THE CEILING OF THE MUSES (1632)Antoine, Jean-Paul & Jean Rodière

In 1628, Archbishop Claude Rebé decided to renovate this room in the Gilles Aycelin dungeon. He entrusted sculptor Georges Subreville with the task of making gargoyles. But at the end of the year, the plague broke out, slowing commercial and artistic activities in the city until August 1632, at which time the Archbishop called on the Rodière brothers, three painters and gilders from Narbonne, to fi nish decorating the room. The commission contract, executed on November 9, went into great detail describing the materials and iconography to be used. The Archbishop’s coat of arms was painted on the ceiling in three different places, reminding viewers of the identity of the man and patron of the arts who launched the project.

While the hearing room had a ceiling done in the French tradition, made up of joists on beams, for this room the Archbishop commissioned a ceiling with compartments, a baroque reinterpretation of the coffered ceilings of the Italian Renaissance. Claude Rebé’s vision was to create an elaborately designed room worthy of the court of the King of France. In addition to the ceiling, he commissioned a fi replace and wall panels. Today, some of the original paintwork can still be seen around the window frames: images of fruit hanging from climbing vines and mytho log i ca l fi gures.

Baroque ceilings, whether secular or religious, are often adorned with celestial fi gures: looking up, visitors see a sky across which sacred and mythological characters move about as they might on a theatrical stage.

By choosing the nine Muses, the Archbishop chose subject material drawn not from sacred texts but from mythology, which had become very fashionable in the arts ever since the Renaissance.

The origin of the Muses dates back to Ancient Greece. In his songs, Homer mentions the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory. Plato makes them the mediators between god and poet.

This ancient myth was reintroduced in the arts during the Renaissance. The ceiling depicts a classic reinterpretation of this ancient theme. The luxurious silk robes are characteristic of seventeenth century France, as are some of the instruments. During those times, the Muses, invoked to inspire artists in their praise of those in power, were an integral part of court ritual.

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BACKGROUNDA FULLY DECORATED ROOM

THE ICONOGRAPHYON THE CEILING

THE ARTISTS

Until the contract was rediscovered in 1893, art historians attributed the décor to an Italian master. Indeed, Antoine Rodière (c. 1590-1643), as was the case with many painters of his generation, did in fact live and work in Rome, where he met Simon Vouet in 1627. The artist from Narbonne is the author of several consular paintings and altarpieces, of which at least two have been preserved. For the ceiling, his two brothers Jean-Paul and Jean, also painters and gilders, were brought in as associates.

from climbing vines and mytho log i ca l

Polyhymnia the one of many hymns

was the muse of sacred song and oratory. Dressed in red, she ponders what she will say and holds the scroll on which she writes, while a cherub hands her the caduceus of eloquence. Other little angels carry the arms

of the Archbishop.

Calliope beautiful-voiced

was the muse of epic poetry. Wearing a golden dress, she holds a caduceus borrowed from Mercury, the god

of eloquence.

Melpomene the one that is melodious

was the muse of tragedy. She holds in one hand a theater mask and in the other a sword reminiscent of the human confl icts created for the stage.

Euterpe delight

was the muse of music. She holds a horn and a piece of sheet music. A putto holds out

a lute for her.

Terpsichore delight in dancing

was the muse of dance and song. She plays the lyre, accompanied

on the lutes and the viol.

Clio to make famouswas the muse of history. She holds in her hand the trumpets of fame. According to one version of the myth, she was the inventor of the guitar. The banner bears the arms of Claude Rebé.

Erato lovely was the muse of lyric poetry. She points to the alphabet, which

enables her to write.

Thalia the fl ourishingwas the muse of comedy and idyllic poetry. She holds a mask and a branch. A cherub brings her the club of Heracles, whose heroic exploits are often celebrated in dramatic work. Another cherub hands her the

arms of the Archbishop.

Around the muses, angels complete the design by bearing fl owers and ribbons. Some of the more facetious ones, around the edges of the ceiling in

particular, entertain the venue’s host.

Urania whose name means heavenly was the muse of astronomy. Wearing a dress of midnight blue, she is equipped with the instruments necessary for studying the celestial

spheres: telescopes, globes and compasses.

in the center