Beaune

The mansion is located inside the old Gallo-Roman castrum. In the Middle Ages, it was the residence of the Dukes of Burgundy during their visits to Beaune, and it housed their court of justice, the Parliament of Burgundy. The city acquired the building in 1919 and installed its Wine Museum, one of the oldest French ethnological museums exclusively devoted to wine heritage, in 1946. This place of memory of the history of Burgundy and its wines retraces the history of viticulture, wine-making practices, cooperage, the wine trade and oenology.

– Sign

The Chapel

"In the chapel of the said hospital there are three altars, namely: the great high altar of marble stone upon which there is a flat painted panel depicting the Last Judgment, and on the outer panels of the said altarpiece are the images of Saint Sebastian, Saint Anthony, together with the portraits of my said lord the chancellor and of Madame Guigone de Salins."
Inventory of 1501

In the hospital chapel, there are three altars: the large altar made of marble stone on which rests the polyptych of the Last Judgment. On the outer panels are depicted the figures of Saint Sebastian and Saint Anthony, as well as the portraits of the chancellor and Guigone de Salins.

The chapel is intimately linked to the main hall. It was necessary to provide for the well-being of those who were suffering, but also, and above all, to ensure their salvation. The wooden screen separated the two spaces from the very beginning, thus differentiating the sacred space from the secular space.

The 1501 inventory attests to the richness of the decoration of the original chapel: three altars, at least eight stone statues, and numerous paintings depicting saints, a large copper chandelier with seven candles...

From 1820 onwards, the chapel underwent significant renovations. These reflect a desire to preserve and reconstruct the original forms. At that time, the chapel had a neoclassical decor: the walls were painted to resemble marble, and an altarpiece stood in front of the large stained-glass window in the apse.

Restoration was then in its infancy. There was not yet a coherent plan.

Maurice Ouradou worked to restore the chapel to its original appearance. He restored the decor and furnishings: the nuns' stalls, the sanctuary grille, the confessional, the wall paintings...

– A sign, translated using Google.

UPPER REGISTER
Scene of the Crucifixion with the souls of the thieves being carried away,
• one by an angel
• the other by a demon.

MIDDLE REGISTER
• Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, kneeling as the donor,
behind him: his son, the future
• Charles the Bold,
• presented by Saint Andrew,
opposite:
• Isabella of Portugal, the Duchess of Burgundy, and Saint Elizabeth of Hungary
in the center at the foot of the cross: on Golgotha, represented by Adam's skull, are gathered
• Saint John, the Virgin Mary,
• Saint Martha (patron saint of hospital workers)
• Saint Mary Magdalene (her sister).

LOWER REGISTER FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
• Nicolas Rolin kneeling as the donor
• presented by Saint Nicholas,
• a Virgin of Pity,
• Saint Anthony
• Guigone de Salins

The stained-glass window was restored by the Parisian stained-glass artist Léon-Auguste Ottin in 1877, based on a design by Maurice Ouradou, who was inspired by an old description in a 1653 document. However, the upper part of the window (the lancet heads and the tympanum) has retained elements of the original stained-glass window depicting the instruments of the Passion.

– A sign, translated using Google.

The Saint Hugh Room
Charity and propriety

The Saint John the Baptist and Our Lady rooms, located one above the other, disappeared in 1645 when the floor separating them was demolished to allow for the creation of a new ward with twelve beds, the Saint Hugh ward.

It was an anonymous donor who offered to furnish this ward at his own expense, and to ensure that it had the necessary air volume, "it was decided to remove the floor."

The Franciscans authorized the opening of five large arched windows on the side facing their convent, on the condition that they be placed high enough.

When the separation of the sexes was considered, after Louis XIV's visit, the men who were then being treated in the large Poor's ward were transferred to this room in 1661: they gained in comfort, as the Saint Hugh ward had a large fireplace.

Above the altar in this ward, one can see the Miracle of Saint Hugh. It seems that the painter combined two scenes into one: the child, depicted drowned in the foreground, is shown resurrected next to his mother, an archaic technique in the middle of the 17th century. The broad brushstrokes and the beautiful harmony of the colors attest to the artistic qualities of the painter. This painting is framed by two angels painted in grisaille on wood.

Generous donors...
The walls and ceiling are adorned with paintings glorifying Saint Hugh, patron saint of the mysterious donor, who was Hugh Bétauld, receiver of deposits at the Parliament of Paris, a native of Beaune.

