Copy of La Garenne Lemot

Cover of the monograph

The collection

The aim of the Département de Loire-Atlantique is not only to preserve the historical monuments in its care, but also to publicize and promote them. To this end, Grand Patrimoine de Loire-Atlantique plans to publish a series of short, illustrated monographic works on each site, allowing visitors a greater insight and understanding of the history of each venue. A researcher, chosen specifically for his/her knowledge of the subject details the history of the site and provides a comprehensive description of its features and attractions. Colour illustrations and photographs complement the text. These publications are more than a guide book and accompany visitors as they explore the site independently, or as part of a tour. The books also allow readers to discover these patrimonial sites at a distance. They are a valuable tool in the transmission of a shared culture and heritage.

The book

La Garenne Lemot, the first title of the collection, describes and explains the history of this site, created by sculptor François-Frédéric Lemot in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. In the Sèvre Valley, opposite the ruins of the Château de Clisson and Cacault’s museum, the sculptor sought to create a landscape inspired by historical landscape painting and English gardens. He interpreted the features of his estate according to literary references and erected faux Greek temples and genuine antique statues.  The Tuscan farmhouse he had constructed for the site was the beginning of a trend in the Clisson area for Italian rustic architecture.

La Garenne Lemot is also published in Italian and English.

The author

Alain Delaval is an art historian who has contributed to numerous journals and symposia on eighteenth and nineteenth-century architecture, and has written several monographs on regional architectural works of interest: L’église Saint-Louis, La Roche-sur-Yon  (Olonne-sur-Mer, D’Orbestier, 2001) and Le Théâtre Graslin à Nantes (Nantes, Joca Seria, 2004). A career at the service of Monuments historiques (the equivalent of English Heritage) gave him an intimate knowledge of the region’s architectural heritage. The author’s interest in La Garenne Lemot dates back to a symposium organized by the Centre Ledoux in 2005, where he published an article on the estate.

Information

96 pages, 19 x 21 cm, 75 colour illustrations, retail price €15.00.

ISBN 978-2-907908-45-0 (French).

ISBN 978-2-907908-46-7 (Italian).

ISBN 978-2-907908-47-4 (English).

Where can I buy this book?

At the gift stores of La Garenne Lemot (Gétigné), the castles of Clisson and Châteaubriant. For more information, contact: garenne.lemot@loire-atlantique.fr