MASTERS, unknown Italian painters: Frescoes in Castello Challant, Issogne (Valle d'Aosta)
(1489-1502)

Issogne Castle (Castello Challant) is one of the best preserved and most richly painted castles in the Valle d'Aosta. At the end of the thirteenth century, the family of the Challant rose to become the most powerful clan in the Valle d'Aosta, which they could well defend thanks to their fortified castles (Châtillon, Fénis). In 1399 Ibleto de Challant succeeded in buying Issogne as a permanent residence for himself and his offspring. It was Canon Giorgio de Challant Varey (1440-1509) who was responsible for the renovation of Issogne and especially for its wall painting.

The rebuilding of Issogne, begun in about 1480, transformed the irregular medieval castle into a comfortable, palace-like residence. The work of the various masons, cabinetmakers, and painters was overseen by and architect by the name of Michael de Ecclesia, about whom nothing further is known. The entry porch and the courtyard loggia were painted by a local workshop from which two names (Colin and Etienne) are scratched in the lunettes of the porch. The style of the paintings can be traced back to the school of Conrad Witz, which radiated outward from the Vallais into Savoy.

We cannot know whether the pictures at Issogne were created out of a simple delight in the subject matter or whether the particular scenes and motifs were selected to convey some sort of moral lesson that the modern viewer can no longer appreciate.

Preview Picture Data File Info Comment
View of the ground floor hall
1489-1502
Fresco
Castello Challant, Issogne (Valle d'Aosta)

800*601
True Color
120 Kb



View of the ground floor hall
1489-1502
Fresco
Castello Challant, Issogne (Valle d'Aosta)

1250*906
True Color
233 Kb



View of the ground floor hall
1489-1502
Fresco
Castello Challant, Issogne (Valle d'Aosta)

1200*1196
True Color
233 Kb



View of the ground floor hall
1489-1502
Fresco
Castello Challant, Issogne (Valle d'Aosta)

900*675
True Color
156 Kb



View into the portico and the courtyard loggia
1489-1502
Fresco
Castello Challant, Issogne (Valle d'Aosta)

1400*1002
True Color
225 Kb



View of the courtyard loggia
1489-1502
Fresco
Castello Challant, Issogne (Valle d'Aosta)

1001*1200
True Color
191 Kb



Guardroom
1489-1502
Fresco
Castello Challant, Issogne (Valle d'Aosta)

1400*808
True Color
193 Kb



Bakery and butcher shop
1489-1502
Fresco
Castello Challant, Issogne (Valle d'Aosta)

1400*812
True Color
179 Kb



Fruit and vegetable stands
1489-1502
Fresco
Castello Challant, Issogne (Valle d'Aosta)

1400*845
True Color
212 Kb



Tailor's and fabric shop
1489-1502
Fresco
Castello Challant, Issogne (Valle d'Aosta)

1400*860
True Color
215 Kb



Fruit and vegetable stands (detail)
1489-1502
Fresco
Castello Challant, Issogne (Valle d'Aosta)

1000*1277
True Color
238 Kb



Fruit and vegetable stands (detail)
1489-1502
Fresco
Castello Challant, Issogne (Valle d'Aosta)

1000*1204
True Color
228 Kb



Apothecary's shop
1489-1502
Fresco
Castello Challant, Issogne (Valle d'Aosta)

1400*848
True Color
211 Kb



Dry-goods shop
1489-1502
Fresco
Castello Challant, Issogne (Valle d'Aosta)

1400*764
True Color
176 Kb



Apothecary's shop (detail)
1489-1502
Fresco
Castello Challant, Issogne (Valle d'Aosta)

1002*1200
True Color
232 Kb



Tailor's and fabric shop (detail)
1489-1502
Fresco
Castello Challant, Issogne (Valle d'Aosta)

1000*1206
True Color
195 Kb



Apothecary's shop (detail)
1489-1502
Fresco
Castello Challant, Issogne (Valle d'Aosta)

1030*1300
True Color
233 Kb



Madonna and Child with Donor
after 1488
Fresco
Priory of Sant'Orso, Aosta

863*700
True Color
101 Kb




Unknown Italian masters
Painters
11th-13th centuries | 14th century (1) | 14th century (2)
Frescoes in the Sancta Sanctorum (1270s)
Frescoes in the Eagle's Tower, Trent (c. 1400)
Frescoes in Santa Catarina, