Days on the Claise

Jabbed!

2026-10-20T09:00:00.000+02:00

Last Friday Susan and I had our COVID and Flu vaccination. The recommended schedule for the flu jab has been brought forward slightly because flu season has already started. I had my COVID jab in the left arm and flu into the right. I was hoping I was going to get both in the same arm, but they don't do that any more.

I don't look impressed. I don't know why, it didn't hurt.

Field Mushrooms and Their 'Friends'

2026-10-19T09:00:00.000+02:00

Just about the only edible mushroom that has popped up this autumn so far is the Field Mushroom Agaricus campestris (Fr. Rosé-des-prés). It's a close relative of the button mushrooms you can buy in the supermarket (Agaricus bisporus), and like many Agaricus species, is good to eat. You do have to be careful though, as the most abundant Agaricus in the Touraine is the toxic lookalike, the Yellow Stainer A. xanthodermus (Fr. Agaric jaunissant).

Field Mushroom in the grass verge of one of the carparks in the Foret de Preuilly.

Agaricus species in general are easy to recognise as they have salmon pink gills, which turn brown with age. This means you should be able to avoid poisoning yourself with any of the much more dangerous pale capped white gilled mushrooms even with beginner skills. The worst that will happen is a trip to hospital with severe gastric problems if you mistakenly eat pink or brown gilled Yellow Stainers. Painful and deeply unpleasant, but you will recover. On the other hand, my advice is never eat a white gilled mushroom. Some of them can kill you.

Young Field Mushroom. Note lack of staining except for a very faint blush on the stem or where the flesh has been broken.

There are nearly a hundred species of Agaricus in France, they all look very similar, and some of them are toxic, so unfortunately it isn't just a matter of merrily eating any mushroom with a pale cap and flesh, and pink gills. The Yellow Stainer is responsible for the most poisonings of any mushroom in France, because of its resemblance to Field Mushrooms and because foragers often don't check diligently enough. Usually the telltale yellowing will quickly appear on any part of the mushroom if you scratch a Yellow Stainer, but sometimes the yellow staining is only present in the base of the stem, which is a bit that inexperienced foragers often leave in the ground. Yellow Stainers don't smell nice and mushroomy like Field Mushrooms either. They smell of phenol or iodine, and it should be obvious when you cook them, even if it wasn't in the field.

Field Mushrooms in perfect condition. Note pointed stem and salmon pink gills on the inverted one, and the silky white cap of the one still in the ground.

It is worth remembering that while most other species of Agaricus are not toxic, Yellow Stainers are not the only Field Mushroom lookalike that you need to beware of. Field Mushrooms are by no means as easy to accurately identify as many foragers believe.

Field Mushroom.

As the name suggests Field Mushrooms grow in fields, gardens, pastures and grasslands in lowland France, especially those where cattle or horses graze. But so does their toxic lookalike. The caps of Field Mushrooms are whitish, between 4 and 10 centimetres across. They start off hemispherical, and stay convex for several days then become flat after a time. With age the entire mushroom goes browner. The stem is white and tapers to a point. There is a stem ring but it is fragile and may disintegrate quite quickly. Where you find one Field Mushroom you will normally find others as they grow together in small groups. The species is present worldwide. Its main growing period is August to November, but you can sometimes find them in the spring.

Field Mushroom.

There are four important criteria for determining Agaricus species:

Cap - what does it look or feel like eg smooth? scaly?
Stem ring - fragile? thin? thick? skirt-like? tooth-edged?
Stem shape - bulbous? coming to a point? cylindrical?
Odour - mushroom? aniseed? bitter almonds? phenol? iodine?

Field Mushroom. Note the thin broken stem ring.

If your mushroom does not meet every one of the characters required (smooth capped, fragile stem ring, stem that comes to a point, mushroom odour) then it is not a Field Mushroom but one of the other Agaricus species. For example, Yellow Stainers have smooth white caps, but their stem ring is persistent and a bit fluffy and flappy, their stem is tree trunk shaped and tends to flare out at the bottom and their odour is an off-putting phenol smell.

