Wardrobe of Bretteville the Proud

It was in the mid-17th century that what we now call the’Norman wardrobe. But it was in the 18th century that it took on the characteristic form we know today. With its two doors, cabriole legs, and wide cornice with broad sculpted decoration, it combines Louis XV structure and style with Louis XVI motifs. At that time, economic and social stability allowed for a certain improvement in living standards. The wardrobe then found its way into bourgeois and peasant homes. The 19th century would be the golden age of the Norman wardrobe.

Intended to hold the bride's trousseau, linens, and the couple's savings, it wasn't necessarily placed in the couple's bedroom. It occupied the best spot in the finest room, as it also symbolized the young bride's social standing.

A wardrobe for the bride

The making of a Norman wardrobe begins as soon as a daughter is born into the family. Tradition dictates that the father has an oak tree cut down between Christmas and New Year's. The sap in the trees is dormant at this time, and the wood fibers are tighter. The wood is then cut into planks and left to dry until the young woman's wedding, after her First Communion.

The carved ornaments on the wood of a Norman wardrobe are often very elaborate and depend on the wealth of the owner. The wealthier he was, the more numerous the carvings. At the center of the cornice, a basket of flowers, a pair of doves pecking at each other, a quiver filled with arrows crossed by a torch, or a flower basket are carved in high relief. The shaped panels feature slanted medallions adorned with various symbols.

The ornaments are also symbolic. For example, a farmer father will have ears of wheat carved. Similarly, a fruit grower will have baskets of fruit decorated on the pediment.

A single-rose wardrobe is the simplest model; conversely, one with several roses is the most elaborate. Indeed, its beauty and price depend on the decoration and the number of roses. On the other hand, the apple blossom or fruit, a symbol of "sin," is less common.

The wardrobes of the Caen plain

There are a multitude of types of Norman wardrobes. There are as many variations as there are villages in these departments: Manche, Orne, Calvados, Seine-Maritime, Eure, not forgetting the Cotentin.

The most elaborate wardrobes were those made in the Caen plain, which forms part of the Bessin region. This fertile area, rich in calcareous silt, fostered the development of large farms. From the early 19th century, unlike the bocage landscape and the Pays de Caux region, it was, in a way, the Norman Beauce. Farms there covered an average of over 50 hectares, sometimes much more. The buildings resembled veritable manor houses. Some, very old, originated from the retreat of wealthy noble landowners to their estates.

The stave oak

Generally speaking, oak remains the preferred wood, particularly stave oak, prized for its highly decorative marbled effect. Quarter-sawn oak, unlike traditional long-sawn timber, is obtained by cutting the tree into quarters. This requires century-old trees without defects. It also results in more waste, as the sawing is not parallel but radiating, like the segments of an orange. Much more expensive, it is both lighter and stronger. Above all, its veining makes it much more beautiful once waxed or varnished. The best workshops in Normandy have specialized in crafting furniture from stave oak.

Finally, cherry, elm and fir, which are more modest, are also used.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Wonderful Norman Wardrobes – Jacques Mahier – Charles Corlet Publishing – 2014
• Regional furniture of Lower Normandy – Masson – 1998

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