The oil paintings on the walls include nine Miracles of Christ in a trompe-l'œil frame, beneath which a text in verse explains the meaning of the scene. These works, with their very pronounced monumental character, foreshadow the broad and heavy style often employed by the painter Isaac Moillon throughout his career. The demonstrative aspect of these healings and resurrections was undoubtedly intended to give hope to the sick.

The ceiling is decorated with a large canvas mounted on the ceiling, in a Mannerist style, signed and dated 1646. It depicts the healing of a cripple at the Pool of Bethesda. The painter does not conform to the customs of the time, which considered it inappropriate to represent "water on ceilings," since the viewer is positioned as if at the bottom of the pool. During its restoration in 1946, the canvas was cut into forty rectangular panels mounted on fiberboard.

Isaac Moillon painted several paintings that adorn the rooms of the Hôtel Dieu, including a Pentecost in the mistress's chamber, in which he unusually places the figure of the Virgin off-center, contrary to the usual compositional rule where she is positioned in the middle of the apostles.

After the death of his brother Hugues, Louis Bétault financed the furnishing of the Saint Louis room and commissioned Isaac Moillon to paint a large painting depicting the Death of Saint Louis, signed and dated 1665.

– A sign, translated using Google.

Decorative ensemble by Isaac Moillon: wall paintings & altar

To adorn the room, Hugues Bétault commissioned the Parisian painter Isaac Moillon (1614-1673) to decorate the walls and ceiling. The paintings illustrate the Scenes of the miraculous healings of Christ, and echo the patron saint of the benefactor, saint Hugues, with two portraits painted in grisaille on the south wall, and one representation on the altar on the east side. By choosing the theme of miraculous healings, Isaac Moillon wanted to convey a message of hope to the sick, the hope of regaining their health.

The decorative ensemble was created between 1645 and 1646: it is the most monumental pictorial cycle attributed to the artist. The paintings have been restored in the 19th century by Balioni, a visiting Piedmontese artist, and in the 20h century under the direction of Beaux-Arts. On the east, north and west walls are the Scenes of the miraculous healings of Christ:

North wall (left)
> Healing of the hydropic
> Resurrection of Jaïrus' daughter
> Healing of the paralytic

Above the altar to the east and on the south wall is the figure of saint Hugues:
South wall (right)
> Saint Hugues as chartreux
> Saint Hugues as bishop

East wall (opposite)
> Healing of Peter's mother-in-law
> Healing of two blind men
> Healing of the haemorrhoid

West wall (behind)
> Healing of the bent woman
> Resurrection of Lazarus
> Healing of the Chananean's daugther

Altar (opposite)
> Saint Hugues resuscitating a drowned child

– A informational panel, translated using Google.

The Herb Garden

For convenience, the herb garden is located next to the pharmacy, which is indeed the case here, as it was situated along the pharmacy in the secondary courtyard, as shown in this postcard from the early 20th century.

– A sign, translated using Google.

The Apothecary Sister

In its early days and until the 18th century, the apothecary's staff was probably composed of a head sister, a younger sister in training to assist her, as well as a servant. The Hôtel-Dieu has preserved the portrait of one of these sisters in charge of the apothecary in the 17th century: Sister Pierrette Monnet (1557-1628), depicted with a mortar and pestle in her hand, a symbol of her function.

Since learning the art of healing was delicate, the apothecary sisters were chosen by the mistress and did not change positions every 3 years like the other sisters. During the second half of the 18th century, like many hospital pharmacies and for reasons that are not entirely clear, the Hôtel-Dieu appointed a city apothecary as the person in charge. Was this to avoid irregularities that may have been observed during the preparation of medicines?

In 1788, undoubtedly in order to reduce expenses, it was decided that “the mistress and her companion [will] choose a nun, over the age of forty, who wishes to dedicate herself particularly to the duties of the apothecary; that she will be specially instructed in this area in the manner that the Board deems appropriate, and that when she has truly acquired the necessary knowledge and skills for the office of apothecary, she will be given preference for this position, that she may continue in it for three years as deemed appropriate, and that she will also be responsible for instructing the nun who will be assigned to her as a companion.” The apothecary Grémaud, who had previously been in charge of the pharmacy at the Hôtel-Dieu, sells his equipment to the institution and trains his successor, Sister Etiennette Bourgeois.

– A sign, translated using Google.

