Draft _ Livret Anglais Mab

17 OCT. 2020 19 SEPT. 2021

ENGLISH VERSION

THE TERRACOTTA FIGURINES OF CENTRAL GAUL

CONTENTS

Musée Anne de Beaujeu

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INTRODUCTION

P. 5

THE WORKSHOPS

P. 6

OPERATING CHAIN

P. 7—11

THE COROPLASTS

P. 12

PANTHEON

P. 13

FAUNA AND FLORA

P. 13

PORTRAITS GALLERY

P. 14

USE OF FIGURINES

P. 14

STUDY

P. 15

LES ATELIERS

CHAÎNE OPÉRATOIRE

LES COROPLASTES

PANTHÉON

FAUNE ET FLORE

GALERIE DE PORTRAITS

UTILISATION DES FIGURINES

ÉTUDE

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Clay witnesses from the past The terracotta figurines of central Gaul

MusĂŠe Anne de Beaujeu

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INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION

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t is at the crossroads of various gallo-roman cities (administrative territories) : Eduens,Bituriges-Cubes, Arvernes or Ambivarètes, which correspond to the territorial boundaries of the Celts that several ceramics production centres flourished between the first and third century of our era in what we now call « central Gaul ».

In 1856, when terracotta figurines were uncovered in a field near Toulonsur-Allier, it was almost 2000 years of history which cropped up. The appeal for these productions of Gallo roman handicraft will never cease to grow to eventually make up an important part of the collections of the musée Anne de Beaujeu. As soon as the 19th century, the importance of the discoveries made in the Allier, together with an efficient communication campaign organised by its inventors led specialists as well as the general public to name this type of objects « white clay Allier figurines ».

Even now, in various museums throughout the world, these terracotta figurines often bear the same name. Today, we know that the people of ancient times who occupied territories which were not yet known as the Allier were not the only ones to produce terracotta moulded figurines. More than twenty workshops, spread over the entire Roman Gaul, like the ones in Autun, Brives or Rennes to mention only a few.

The collection of terracotta figurines from central Gaul now exhibited in the musée Anne de Beaujeu is one of the most important, after the one kept in the Musée d’archéologie nationale of Saint Germain en-Laye. Today, the development of preventive archeology, the carrying out of new university researches and the implementation of experimental archeology throw a new light on to this type of handicraft.

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Clay witnesses from the past The terracotta figurines of central Gaul

THE WORKSHOPS

LES ATELIERS

The artisan who practises his art of coroplathy, and more precisely the one consisting in the making of figurines, is called a coroplast.

A coroplathy production workshop is defined by the simultaneous presence of baking ovens, moulds and terracotta figurines. Pits used as dumping grounds are often found near the ovens. Several ceramics production sites were discovered in the past in the Bourbonnais and in the Auvergne (in the forest of Tronçais in a place known as Terre Franche ; in the commune of Bellerive sur Allier or in the city of Clermont-ferrand for example) As early as the first century of our era and during at least 2 centuries, some pottery workshops in the centre of Gaul produced ordinary tableware as well as more sophisticated samianware (terra sigilata ceramics), relief wall vases and terracotta figurines. The coroplathic production is not exclusive but adjunct to a more classic production of this type of site : ordinary tableware, terrasigilata or tiles.

Musée Anne de Beaujeu

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OPERATING CHAIN

CHAÎNE OPÉRATOIRE

The stages of the making of an object are called «chaîne opératoire » (operating chain). The craft of figurine-making is composed of three distinct elements, each one corresponding to a stage of the conception :  the prototypes  the moulds  the finished objects, the figurines.

The design of the figurines requires two complementary techniques : the modelling and the moulding. The archeological study of the prototypes, the moulds and the finished objects makes it possible to understand the chaîne operatoire of the figurine. The use of the two complementary techniques of clay work makes their fabrication more complex. A few archaeological studies enable us to appreciate the complexity of the making as well as the moulding of the prototype. The moulding of the figurines appears as a specialized craft, which only a few potters called « coroplasts » mastered.

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Clay witnesses from the past The terracotta figurines of central Gaul

OPERATING CHAIN / CHAÎNE OPÉRATOIRE

Fig. 1. MAKING OF THE PROTOTYPE

Fig. 1.

It is the starting point of a new series of figurines. It is modelled in « rondebosse » full rounds in a clay block.

