Frescoes of the Issogne Castel, Aosta Valley, Italy (Explored)

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Frescoes of the Issogne Castel, Aosta Valley, Italy (Explored)
Frescoes of the Issogne Castel, Aosta Valley, Italy (Explored)

Issogne Castle is a castle in Issogne, in lower Aosta Valley, in northwestern Italy. It is one of the most famous manors of the region, and is located on the right bank of the Dora Baltea at the centre of the inhabited area of Issogne. As a seigniorial residence of the Renaissance, the Castle has quite a different look from that of the austere Verrès Castle, which is located in Verrès, on the opposite bank of the river.
Issogne Castle is most noteworthy for its fountain in the form of pomegranate tree and its highly decorated portico, a rare example of medieval Alpine painting, with its frescoed cycle of scenes of daily life from the late Middle Ages.
The lunettes of the portico are decorated with frescoes giving realistic and humorous depictions of scenes daily life and the trades of the period. They represent an important iconographic testament to life between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The 'lunette of the guard house' shows some soldiers, accompanied by some prostitutes, seated at a table and intent on playing cards or tric-trac. Their weapons and armour (including cuirasses, crossbows and halberds) are hung up on a rack attached to the wall. In the 'lunette of the bakery', recently kneaded bread is being pushed into an oven; a butcher turns meat on a spit while a cat tries to steal it from him. In the 'lunette of the tailor's shop', pieces of cloth are measured and cut, while on the shelves of the rear of the apothecary's shop, numerous jars of herbs and other medicines are shown. The 'lunette of the market' shows a fruit and vegetable market busy with numerous customers and vendors dressed in costumes of the period. Lastly, in the 'lunette of the small goods seller's shop', some forms of the typical Fontina cheese are shown; these are considered to the oldest representations of this cheese.
Besides their æsthetic function, these frescoes probably have a celebratory function, and are probably intended to show the abundance and peace obtained in the region thanks to the leadership of the lord of the Castle. The entire cycle has been attributed to an artist known as 'maître Colin' due to a graffito in the 'lunette of the guard house' that identifies 'Magister Collinus' as the author of the work. The same artist is known as the author of some paintings in the chapel on the first floor of the Castle.

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Taken on: March 5, 2025
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