS OF JUSTICE.
You must make up your mind to see a few more sights in the city of Rouen,
before I conduct you to the environs, or to the summit of _Mont St.
Catherine_. We must visit some relics of antiquity, and take a yet more
familiar survey of the town, ere we strive
... superas evadere ad auras.
Indeed the information to be gained well merits the toil endured in its
acquisition. The only town in England that can give you any notion of
Rouen, is CHESTER; although the similitude holds only in some few
particulars. I must, in the first place then, make especial mention of the
HALLES DE COMMERCE. The _markets_ here are numerous and abundant, and are
of all kinds. Cloth, cotton, lace, linen, fish, fruit, vegetables, meat,
corn, and wine; these for the exterior and interior of the body. Cattle,
wood, iron, earthenware, seeds, and implements of agriculture; these for
the supply of other necessities considered equally important. Each market
has its appropriate site. For picturesque effect, you must visit the _Vieux
Marché_, for vegetables and fish; which is kept in an open space, once
filled by the servants and troops of the old Dukes of Normandy, having the
ancient ducal palace in front. This is the fountain head whence the minor
markets are supplied. Every stall has a large old tattered sort of umbrella
spread above it, to ward off the rain or rays of heat; and, seen from some
points of view, the effect of all this, with the ever-restless motion of
the tongues and feet of the vendors, united to their strange attire, is
exceedingly singular and interesting.
Leaving the old market place, you pass on to the _Marché Neuf_, where
fruits, eggs, and butter are chiefly sold. At this season of the year there
is necessarily little or no fruit, but I could have filled one coat pocket
with eggs for less than half a franc. While on the subject of buying and
selling, let us go to the _Halles_ of _Rouen_; being large public buildings
now exclusively appropriated to the sale of cloths, linen, and the varied
_et-ceteras_ of mercery. These are at once spacious and interesting in a
high degree. They form the divisions of the open spaces, or squares, where
the markets just mentioned are held; and were formerly the appurtenances of
the palaces and chateaux of the old Dukes of Normandy: the _latter_ of
which are now wholly demolished. You must rise betimes on a Friday morning,
to witness a sight of which you can have no conception in England: unless
it be at a similar scene in _Leeds_. By six o'clock the busy world is in
motion within these halls. Then commences the incessant and inconceivable
vociferation of buying and selling. The whole scene is alive, and carried
on in several large stone-arched rooms, supported by a row of pillars in
the centre. Of these halls, the largest is about three hundred and twenty
English feet in length, by fifty-five in width. The centre, in each
division, contains tables and counters for the display of cloth, cotton,
stuff, and linen of all descriptions. The display of divers colours--the
commendations bestowed by the seller, and the reluctant assent of the
purchaser--the animated eye of the former, and the calculating brow of the
latter--the removal of one set of wares, and the bringing on of another--in
short, the never-ceasing succession of sounds and sights astonishes the
gravity of an Englishman; whose astonishment is yet heightened by the
extraordinary good humour which every where prevails. The laugh, the joke,
the équivoque, and reply, were worth being recorded in pointed metre;--and
what metre but that of Crabbe could possibly render it justice? By nine of
the clock all is hushed. The sale is over: the goods are cleared; and both
buyers and sellers have quitted the scene.
From _still_, let me conduct you to _active_ life. In other words, let us
hasten to take a peep at the _Horse and Cattle Market_; which is fixed in
the very opposite part of the town; that is, towards the northern
Boulevards. The horses are generally entire: and indeed you have scarcely
any thing in England which exceeds the _Norman horse_, properly so
understood. This animal unites the hardiness of the mule with the strength
of his own particular species. He is also docile, and well trained; and a
Norman, from pure affection, thinks he can never put enough harness upon
his back. I have seen the face and shoulders of a cart-horse almost buried
beneath a profusion of ornament by way of collar; and have beheld a
farmer's horse, led out to the plough, with trappings as gorgeous and
striking as those of a General's charger brought forward for a review. The
carts and vehicles are usually balanced in the centre upon two wheels,
which diminishes much of the pressure upon the horse. Yet the caps of the
wheels are frightfully long, and inconveniently projecting: while the
eternally loud cracking of the whip is most repulsive to nervous ears. On
market days, the horses stand pretty close to each other for sale; and are
led off, for shew, amidst boys, girls, and women, who contrive very
dexterously to get out of the way of their active hoofs. The French seem to
have an instinctive method of doing that, which, with ourselves, seems to
demand forethought and deliberation.
