Fireplace Plate Dated 1555 From Franche-comté (94 X 96 Cm)

Very rare and, to our knowledge, unique fireplace plate from Franche-Comté with a semi-circular pediment called "en porte de four", dated 1555, from the 16th century. It is decorated with a cross of Saint Andrew, four roped crosspieces, flanked by two columns topped with a head wearing a mask, whose headdress has been partially leveled. Its date is inscribed in a cartel with axehead ends. Its outline is bordered by a rope molding. 1555: Date of the abdication of Charles V in favor of his eldest son Philip II, King of Spain, Naples and Sicily, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Milan and sovereign of the Netherlands, therefore of the County of Burgundy. The cross of Saint Andrew, legacy of the emblematic Dukes of Burgundy and their heirs the Habsburgs. Since the end of the 14th century, the cross of Saint Andrew has been the political symbol of the Comtois that unites them. This emblem will also unite the Burgundian Netherlands with the county, with the circle of Burgundy created by Charles Quint, in 1512 and this until 1790. It was considerably reduced from 1581 with the Secession of the United Provinces and in 1678 by the annexation of the county by France. The columns, plural meanings, reference to the columns of Hercules, one of the emblems of Charles Quint, as for the arms of the coat of arms of the city of Besançon attributed by the emperor. They also evoke the ancient columns that still stood at the end of the 15th century at the top of the site of the citadel, near the Roman road coming from Geneva. The roped crosspieces as a sign of protection of the hearth and thereby of the household, like the rope on its periphery as a protection of the "Burgundian nation" and its new sovereign. This plaque was found in Frasne le Château in Haute Saône. A slight crack is to be noted in the lower part. Its weight is 113 kg. Sources: - The cross of Saint Andrew, factor of unity between the Netherlands and the county of Burgundy, from Maximilian to the Archdukes (1493-1633), Nicolas Vernot, university presses of Franche-Comté — 2009 You can visit our site: www.claudeaugustin.com