15th-century Medieval Floor Tile Bearing The Coat Of Arms Of Jean De Bourbon, Abbot Of Cluny—gothic Style

Rare medieval terracotta floor tile dating from the 15th century, decorated with a shield bearing the coat of arms of the House of Bourbon: azure, three fleurs-de-lis Or, with a rod Gules placed horizontally and passing through the entire field.

This heraldic arrangement is particularly interesting. The traditional coat of arms of John I of Bourbon (1382–1434), Duke of Bourbon and Auvergne, is distinguished by a gules band: azure, three gold fleurs-de-lis, a gules band across the field. However, in this coat of arms, the transverse element is inverted and appears as a bar, an arrangement that constitutes a true variation of the family coat of arms.

This distinctive feature originates from the coat of arms of Jean de Bourbon (1413–1485), the illegitimate son of Jean I of Bourbon, Count of Velay, Bishop of Le Puy from 1443, and Abbot of Cluny. Heraldic sources note that he bore the coat of arms of Bourbon “differing in the bar.” A study devoted to the heraldic legacy of the Bourbons specifically mentions this inversion of the band into a bar and indicates that Jean de Bourbon used this arrangement on several decorative elements created for his Cluniac chapel, notably a tympanum, a keystone, and a mantelpiece. The chapel floor was most likely decorated with prestigious tiles bearing his coat of arms. 

The tile is thus very likely of Cluniac origin and may have come from the decoration of Jean de Bourbon’s chapel in Cluny. To date, no tiles from this chapel are known to exist, according to research.

It is a particularly evocative testament to the heraldic patronage of the princes and prelates of the House of Bourbon in the 15th century, and an object whose significance far exceeds the mere decorative function of the floor.

Dimensions: 12 × 12 cm

Price excludes shipping

Police Registry Ref.: A201

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