Hello.

Can anybody enlighten me on what Mr. Shiel means by "a fireplace Louis Onze?" The phrase comes from his short story Vaila.

"Though our joint ménage (brought about by a chance meeting at a midnight séance in Paris) had now lasted some months, I knew nothing of his plans, motives. Through the day we pursued our intense readings together, he rapt quite back into the past, I equally engrossed upon the present; late at night we reclined on couches within the vast cave of an old fireplace Louis Onze, and smoked to the dying flame in a silence of wormwood and terebinth."

I have no idea what it might mean and there is another thing that strikes me as odd and that is the sentence, "We reclined on couches within the vast cave of the old fireplace." I cannot imagine they are physically sitting on couches inside the fireplace so I wonder what the place looks like. Is the hearth and the part of the room where it is installed enclosed by some sort of a screen or a curtain?

Just off the top of my head, "Louis Onze", seems like a reference to Louis XI of France.

[en.wikipedia.org]

Now, whether there is an architectural style or mode of interior design associated with his reign, I don't know. If the painted portrait accompanying the Wiki article is accurate, I can say for sure that he was pretty homely, though.

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gothic and Renaissance fireplaces could be enormous. But they were often not very efficient in actually heating a castle. Sometimes an extension, a mantel, was built in front of the actual fireplace, holding some of the heat. A place where one could sit in, or nearby, especially during the cold winter months.
fireplace
fireplace
fireplace
fireplace


Sawfish Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> [en.wikipedia.org]
>
> ... If the painted portrait accompanying
> the Wiki article is accurate, I can say for sure
> that he was pretty homely, though.

Interesting. Would you care to expound on that? What specifically about his character or apperance makes you say that? Perhaps the creases on his neck and cheek reveals that he liked to sit in a comfy chair, resting his chin on his chest?

Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

MUCH SNIPPED...



>
> Interesting. Would you care to expound on that?
> What specifically about his character or apperance
> makes you say that? Perhaps the creases on his
> neck and cheek reveals that he liked to sit in a
> comfy chair, resting his chin on his chest?

Purely subjective, K. Good to see you back, and thanks for the hearth examples!

I mean, his wife no doubt thought him a fine-looking fellow...

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~