Scaly Wood Mushroom Agaricus langei (Fr. Psalliote sanguinolente). Note the strong blush where I've deliberately scraped the stem, the brown scales on the cap, the columnar stem and the more robust stem ring. Grows near hedgerows and on the edges of woodlands. It's not toxic, but not worth eating.

The Field Mushrooms shown in these photos, taken by me last week, were growing with another lookalike species, White Dapperling Leucocoprinus leucothites (Fr. Lepiote pudique). From the top they look just the same and it wasn't until I picked a couple and saw the white gills I realised they were different. In this case the lookalike is not toxic, but they are not tasty enough to bother eating, and in any case, belong to a group of mushrooms that I am very wary of in general.

Yellow Stainer.

An Agaricus I never managed to identify to species level. Not a Field Mushroom anyway, but one of the other species. Obviously you should not eat a Agaricus when you are not of its identity.

This Agaricus may be a Snowy Mushroom A. osecanus, known as the Boule de neige in French. But again, don't eat it if you are not confident of the identification.

Yellow Stainers.

Yellow Stainers. Note the bright yellow appearing where the cap has been deliberately cut, and where the stem has been handled.

Yellow Stainer. Note the bright yellow where the cap has been deliberately cut.

My dear friend and mushroom guru Jean holding an Agaricus sp and regaling us with a story of spending a night on the toilet after having eaten an Agaricus that looked just like this, when he was young and reckless.

Wood Mushroom Agaricus silvicola (Fr. Agaric des bois) is a good edible species. Found in woodland, you need to check it for its strong aniseed scent.

Now Thats What I Call a Door!

2026-10-16T09:00:00.000+02:00

This is the main door to Wartburg Schloss, the castle above Eisenach. Susan and I like old doors.

Lunch at l'Image

2026-10-15T09:00:00.000+02:00

On Tuesday I went walking with Dotty: just a gentle stroll around town. It was pretty warm, but trying to drizzle. Consequently, it was sweaty - very nasty.

We called into l'Image for a coffee (and a couple of glasses of water) and I realised that Susan and I hadn't eaten at l'Image for ages. I called her up, and twenty minutes later she joined me.

A meal is always accompanied by bread

Oysters. Something I don't eat often enough

Sausages and crushed and pan crisped potatoes

Apricot cheesecake

As ever, the food was excellent. I came home and may have had a little sleep.

Roofers at the Abbaye

2026-10-14T09:00:00.000+02:00

For a while now, the roof over a side chapel of the Abbey has been letting the rain in.

Work is now happening to fix the problem.

The Annual Sausage Walk

2026-10-13T09:00:00.000+02:00

The annual Sausage Walk was in Paris on Sunday 4 October. I made it for the tail end. The event raises money for Dachshund (Fr. Teckel) welfare. There was merch, so I bought some. The exorbitant price (25 euros for a printed canvas bag) means that lots goes to the dogs charities. I used to be godmother to a pair of mini dachshunds so I am very fond of the breed.

For the first time it was held along the Champs Elysee, which is pedestrianised on the first Sunday of the month. Anyone can attend and profits go to l'Association Teckels sans doux foyer (Dachshunds without a loving home). The charity takes care of abandoned or mistreated dachshunds.

Everyone attending is warned that they may be photographed, so don't go if you are allergic to social media.

How to Cook Fresh Wild Mushrooms

2026-10-12T09:00:00.010+02:00

Foraging for wild mushrooms is madly popular in France. You are allowed to gather 5 kg per person per day, for personal use and if you have the landowner's permission. Most people who gather this sort of quantity these days have a dehydrator and process most of their mushrooms this way. Note that the law forbids you from giving any of your mushrooms away (in case you inadvertently poison a friend), and you are certainly not allowed to sell any that are excess to requirements directly, although you may, in some circumstances pass them on to a licenced forager. I don't gather anywhere near this quantity, but I like to have a couple of foraging outings in a season, to keep my eye in. I don't gather more than a kilo over a season. I don't own a dehydrator and cook my mushroom bounty fresh as an occasional treat.