Of the STREETS, in this extraordinary city, that of the _Great Clock--(Rue
de la Grosse Horloge)_ which runs in a straight line from the western front
of the Cathedral, at right angles with the _Rue des Carmes_, is probably
the most important, ancient, and interesting. When we were conveyed, on our
entrance, (in the cabriolet of the Diligence) beneath the arch to the upper
part of which this old fashioned clock is attached, we were lost in
admiration at the singularity of the scene. The inhabitants saw, and
enjoyed, our astonishment. There is a fountain beneath, or rather on one
side of this arch; over which is sculptured a motley group of insipid
figures, of the latter time of Louis XIV. The old tower near this clock
merits a leisurely survey: as do also some old houses, to the right, on
looking at it. It was within this old tower that a bell was formerly
tolled, at nine o'clock each evening, to warn the inhabitants abroad to
return within the walls of the city.[61]
Turning to the left, in this street, and going down a sharp descent, we
observed a stand of hackney coaches in a small square, called _La Place de
la Pucelle_: that is, the place where the famous JEANNE D'ARC[62] was
imprisoned, and afterwards burnt. What sensations possess us as we gaze on
each surrounding object!--although, now, each surrounding object has
undergone a palpable change! Ah, my friend--what emotions were _once_
excited within this small space! What curiosity, and even agony of mind,
mingled with the tumults of indignation, the shouts of revenge, and the
exclamations of pity! But life now goes on just the same as if nothing of
the kind had happened here. The past is forgotten. This hapless Joan of Arc
is one of the many, who, having been tortured as heretics, have been
afterwards reverenced as martyrs. Her statue was, not very long after her
execution, almost _adored_ upon that very spot where her body had been
consigned with execrations to the flames. The square, in which this statue
stands, contains probably one of the very oldest houses in Rouen--and as
interesting as it is ancient. It is invisible from without: but you open a
wooden gate, and quickly find yourself within a small quadrangle, having
three of its sides covered with basso-rilievo figures in plaster. That side
which faces you is evidently older than the left: indeed I have no
hesitation in assigning it to the end of the XVth century. The clustered
ornaments of human figures and cattle, with which the whole of the exterior
is covered, reminds us precisely of those numerous little wood-cut figures,
chiefly pastoral, which we see in the borders of printed missals of the
same period. The taste which prevails in them is half French and half
Flemish. Not so is the character of the plaster figures which cover the
_left_ side on entering. These, my friend, are no less than the
representation of the procession of Henry VIII. and Francis I. to the
famous CHAMP DE DRAP D'OR: of which Montfaucon[63] has published
engravings. Having carefully examined this very curious relic, of the
beginning of the sixteenth century, I have no hesitation in pronouncing the
copy of Montfaucon (or rather of the artist employed by him) to be most
egregiously faithless. I visited it again and again, considering it to be
worth all the "huge clocks" in Rouen put together. I hardly know how to
take you from this interesting spot--from this exhibition of beautiful old
art--especially too when I consider that Francis himself once occupied the
mansion, and held a Council here, with both English and French; that his
bugles once sounded from beneath the gate way, and that his goblets once
sparkled upon the chestnut tables of the great hall. I do hope and trust
that the Royal Academy of Rouen, will not suffer this architectural relic
to perish, without leaving behind a substantial and faithful representation
of it.[64]
While upon the subject of ancient edifices, let me return; and, crossing
the _Rue de la Grosse Horloge_, contrive to place you in the centre of the
square which is formed by the PALAIS DE JUSTICE. The inhabitants consider
this building as the principal _lion_ in their city. It has indeed claims
to notice and admiration, but will not bear the severe scrutiny of a critic
in Gothic architecture. It was partly erected by Louis XII. at the entreaty
of the provincial States, through the interest of the famous Cardinal
d'Amboise, and partly by Francis I. This building precisely marks the
restoration of Gothic taste in France, and the peculiar style of
architecture which prevailed in the reign of Francis I. To say the truth,
this style, however sparkling and imposing, is objectionable in many
respects: for it is, in the first place, neither pure Gothic nor pure
Grecian--but an injudicious mixture of both. Greek arabesque borders are
running up the sides of a portal terminating in a Gothic arch; and the
Gothic ornaments themselves are not in the purest, or the most pleasing,
taste. Too much is given to parts, and too little to the whole. The
external ornaments are frequently heavy, from their size and elaborate
execution; and they seem to be _stuck on_ to the main building without
rhyme or reason.
