Red of Rance
Rance, a town in the Walloon region in the Belgian province of Hainaut, was the site of a marble quarry that produced building material for the Versailles palace. Rance was one of the oldest and most important marble sites, but today the quarries are closed.
Louis XIV added a Red of Rance marble colonnade to the façade of the part of the Versailles palace that was built in the reign of Louis XIII. Red marble from Rance or “Old Rance” was probably the most prolificaly used marble in the decoration of the palace, namely in the “Galerie des Glaces “ (Hall of Mirrors) and the main portico in the “Cour des Marbres” (Marble Courtyard), but also different salons or sitting rooms, used for columns, capitals, wainscoting, etc.. The beauty of this marble fit Louis XIVth desire to use only the most noble of materials for his palace. From 1660 to 1670, Colbert, Louis XIV’s state secretary, promoted a strong marble policy. The Northern ressources, now French, were much appreciated especially Red of Rance marble. As the construction of the palace began, the Margelle quarry in Rance produced most of the marbles, but as the demand grew a new quarry was opened and subsequently called the “Trou de Versailles” (hole of Versailles).
“Vieux Rance” (Old Rance ) is a reddish-brown, dark cherry-red limestone, speckled with a myriad of “rat tails” (as refered to by marble carvers), grey veins, and white more or less lenticular spots. This marble, like the other red marbles from Belgium, is extracted from dome-shaped sedimentary rock that can be as much as 230feet thick.
Red of Rance marble was much used as decorative material for furniture and architecture in the Paris region in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Continuing this trend, the Regence period favored strong colored marbles such as Antique Green, Portor and especially Red of Rance, still much exploited for mantels, and for the tops of “commodes-tombeau” (chest of drawers resembling sarcophagi) matched with Rosewood - a wood that has very similar veining to the Belgian marble. Red of Rance was also much appreciated for marquetry furniture, often used in combination with a variety of wood species.However it was seldom used with lacquered furniture although we do find Red of Rance marble tops that work in harmony with red lacquered furniture, or in association with a red mantel piece. In the period of transition from the Rococo Louis XV style to the Neo-Classical Louis XVI style, Red of Rance marble was often associated with mahogany furniture, the marble reflected in the reddish brown hues of the wood. In the early 19th century, Napoleon, newly made King of Italy, largely exploited Italian quarries and the colors of marble then in style were red Griotte, white marbles, Turquin blue, antique Green, and Sea Green. In the Restoration period and during the July Monarchy grey, white and black marbles became predominant. Nevertheless, the workshops in Rance remained active all during the 19th century and until 1952-1953 the warm hues of this red marble continued to please buyers.
- photo 1 : Sample of Red of Rance marble
- photo 2 : Diane salon, the walls are adorned with powerful Red of Rance and Green Campan marble moldings, Versailles Palace.
- photo 3 : Detail of the marble panel in in the Diane salon, Versailles Palace.
Bibliography :
J. Dubarry de Lassale, "Identification des Marbres", Turin, 2000.
J. Dubarry de Lassale, "Utilisation des Marbres", Turin, 2005.
E. Groessens, "Les Marbres belges à Versailles".
P. Julien, "Marbres, de carrières en palais", Manosque, 2006.