Hedgehog mushrooms (Fr. Pieds de moutons) and a few Ashen Chanterelles (Fr. Chanterelles cendrées), foraged in the Foret de Preuilly.

There are relatively few mushrooms in the forest which are both edible, and worth eating. Make sure you can accurately identify them, because it's fairly easy to make yourself sick, even if you manage to avoid killing yourself. To be able to safely identify the edibles you need to be able to confidently identify their toxic lookalikes too. Make sure your basket is not full of a mixture of crumbling mushroom species. That's a common way of accidentally poisoning yourself, when there is a small piece of something highly toxic mixed in with your edibles.

Hedgehog mushrooms prepared for cooking.

These instructions are good for ceps (porcini), chanterelles, girolles, black trumpets, hedgehog mushrooms, oysters and wood blewits.

The liquid produced in the first cooking, ready to be drained off.

Only choose mushrooms in perfect condition. Any mushroom may become toxic with age, so don't eat any that are past their best. Prepare and cook wild mushrooms within hours of foraging, and no longer than 24 hours after picking.
Cut off the dirty stem ends and discard.
Brush the tops and check for invertebrates and dirt underneath, brush delicately if necessary. Be thorough because gritty mushrooms aren't nice.
For ceps and hedgehogs gently rub off the sponge (ceps) or needles (hedgehogs).
Slice or chop the mushrooms as desired.
Melt a knob of butter in a frying pan and add the mushrooms.
Cook on medium high heat for 2 minutes, stirring and turning occasionally. The mushrooms will release a lot of liquid.
Carefully pour off the liquid.
Add some more butter to the mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring and turning, for a further 5 minutes.
Serve immediately.

Giving the mushrooms their second cooking after draining the liquid.

Don't feed wild mushrooms to children under seven years old, and don't eat them yourself more than once a week. This is to avoid over exposure to either natural toxins or toxins the mushrooms may sequester or accumulate.

Wild mushrooms served with white fish and potatoes.

Saint Sébastien

2026-10-09T09:00:00.000+02:00

We've had a couple of German St George's, now for a slightly resigned looking St Sébastien from Beaune.

You see a lot of St Sébastiens in France, I don't know why. Maybe being shot full of arrows was a daily hazard in the olden days

Autobahnkirchen

2026-10-08T09:00:00.000+02:00

One thing I noticed in Germany in June was brown signs pointing to Autobahn chapels, but none of the stops we made actually had one.

Germany has hundreds of Autobahnkirchen, small chapels and churches beside motorways and truck stops, offering travellers a quiet pause from the road's.

This is the Ecumenical Autohofkapelle at Schwabhausen, off the A4 in Thuringia. In August I made a deliberate stop there to photograph it - we didn't need fuel, we had filled up 10 minutes earlier. I knew it was there, because they're marked on maps. Opened in autumn 2003, it was the third chapel built by the SVG Hessen cooperative at its truck stops. Services are held on special occasions such as truckers' weddings and bikers' meetings.

Saint George II

2026-10-07T09:00:00.000+02:00

I posted a photo of the Saint George of Eisenach yesterday, and commented that he looks effete. Susan reckons that the statue of Saint George in the castle of Wartburg (above Eisenach) takes that prize.

It's probably because this one doesn't have a monumental 'tache.

St George, Eisenach

2026-10-06T09:00:00.000+02:00

This particularly effete looking chap is St George, patron saint of Eisenach. His armour dates him to the period 1550 to 1560, and is he is thought to have been cast from discarded tournament armour in 1549. As far as I can make out, he was always guilded.

He stands atop a sandstone pillar in the marketplace, and for many years served as the town water supply, water being piped through wooden pipes from springs above the town. The pillar has 4 extra little dragons which are the actual fountain.

Nice 'tache, though.

Girolles, Chanterelles and Trumpets

2026-10-05T09:00:00.001+02:00

The Cantharellaceae family of fungi are all edible, but their nomenclature can cause a lot of confusion, and they have a few toxic but unrelated lookalikes, so you can't relax too much. The key is that Cantharellaceae do not have gills. They have irregular pleats on their undersides. Beginners need to really study them to be sure they can confidently recognise the Cantharellaceae pleats and not mistake them for gills. All of the toxic lookalikes have gills, so make sure you look carefully.

The current officially sanctioned vernacular naming system is that Cantharellus spp should be referred to as Girolles, and Craterellus spp should be referred to as Chanterelles (except for C. cornucopioides, which is referred to as a trumpet).

The greatest prize is the Girolle Cantharellus cibarius (Fr. Girolle). But these are not very common in the Touraine, so you might have to resort to buying them at a market.

Winter Chanterelle Craterellus tubaeformis (Fr. Chanterelle en tube) and Girolles at a market.

Winter Chaterelles at a market. This species is abundant in the Touraine forests so you can forage your own if you have a good eye.

Yellowfoot Chanterelle Craterellus lutescens (Fr. Chanterelle jaune), foraged in the Forest of Loches. A localised but abundant species where it occurs.

Yellowfoot Chanterelle found in a woodland near Séligny.

Yellowfoot Chanterelle, showing the distinctive yellow colouring under the cap. Winter Chanterelles are grey under the cap.

Blackening Chanterelle Craterellus melanoxeros (Fr. Chanterelle noircissante), an uncommon species in the Touraine. These were found in the Forest of Preuilly.

Ashen Chanterelles Craterellus cinereus (Fr. Chanterelle cendrée), foraged in the Forest of Preuilly, and being cooked by me at home.

Ashen Chanterelles are an uncommon species, which I found in a small quantity in the Forest of Preuilly last year.

Ashen Chanterelles are very difficult to spot in the leaf litter.

Black Trumpets Craterellus cornucopioides (Fr. Trompettes de la mort) at a market.

Black Trumpets in the Forest of Preuilly.

All of these edible mushrooms can be found in the forests of the Touraine if you get your eye in. The rules in France are that you can forage up to 5 kilograms per person per day for personal consumption if you have the landowners permission. The outdoor market in Loches has several stalls in October and November that will sell wild mushrooms such as this, gathered by licenced commercial foragers.

Studies show that mushroom foraging for personal consumption is no threat to biodiversity, unless a site is badly trampled (compacting the soil). Using a rake is forbidden, because of the habitat disturbance, and in any case counterproductive, as you have to spend so much time cleaning and sorting the mushrooms from the leaf litter.

Not Chagall

2026-10-02T09:00:00.000+02:00

I said on Wednesday that I confidently pointed at some stained glass windows in Metz Cathedral and told Susan "that's got to be Chagall".

I should have known I was wrong: Chagall is all swirls and freehand, and these are definitely cubist. These are the centre three panels of that set of windows, and they show The Last Supper, the crucifixion and the wedding at Cana. Looking at them I can see the last supper - the row of apostles' heads and plates down the left side. I can see the wedding at Cana - all those empty jars of wine. What I can't decipher is the crucifixion. I can see Mary in her traditional place (bottom right) but the rest is too abstract for me.

Jacques Villon designed the windows in 1957 for the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at Metz Cathedral. Charles Marq and Brigitte Simon made the glass, using acid etching. Villon was born Gaston Duchamp, brother of Marcel.

Powdery Piggybacks

2026-10-01T09:00:00.001+02:00

Powdery Piggybacks found by me in the Forest of Preuilly.

This tiny uncommon mushroom may look small and innocuous but it is much more enigmatic than its simple appearance. Its presence and ability to parasitise and decompose its host, Brittlegill Russula spp mushrooms, is an important indicator of the health of its forest home.

Found on an outing to a woodland at Ferrière les Beaulieu.

The scientific name is Asterophora lycoperdoides and its French name is Astérophore faux-lycoperdon. The miniature mushrooms 'piggyback' in small groups on old Brittlegills, and after starting out powdered white, soon become covered with what looks like cinnamon powder. Hence the English name of Powdery Piggyback mushroom. Unusually for a gilled mushroom, this powder on the top of the cap is made up of asexual spore like reproductive bodies. This is quite unlike 'normal' gilled mushrooms, which produce sexual spores that are dropped from the gills to reproduce.

Found on an outing to a woodland at Ferrière les Beaulieu.

The species is widespread, and considered to be uncommon, but because of its small size it may be overlooked and under recorded rather than genuinely rare. You are most likely to see it in beech forests, or mixed beech and spruce, in damp places.

Chagall Glass in Metz

2026-09-30T09:00:00.000+02:00

Before we went to Germany in August we saw a TV program about Metz Cathedral. As a family member had recently been there and raved about it, we thought we'd go, specifically to see the Chagall windows.

We were partially successful.

The photo above shows the first Chagall window in the north ambulatory and shows Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac, Jacob wrestling the angel, Jacob's dream of the ladder, and Moses at the burning bush. Noah and Joseph appear to sit in miniature in the tracery, and an angel with a rainbow appears to crown the top.

This photo shows the second Chagall window in the north ambulatory. Moses receives the Law and, in some readings, leads the Hebrews across the Red Sea. In the centre, David plays the harp, (that's the green and yellow bit). On the right, Jeremiah mourns Jerusalem in purple and blue. Above the three lancets, a rose window is read as the Crucifixion, placing the prophets beneath the cross.

It's difficult to actually know what the windows DO actually show. Chagall is abstract enough that the windows can be interpreted, and some people have interpreted differently. I tried to use peer reviewed articles where possible.

What we do know is that Chagall drew the designs and applied highlights of grisaille (black and grey) to the glass. Charles Marq and Brigitte Simon, of the Atelier Simon-Marq in Reims, cut, fired, and leaded the pieces. Marq developed a process of veneering pigment onto glass, which let Chagall layer colors on a single piece.

And the partially successful bit?

That's because there are other Chagall windows we didn't see. We did see (and photograph) a window by Jacques Villon (born Gaston Duchamp, the brother of Marcel Duchamp), which I confidently identified to Susan as one of the Chagall windows. In my defence, Villon also worked with Charles Marq, so the glass may come from the same workshop as Chagall's windows

I give myself four out of ten, mainly for effort.

A Heart of Dough

2026-09-29T09:00:00.000+02:00

I know we have a world of opinion (and one or two facts) at our fingertips wherever we go, but sometimes you have to ask yourself "why?".

We know what they are, and what you do with them, but why?

And how do you ask for one without resorting to just pointing?

It's Raining

2026-09-28T09:00:00.000+02:00

We were woken up this morning by the most terrific clap of thunder.

The power then proceeded to go out (and come back on again) multiple times in rapid succession. I've never experienced anything like it before, with the power going off for up to a minute then coming back on again. In the 10 minutes leading up to 07:00h I'd say the lights went off about 30 times. It may be that now the house is lit exclusively by LED we'll never experience a brownout again: in the increasingly digital binary world lights will either be on or off.

Guess where we are

I don't know how much rain we'll end up getting, but we'll take anything, even though it's so dry at the moment there's the danger of fires. I think we'll accept that risk.

Autun at a Distance

2026-09-25T09:00:00.000+02:00

It's only when you photograph Autun from a distance and crop out the obviously "modern" 16th century Burgundian roof of the military school that you realise how médiéval the place looks.

These photos were taken right weeks apart: we just happened to be driving through Autun for a second time when I took the top photo. We'll have to go back, there's plenty more to see.

WMM Hotels

2026-09-24T09:00:00.000+02:00

When we were in Germany in June I booked us one night in a WMM Hotel near Eisenach. It appealled because I was looking for somewhere with a kitchen, and at a good price.

The business's method was new to me, and it didn't totally make sense at first. You book a room online, then on the day of your stay you'll receive an email asking you to check in. You'll need a photo of your ID to do so, but it's a simple process. You'll then get a second email with your room number and a big green button in it. When you arrive at the hotel you press the button to unlock the door. Don't press it before you arrive at the door to your room.