The criminal offences are tried in the hall to the right, and the prisoners
are confined in the lower part of the building to the left: above which you
mount by a flight of stone steps, which conducts you to a singularly
curious hall,[65] about one hundred and seventy-five English feet in
length--roofed by wooden ribs, in the form of an arch, and displaying a
most curious and exact specimen of carpenter's work. This is justly shewn
and commented upon to the enquiring traveller. Parts of the building are
devoted to the courts of assize, and to tribunals of audience of almost
every description. The first Presidents of the Parliament lived formerly in
the building which faces you upon entrance, but matters have now taken a
very different turn. Upon the whole, this _Town Hall_, or call it what you
will, is rather a magnificent structure; and certainly superior to most
provincial buildings of the kind which we possess in England. I should tell
you that the courts for commercial causes are situated near the quays, at
the south part of the town: and Monsieur Riaux, who conducted me thither,
(and who possesses the choicest library[66] of antiquarian books, of all
descriptions, relating to Rouen, which I had the good fortune to see)
carried me to the _Hall of Commerce_, which, among other apartments,
contains a large chamber (contiguous to the Court of Justice) covered with
_fleurs de lys_ upon a light blue ground. It is now however much in need of
reparation. Fresh lilies and a new ground are absolutely necessary to
harmonise with a large oil-painting at one end of it, in which is
represented the reception of Louis XVI. at Rouen by the Mayor and Deputies
of the town, in 1786. All the figures are of the size of life, well painted
after the originals, and appear to be strong resemblances. On enquiring how
many of them were now living, I was told that--ALL WERE DEAD! The fate of
the _principal_ figure is but too well known. They should have this
interesting subject--interesting undoubtedly to the inhabitants--executed
by one of their best engravers. It represents the unfortunate Louis quite
in the prime of life; and is the best whole length portrait of him which I
have yet seen in painting or in engraving.
It is right however that you should know, that, in the Tribunal for the
determination of commercial causes, there sits a very respectable Bench of
Judges: among whom I recognised one that had perfectly the figure, air, and
countenance, of an Englishman. On enquiry of my guide, I found my
supposition verified. He _was_ an Englishman; but had been thirty years a
resident in _Rouen_. The judicial costume is appropriate in every respect;
but I could not help smiling, the other morning, upon meeting my friend the
judge, standing before the door of his house, in the open street--with a
hairy cap on--leisurely smoking his pipe--And wherein consisted the harm of
such a _delassement_?
[61] [I apprehend this custom to be prevalent in fortified towns:--as
Rouen _formerly_ was--and as I found such custom to obtain at the
present day, at Strasbourg. Mons. Licquet says that the allusion to
the curfew--or _couvre-feu_--as appears in the previous
edition--and which the reader well knows was established by the
Conqueror with us--was no particular badge of the slavery of the
English. It had been _previously_ established by William in NORMANDY.
Millot is referred to as the authority.]
[62] _the famous_ JEANNE D'ARC.] Goube, in the second volume of his
_Histoire du Duché de Normandie_, has devoted several spiritedly
written pages to an account of the trial and execution of this
heroine. Her history is pretty well known to the English--from
earliest youth. Goube says that her mode of death had been completely
prejudged; for that, previously to the sentence being passed, they
began to erect "a scaffold of plaster, so raised, that the flames
could not at first reach her--and she was in consequence consumed by a
slow fire: her tortures being long and horrible." Hume has been rather
too brief: but he judiciously observes that the conduct of the Duke of
Bedford "was equally barbarous and dishonourable." Indeed it were
difficult to pronounce which is entitled to the greatest
abhorrence--the imbecility of Charles VII. the baseness of John of
Luxembourg, or the treachery of the Regent Bedford?
