Ornament

The abbey of Orval (abbaye d'Orval) in the little town of Villers-devant-Orval (southern Belgium) has a very long history dating back to the 11th, maybe even the 10th century (https://www.orval.be/en/page/462-a-long-history). The abbey is famous for its ruins from the Middle Ages, but a new monastery was built next to the ruins early in the 20th century, using the same yellow ocre stone that was formed millions of years ago when this region was still covered by water. The ornaments of the newer part of the abbey are broadly in the same style as the medieval ornaments. This is a close-up of one of them. Your comments are very welcome.

Interesting how you transfer medieval ornaments to a newer building. Vincent, your explaining text is essential. Well done. Kind regards, Arthur.

Lovely photo and story , Vincent! This harmonious ornamental fragment immediately grabs attention! Perfectly captured! Bravo! Sincerely, Tatiana

Vincent, very interesting. We have a monument here, Some parts of it are made from Drachenfels-Trachyt. It should be renovated, but today it is not allowed to break down the trachyte at the Drachenfels. So it was necessary to use other material. Best regards, Franz

Hi Arthur,

 

thank you for your very relevant comments! Your appreciation means a lot to me. Kind regards, Vincent

Hi Tatiana,

 

Thank you very much for these comments! This ornament isn't essential to the architecture of the newer building, but it is exemplary to the way the building relates to the ruins, that's why I like it and photographed it. Kind regards, Vincent

Hi Franz,

 

thank you for your interesting comments! That situation with the Drachenfels-Trachyt is an example of how modern-day thinking collides with keeping historical monuments close to their origins. Kind regards, Vincent

A nice interesting accompanying note to this beautiful image, When the manual skills of the craftsmen in sculpting these ornaments will be lost, we will move on to the reproduction of these ornaments with the 3D digital technique. My best wishes for a Happy Easter to you and your family, ciao Giangiorgio

Hi Giangiorgio,

 

thank you for your interesting comments! Craftsmen who are able to chisel stone like this are getting very rare, and I'm afraid we will not be replacing or restoring beautiful things from the past anymore within a short while. Happy Easter to you and your loved ones too! Kind regards, Vincent

Vincent, this image blends technical expertise with creative art to the point when I first viewed the thumbnail, it stopped me dead in my tracks. One interesting element that no one else has mentioned ...... The strip of brown at the bottom serves to add depth. Bravissimo! - - My best always, Michael

Hi Michael,

 

thank you so much for your friendly and interesting comments! I like the fact that you mention the strip of brown at the bottom, well seen! Kind reagrds, Vincent