Ain't technology wonderful.

On our more recent trip to Germany we stayed in 3 WMM hotels, and they were all clean, comfortable, and well equipped. Rooms include a desk, a television and WiFi, as well as a mini kitchen. They're incredibly quiet even though they're inevitably in industrial areas or near the Autoroute - or both. The rooms are built as modules in Mindelheim and Illertissen, then assembled on site.

We like them. You know what you're getting, and although they're not exactly picturesque the rooms themselves are comfortable, and the bathrooms way bigger then you would find in most other budget hotels.

Back to Work

2026-09-23T09:00:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I actually worked at what I consider to be my main job, for the first time in three and a half years.

It wasn't the longest days work I've ever done, but it was still a long day: picking clients up at 9:00am and getting home at 7:00pm, driving 170km in the process. Claudette was misbehaving slightly: her gear shift still needs fine tuning, but I managed the day without embarassing myself, and the clients left happy.

One of the reasons the gear shift has been thrown out of whack is that I put a new sort of battery in. It's a smaller physical size, but it's actually much more modern and more reliable. Unfortunately, we didn't realise that moving the battery forward as we had done meant that the battery leads interfered with the gear change rods. Oops!

She still isn't perfectly dependable shifting from first to second, which can be embarrassing. I'll have to get in touch with the guru to find out what the solution is.

Panthercap or Franchet's Amanita?

2026-09-22T09:00:00.001+02:00

These two Amanita species are quite difficult to tell apart. Thanks to amanitamozart on iNaturalist I was given a few clues to help.

The main clue is that the flaky remains of the veil on the cap are subtley different. On Franchet's Amanita they are pale grey with a yellowish tinge. They are also less bobbly ie flatter, more attached and less projecting. The flakes on a Panthercap are pure white and more three dimensional, a bit like pearl sugar.

Franchet's Amanita Amanita franchetii (Fr. Amanite à voile jaune).

Franchet's Amanite is covered in a sulphur yellow veil and volva when young, and the scales on the cap, the 'skirt' around the upper stem and the 'sack' at the bottom of the stem are the remnants of that. With age these parts fade to dirty yellow.

Panthercap Amanita pantherina (Fr. Amanite panthère).

Panthercaps have a lightly striated cap margin and a series of 'beaded' rings around the volva. The stem ring is plain, not striated, and not yellow edged. The cap is 4 - 15 cm across, initially hemispherical, then convex and finally flat, maybe even a bit depressed in the centre. When it's damp the cap surface will be viscous, if the weather is dry it will be satiny. The brown colour will lighten at the edge as the mushroom ages.

Panthercap.

The 'snowflake' like 'warts' on the cap will wash off quite easily in rain. The gills are pure white and quite tightly packed. The spores are also white. The white stem is 5 - 15 cm tall and 1 - 2 cm thick. And the flesh is white and does not react to being bruised. The mushroom doesn't smell of anything in particular.

Panthercap.

Both species grow in small groups in deciduous forest on calcareous soil, in association with oak, chestnut and hornbeam as well as other trees and sometimes conifers if the soil is flinty.

Panthercap.

Panthercap. The volva ('sack' at the base of the stem, which most Amanita spp have in some form) is typical for this particular species.

As you can see by the number of photos I have, Franchet's Amanita is rare, whereas Panthercap is abundant in the Touraine. Both species are toxic, and can lead to convulsions, violent vomiting and psychodelic experiences but not believed to be normally fatal. Both species can be mistaken for the edible Blusher Amanita rubscens (Fr. Amanite rougissante), but it stains red when bruised.

My Favourite New Toy

2026-09-21T09:00:00.000+02:00

Three weeks ago I bought a bass. I didn't mean to buy a bass, in fact this was my shopping list.

All basic maintenance stuff, nothing too extreme.

