Mural design picturing riders in a landscape for a lunette in the library of the Chateau de Lude (Sarthe) 1850 - 1900

Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise made this design for a mural with paint on paper, though we don't know exactly when. It depicts riders in a landscape for a lunette, or arched space, in the library of the Chateau de Lude in the Sarthe region of France. The aristocratic setting of the Chateau de Lude suggests this imagery references a tradition of country leisure, likely intended to evoke feelings of nobility, beauty and an appreciation for nature. Horses and riders were often associated with wealth and power in French art and culture, particularly in the context of country estates and hunting scenes. The Chateau itself played a role in shaping the artwork through it's specific setting, the library, and architectural design. The lunette shape dictated the composition, encouraging a balanced and harmonious arrangement of elements that suggests an ideal of refined rural life. By studying the archives of the Chateau de Lude, as well as the broader history of French aristocratic culture, we can gain a deeper understanding of the ways in which this mural design reflects and reinforces particular social values and hierarchies of its time.