The prototype is always larger than the moulded figurines coming from it. It is also heavier and less hollow than the finished object since it is modelled in full body although it must be hollowed out to a certain extent in order to prevent it fom breaking up during the baking phase. The prototype serves as a base for the making of the mould. The latter is very often made up of two parts called « valves ». To design each valve of the mould, the potter applies the clay on one of the faces of the prototype, spilling over the separating line. It is made with a dotted or solid line which is used as a guide line for the moulding of each valve of the mould. Once it has been completed, the prototype is placed in the baking kiln.

Musée Anne de Beaujeu

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Fig. 2.

Fig. 2. MOULDING OF THE MOULD To make the valves of the mould, the artisan puts the clay on one of the shells of the prototype until it spills over the separating line. He applies a good layer of clay to make the final object more solid when used. The separating line is hollowed out and embossed in the valve. The potter cuts it out, following the dotted or solid line in order to obtain a valve of the right size. Once the first valve has been made, he can thus procced to make the second one, following the same procedure. Each valve is made separately, the two valves do not therefore overlap.

Fig. 3. SIGNATURE

Fig. 3.

The coroplast then sets his signature at the back of one valve or on both.

This signature serves many purposes during the baking of the mould. As many coroplasts can bake their moulds at the same time, it makes it easy for them to find their moulds when several coroplasts work in the same workshop.

It can also be be a sort of publicity for the potter if the mould is sold or exchanged.

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Clay witnesses from the past The terracotta figurines of central Gaul

OPERATING CHAIN / CHAÎNE OPÉRATOIRE Fig. 4.

Fig. 4. CUISSON DU MOULE Using a prototype, the coroplast can make as many moulds as he likes.

When they are finished, they are baked with other ceramics objects made in the workshop such as tableware or perfume vases for instance.

Fig. 5. THE MOULDING OF THE FIGURINES The coroplast puts a layer of clay in each valve of the mould. The terracotta, because of its porosity quickly absorbs the humidity of the clay which leads to a phenomenon of retractation making it easy to unmould the two shells of the figurine. The assembling of the two moulded parts requires the use of slurry, a liquid clay which serves as a sort of glue.

Fig. 5.

Using a tool such as a blade or a wooden stick, the artisan smooths out the joint, as cleanly as possible, being careful not to erase the details. If he is not satisfied with the moulding, he can make a few adjusments to the form.

Using the same mould, a coroplast can make as many figurines as required. As it wears out with use, the mould becomes less absorbant. So the potter must make sure to dry it up before using it again.

Musée Anne de Beaujeu

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Fig. 6. THE BAKING OF THE FIGURINES The figurines are then baked in a ceramics kiln. The art of figurines making is always associated with other objects produced by the pottery workshops. So, the figurines are placed in the same oven with the table ware. Because of their small size, they can fill in the vacant spaces thus requiring fewer ressources. Once they have been baked, the figurines are sometimes painted or gilded.

Fig. 6.

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Clay witnesses from the past The terracotta figurines of central Gaul

THE COROPLASTS LES COROPLASTES

The craftman who makes figurines is called a coroplast. He is before all a potter or a tile maker who makes figurines in addition to his main production of table–ware or tiles. In Roman Gaul, workshops only dedicated to the making of figurines did not exist. It is difficult to know at what stage of the operating chain the coroplast appears.

The modelling of a prototype requires a skill not many potters possess.

A potter wishing to make figurines can either make the prototype himself or order it from a modeler. Can the latter then be regarded as the real coroplast ?

He can also buy a figurine from an other workshop and overmold it.

Once in possession of a prototype, he can make a mould. Does the coroplast then appear at this stage of the production ? Is he the true creator or a simple modeler ? A copist or a supermodeler ? The answer is manifold and will depend on the working periods of the workshops or of the coroplasts themselves.

The signatures are most of the time found on the moulds.They are part of the logic of the working process. Since the baking was often collective, the signatures made it easy for each artisan to identify his own production.

The signature is often handwritten but it is sometimes engraved with a punch.

In this case roman characters are used and are reminiscent of the punches used for ceramics. However there is no correlation between the names appearing in these two types of productions. In handwritten signatures, traditional Celtic characters are used. Some moulds present engraved symbols such as lines grids, crosses, stars or leaves whose meaning escapes us.