Then I walked into this very small corner of the shop:

There's no way I could justify buying exactly the same sort of of bass that Paul McCartney played, but Thomann's make their own branded version (it doesn't hurt that they now own Hofner). Nestled behind the original Hofner bases was the in house copy. Who could resist?

It's a really fun instrument to play: very light compared to most basses, smaller, and therefore more comfortable whilst I relearn an instrument I spent 20 years playing.

And I still don't have any gaffa tape.

Passion Altarpiece, Ternant

2026-09-18T09:00:00.000+02:00

As a result of following a brown sign we found new treasure! The Route des Triptyques is well worth following should you be pootling along the Route du Fours-Luzy (D981) in the departement (county) of Nievre (the south-west of Burgundy). This will get you to the church in a tiny village called Ternant, population 300. It is home to two astonishing medieval altarpieces. This blog post concerns one of them.

The Entombment of Christ, on the left of the altarpiece, with Mary Magdalen kneeling in the foreground, Christ outstretched on the tomb, and Joseph of Arimathea, Saint John, the Virgin, Mary Salome and Mary of Cleophas.

The Passion Altarpiece was made in a Brabantine workshop (in what was at the time the Burgundian Netherlands) around 1460. With its iconography it represents a Passion cycle frequently depicted in works from the southern Low Countries. Its composition is a classic inverted T arrangement and is typical in its tripartite construction (with extending hinged panels), depiction of donors and a painting of the coronation of the Virgin on the back of a panel.

The theme of the central three dimensional panel is the Crucifixion, with scenes of Calvary, the fainting Virgin and the kneeling donors. The landscape painted on the background is Jerusalem. The Virgin has her hands clasped above her head, supported by Saint John and a female saint. In the background a second female saint in an attitude of prayer, and Mary Magdalen, wearing an extraordinary turban, her back turned, lifts her arms towards the Cross. Both donors are richly dressed and kneeling. Charles de Ternant clasps his hands, a dagger in his belt. Facing him, his wife Jehanne de Vienne-Pymont is holding an open book, wearing a remarkable henin (headdress) and a bejewelled necklace.

Mary Magdalen, in a gown decorated using the brocart applique technique, kneeling to kiss the hand of the dead Christ.

Above them, linking the donors to the Crucifixion scene are two grimacing soldiers and a high ranking priest. In the middle are two other groups of soldiers and priests, surrounding Christ. At the top, Christ is fixed to the Cross by his ankles, between two cherubs. Another character is collecting the blood of Christ at his feet.

The righthand side depicts the painted interior of a brick house, pierced by a window and an open door. The scene within is a Pieta. The seated Virgin carries Christ while his head is supported by Saint John. The drama is observed by two small passers by, through the ajar window.

Jehanne de Vienne-Pymont, one of the donor couple.

The lefthand side also shows an interior, representing the Entombment of Christ. This is the moment when Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus place Christ's body in the tomb. A kneeling Mary Magdalen holds his hand. In the background the Virgin prays, while Saint John and two female saints (Mary Salome and Mary Cleophas) are also present.

The three scenes are topped by an interlaced decoration evoking the plant world and set under a dome of starry sky. The architrave is a high relief frieze of geometric motifs decorated with three coats of arms: Ternant and Isabeau de Roye (the parents of the donor), Ternant, and Burgundy.

One of the donor couple, Charles de Ternant.

The altarpiece measures 236 cm high x 550 cm wide (when open) x 44 cm deep. It is made of oak and painted walnut. Dendrodating shows that the oak was about 300 years old when it was felled in about 1450. The carcass is one single big plank with other elements such as a raised central compartment added using dowels and glue. This was then prepared by painting with a limewash base coat.

The sculptures are walnut, from pieces that have been split then sawn transversally and worked with a cleaver which was kept sharp with a honing stone and a flat edged file. The parts would have been held together in the workshop with nails which were replaced by beech dowels during restoration in the mid-20th century. The central figures are two pieces of walnut, held together with metallic supports. The ground is represented by wavy gouge marks.

The Fainting Virgin, in a gown painted in azurite blue, the central scene of the altarpiece.