The Pestle Supported by an Arch

The pestles of the mortars, pierced with an eyelet, are connected to an elastic support in the shape of an arch, which facilitates the work. The pestle of the large mortar, weighing nearly 6 kg, was suspended from a beam in the ceiling of the mortar room.

This arch is a unique piece that is only documented in the Book of the Foundation of the Hans Friedrich Eglinder Apothecary (1608-1675), dated 1629-1639, preserved at the Basel Pharmacy Museum.

The first page depicts an apothecary pulverizing ingredients that a woman is pouring into a mortar.

– A sign, translated using Google.

The painting by Michel Charles Coquelet Souville, dated 1751, is exceptional; it depicts the apothecary Claude Morelot at work in his pharmacy. Morelot was also in charge of the pharmacy at the Hôtel-Dieu hospital until his death in 1776. This painting illustrates the main processes involved in the manufacture of medicines, some of which have remained unchanged since the 18th century:

• Grinding of simple drugs using a mortar and pestle.
• Preparation of medicines by heating the mixtures.
• Making pills using a pill-making device.
• Distillation using stills heated by placing them on stoves.

– A sign, translated using Google.

The Stills

They were located in the laboratory adjacent to the pharmacy, but the one at the Hôtel-Dieu, being very narrow, is not accessible. The stills, which are still complete, have been moved to this room. They operate in the following way: The product to be distilled is heated in the alembic until it boils. The vapor rises through the head and then enters the swan neck to condense in the coil, which is kept in a stream of cold water. The purpose of the operation is to obtain the distillate, either:

• By separating a volatile substance from its impurities, as in the case of distilled water.
• By extracting a volatile substance from a non-volatile complex, such as plant essences, alcoholic extracts, or flower or plant waters (rose or mint).

– A sign, translated using Google.

Nicolas Rolin created pious foundations that were the fruits of his political career and social advancement. Appointed chancellor in 1422 by Philip the Good, he held the highest-paid position in the ducal administration, which also allowed him to receive gifts, establish contacts with influential people, and become a privileged witness to the new artistic developments taking place in Flanders during his business trips.

Through his numerous foundations, the chancellor adhered to an aspiration characteristic of the Middle Ages: wealth was considered to entail an obligation of ostentation and generosity. Having attained a high level of fortune, Nicolas Rolin felt compelled to display this wealth and to commission the most prestigious artists for his foundations. Added to this social duty was a religious concern, that of ensuring his salvation: all of the chancellor's foundations shared the common themes of charity, the enhancement of the service of God, or the celebration of commemorative masses. By demonstrating his devotion, they aimed to secure the salvation of his soul and that of his family beyond their deaths. To be better heard by God, the chancellor also paid homage to the saints and the Virgin Mary.

This veneration is particularly evident in the painting by Jan van Eyck (1390/1395-1441), The Virgin and Child with Chancellor Rolin, commissioned for the Notre-Dame-du-Châtel church in Autun, and now housed in the Louvre Museum. Nicolas Rolin is depicted praying before the Virgin Mary as a faithful supplicant seeking the salvation of his soul.

The Last Judgment polyptych, for its part, expresses the chancellor's hope that the foundation of the Hôtel-Dieu would be recognized by God as a pious work that would atone for his sins. When he founded the institution with his third wife, Guigone de Salins, he decided to endow it with a monumental altarpiece bearing their likenesses. They commissioned a painter highly esteemed by the Burgundian aristocracy, Rogier van der Weyden (1399-1464), the official painter of the city of Brussels. The founders are depicted on the outer panels of the altarpiece, in niches, kneeling and praying before statues of Saint Sebastian and Saint Anthony. They are formally identified by their coats of arms and by the first known mention of the altarpiece in the inventory of the Hôtel-Dieu's possessions from 1501: "A painted panel depicting the Last Judgment. And on the shutters of the said panel, on the outside, are the images of Saint Sebastian and Saint Anthony, together with the aforementioned portraits of the late Lord Chancellor and Madame Guigone de Salins, his wife."

From March 20 to June 17, as part of the exhibition "Revisiting Van Eyck: The Virgin of Chancellor Rolin" at the Louvre Museum, the panel of the polyptych depicting Nicolas Rolin is displayed alongside Van Eyck's painting. During the loan period, two 3D reproductions, one in black and white and the other in color, created by the Factum Foundation, are presented: they allow for a detailed examination of the paint layer and the motifs.

– A sign, translated using Google.