The _identical_ spot on which she suffered is not now visible,
according to Millin; that place having been occupied by the late
_Marché des Veaux_. It was however not half a stone's throw from the
site of the present statue. In the _Antiquités Nationales_ of the last
mentioned author (vol. iii. art. xxxvi.) there are three plates
connected with the History of JOAN of ARC. The _first_ plate
represents the _Porte Bouvreuil_ to the left, and the circular old
tower to the right--in which latter Joan was confined, with some
houses before it; the middle ground is a complete representation of
the rubbishing state by which many of the public buildings at Rouen
are yet surrounded; and French taste has enlivened the foreground with
a picture of a lover and his mistress, in a bocage, regaling
themselves with a flagon of wine. The old circular tower ("qui vit
gémir cette infortunée," says Millin) exists no longer. The second
plate represents the fountain which was built in the market-place upon
the very spot where the Maid suffered, and which spot was at first
designated by the erection of a cross. From the style of the
embellishments it appears to have been of the time of Francis I.
Goube has re-engraved this fountain. It was taken down or demolished
in 1755; upon the site of which was built the present tasteless
production--resembling, as the author of the _Itinéraire de Rouen_ (p.
69) well observes, "rather a Pallas than the heroine of Orleans." The
name of the author was STODTS. Millin's _third_ plate--of this present
existing fountain, is desirable; in as much as it shews the front of
the house, in the interior of which are the basso-rilievos of the
_Champ de drap d'Or_: for an account of which see afterwards.
Millin allows that all PORTRAITS of her--whether in sculpture, or
painting, or engraving--are purely IDEAL. Perhaps the nearest, in
point of fidelity, was that which was seen in a painted glass window
of the church of the _Minimes_ at Chaillot: although the building was
not erected till the time of Charles VIII. Yet it might have been a
copy of some coeval production. In regard to oil paintings, I take it
that the portrait of JUDITH, with a sword in one hand, and the head of
Holofernes in the other, has been usually copied (with the omission of
the latter accompaniment) as that of JEANNE D'ARC. I hardly know a
more interesting collection of books than that which may be acquired
respecting the fate of this equally brave and unfortunate heroine.
[63] Far be it from me to depreciate the labours of Montfaucon. But those
who have not the means of getting at that learned antiquarian's
_Monarchie Françoise_ may possibly have an opportunity of examining
precisely the same representations, of the procession above alluded
to, in _Ducarel's Anglo-Norman Antiquities_, Plate XII. Till the year
1726 this extraordinary series of ornament was supposed to represent
the _Council of Trent_; but the Abbé Noel, happening to find a
salamander marked upon the back of one of the figures, supposed, with
greater truth, that it was a representation of the abovementioned
procession; and accordingly sent Montfaucon an account of the whole.
The Abbé might have found more than one, two, or three salamanders, if
he had looked closely into this extraordinary exterior; and possibly,
in his time, the surfaces of the more delicate parts, especially of
the human features, might not have sustained the injuries which time
and accident now seem to have inflicted on them. [A beautiful effort
in the graphic way representing the entire interior front of this
interesting mansion, is said to be published at Rouen.]
[64] In the previous edition of this work, there appeared a facsimile of a
small portion of this bas-relief, representing--as I imagine--the
setting out of Francis to meet Henry. Nothing, as far as correctness
of detail goes, can give a more faithful resemblance of the PRECISE
STATE in which the original appears: the defaced and the entire parts
being represented with equal fidelity. Mons. Langlois has given a
plate of the entire façade or front--in outline--with great ability;
but so small as to give little or no notion of the character of the
original.
[65] In Ducarel's time, "the ground story consisted of a great quadrangle
surrounded with booksellers shops. On one side of it a stone staircase
led to a large and lofty room, which, in its internal as well as
external appearance, resembled, though in miniature, Westminster Hall.
Here (continues Ducarel) I saw several gentlemen of the long robe, in
their gowns and bands, walking up and down with briefs in their hands,
and making a great show of business." _Anglo-Norman Antiquities_,
p. 32. [According to Mons. Licquet, this "singularly curious hall" was
begun to be built in 1493. It was afterwards, and is still called,
_la Salle des Procureurs_.]
[66] _the choicest library_] Monsieur Riaux, Archiviste de la Chambre
de Commerce. This amiable man unites a love of literature with that of
architectural antiquities. The library of M. Le Prevost is however as
copious as that of Mons. R.