The painted decoration on the sculpture uses a variety of techniques traditionally applied in the Brabantine workshops. There is gold on a base of Armenian bole (a type of red clay), a mixture of lacquers on silver leaf, a technique that created an embossed look called brocart applique, and azurite on a black undercoat. After the carving the work was painted white. Skin tones were painted on. Draperies were given a thicker base coat of white. Blue robes were painted in blue azurite over a black layer. Cloth of Gold was created by painting on red clay then covering with gold leaf and burnishing by rubbing with a smooth agate tool. The lacquered decoration was created by painting with the red clay then covering with silver leaf as a base. The lacquers themselves were made with cochineal for red and copper for green. Brocart applique was created by using a base of wax and pewter which was then gilded and lacquered.

The Passion altarpiece was a gift made by Charles Ternant, after his parents Philippe Ternant and Isabeau de Roye decided to build a new church in the village in 1448. Charles was born around 1433 and had been brought up with the future Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. He had spent a long time in the southern Low Countries, particularly in Brussels, where he was able to commission the altarpiece, probably after the death of his father in 1454. The altarpiece subsequently several times escaped destruction (pillaging, the Revolution, wars, incorporation into various collections, restoration).

Behind the Virgin is Mary Magdalen, in a turban, with her back turned to us, raising her arms in despair or supplication.

The style of the sculptures, the clothing and the iconography correspond to the Brabantine workshops of the second half of the 15th century. The altarpiece belongs to a style from around 1500, and which was already being produced by 1460. It has elements in common with a few other altarpieces from the period, and reflects a style associated with Rogier van der Weyden. He was working in Brussels from 1435 to 1450. So the altarpiece is thought to be slightly later than him, but by someone who is influenced by his style.

The monumental nature of the altarpiece also resembles several religious sculptures in other locations from the period. And finally, the use of the polychrome techniques typical of the Brabantine workshops such as brocart applique and lacquers on metallic leaf confirm the period in which the piece was made. It is interesting that the dendrodating indicates a date closer to 1450 than 1460.

Me trying desperately to get decent photos without reflections.

As an altarpiece the work was protected to some extent by being displayed with its back to the light. It has not been subjected to extensive repainting. Eighty percent of the paint is original, and retouches have respected the original colour scheme. The retouching can be picked up mainly by differences in tone and how the paint has aged.

The azurite blue and the ermine trim on the cloak and the clothes in red lacquer, especially, have been retouched numerous times. The polished gilding has been redone in a piecemeal fashion, presumably as and when wear or tarnishing occurred in the past.

The right panel of the altarpiece, a Pieta.

The first round of retouching was perhaps in 1881, coinciding with the altarpiece being classified as a Listed Monument. We know for sure that there was retouching done as part of a restoration that took place between 1938 and 1947. Some really poor quality and roughly executed retouching was done in 1971. This is likely when a vinyl varnish was abundantly slopped all over the altarpiece, coating all the sculpted figures in a thick and uneven layer, regardless of whether their original finish had been mat or shiny.

There has been fungal damage to the wood due to high humidity. The wood has been weakened and caused numerous small breakages. The introduction of beech dowels in 1947 allowed wood boring insects already present in the work to proliferate rapidly and to cross over into the walnut figures. Two different sized exit holes indicate that there must be several species present. One is probably a furniture beetle Anobium sp and the smaller holes may be one of its predators.

There is significant build up of encrusted dirt.

Doors of Fritzlar

2026-09-17T09:00:00.000+02:00

Some of the more interesting doors in Fritzlar.

Probably the most meaningful for to us: the door to the house my Great-grandfather was born in. My brother is claiming territorial rights - or something.

The Domstein

2026-09-16T09:00:00.000+02:00

Here's a "what's that thing".

The Domstein is the broken remains of one of four enormous granite columns that supported the 4th-century cathedral in Trier. Found beneath the cathedral in 1614, the fragments were placed outside. Legend says the Devil threw it at the cathedral in anger.

We'll be writing about the cathedral at some stage.