Musée Anne de Beaujeu

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PANTHEON

PANTHÉON

The roman pantheon, inherited from the Greeks is often found mixed with the Gallic pantheon. Roman deities were adopted as they were, like Mercury or Venus for instance, whereas others are subject to celtic influences as it is the case for some of the figurines of Jupiter. At last, some typically celtic ones are adopted within the classic pantheon, such as the goddess Epona.

In the collections and among the discoveries made on the field one can notice an overrepresentation of the models of Venus and of mother-goddesses. We have so far found no explanation for that.

The terracotta figurines are not representative of the whole ancient pantheon since many are missing or very rarely represented such as the goddesses Diana or Juno or the gods Neptune or Mars.

FAUNA AND FLORA

FAUNE ET FLORE

The representations of animals are numerous in the collections of gallo-roman terracotta objects : birds, horses, ox, sheep ‌they recall domestic animals or animals belonging to every day life but also more exotic ones such as the lion or the ape. For the figurines of horses or cattle, it is interesting to notice that various types of harnesses are represented.

The elements of the flora, fruits or vegetables are rarer but enable us to apprehend the everydaylife of the populations - food and rituals. Thus, walnuts were shared at weddings or during certain celebrations where they were regarded as auspicious signs.

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Clay witnesses from the past The terracotta figurines of central Gaul

PORTRAITS GALLERY GALERIE DE PORTRAITS

A whole gallery of portraits showing various characters can be found among the terracotta figurines of the centre of Gaul. The different ages of life are represented as well as some corporations like those of soldiers or gladiators.

The children’s faces can be identified thanks to their bouncey cheeks and short hair. Only their busts appear or they are represented lying in bed or on a dolphin but never sitting astride it.

The adolescents are always male. They have expressionless, sometimes chubby faces, but their headdresses can vary. They usually have braids on the top of their heads.

The female busts stand out because of the rendering of the hairstyle which can be a time marker. Some can, for instance wear a tiara or have buns pulled to the back or the top of their heads ...

USE OF FIGURINES UTILISATION DES FIGURINES

The figurine is before all an object of worship. The protection it ensures, both in the workshops and at home, takes the form of terracotta representations of Venus, the mother-goddess or else of an animal or human figure.

It apparently remained within the family from birth to death. First regarded as a toy, it became an everyday life object then accompanied the deceased to the grave. When it is found in a religious context, it becomes an offering or sometimes even an ex-voto in the sanctuaries. Clay being far less costly than bronze or stone, this product must have been easily available to a large number of people.

Musée Anne de Beaujeu

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STUDY

ÉTUDE

It is in the Allier valley, in the middle of the 19th century, that major discoveries of figurines took place, whereas those types of objects had only been identified only a century before. In the 1950ies, the site known as « la forêt » in the district of Toulon-sur-Allier was discovered. Then, in the same district, the site of « Lary » was excavated by Alfred Bertrand and Louis Esmond, both members of the Société d’émulation de l’Allier. In 1860, Edmond Tudot published a catalogue of the most remarkable figurines discovered on those sites.

He made a remarkable illusration of his work with 75 drawing plates. It was the beginning of a national and international recognition of the terracotta figurines of the Allier valley.

During the same period, in Vichy, three workshops were identified which delivered dozens of figurines or moulds. In 1867, a chance discovery in Saint-Pourçain-sur-Besbre revealed the existence of a workshop and a rich collection of figurines. At last, in Varennes-sur-Allier, another chance discovery of moulds and figurines made by Alfred Bertrand in 1868 made it possible to identify a new workshop.

These events will contribute to freeze the idea of a production of figurines only concerning this area of Gaul. In the first half of the 20th century, researchers displayed a lack of interest for this production. It is not until the 50ies that there was a significant resumption of research. And once more it took place in the Allier. In 1957 and in the following years, Hugues Vertet made various rescue-excavations in the « Lary » workshop in Toulon-sur-Allier. On a national level, Micheline Rouvier-Jeanlin, a CNRS researcher engaged in the study of the collections of figurines of the Museum of national Antiquities.

The results of her study, published in 1972, constitutes the first classification of figurines in France which is still authoritative.

There was a renewal of research in the 21st century, thanks to the studies of several young researchers who now dispose of a rich arsenal of new instruments.

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Clay witnesses from the past The terracotta figurines of central Gaul

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