The Villa de La Fontaine, commissioned by Joseph Pinoncély in 1903, is the work of architect Ulysse Bertrand, an employee of the PLM railway company who was involved in the construction of the line connecting Chorges to Barcelonnette.
Two preliminary designs dating from 1903, in an eclectic style, favoured an accentuated silhouette effect with complex rooflines.
The design chosen by the client, a former merchant in Durango who preferred a simpler style, marked a return to regularity in the layout and elevation.
Ulysse Bertrand chose to concentrate most of the decorative elements on the south façade, facing both the street and the garden, combining moulded stone, brick and ceramics in a picturesque neo-Flemish style. The emphasis is on the central bay, which is treated as a projecting section and crowned with an imposing dormer window featuring a glazed terracotta medallion inscribed with the year of construction: 1905.
Inside, the main staircase, suspended on three straight flights, exceptionally constructed in marble, occupies the right-hand side of the vestibule. The English-style ironwork of the banister features a Rococo design. Located in the longitudinal axis of the staircase, the four-panel bay window is decorated with geometric stained glass, against which two medallions bearing coats of arms stand out.
Another highlight is the staircase: a grand staircase with converging flights and a landing, embellished with a fountain. The medallion, a lion's mask surrounded by two olive branches in glazed terracotta, may have come from the large tile factory in Bourgogne Montchanin.
The design chosen by the client, a former merchant in Durango who preferred a simpler style, marked a return to regularity in the layout and elevation.
Ulysse Bertrand chose to concentrate most of the decorative elements on the south façade, facing both the street and the garden, combining moulded stone, brick and ceramics in a picturesque neo-Flemish style. The emphasis is on the central bay, which is treated as a projecting section and crowned with an imposing dormer window featuring a glazed terracotta medallion inscribed with the year of construction: 1905.
Inside, the main staircase, suspended on three straight flights, exceptionally constructed in marble, occupies the right-hand side of the vestibule. The English-style ironwork of the banister features a Rococo design. Located in the longitudinal axis of the staircase, the four-panel bay window is decorated with geometric stained glass, against which two medallions bearing coats of arms stand out.
Another highlight is the staircase: a grand staircase with converging flights and a landing, embellished with a fountain. The medallion, a lion's mask surrounded by two olive branches in glazed terracotta, may have come from the large tile factory in Bourgogne Montchanin.
Location
Location
Contact Villa La Fontaine
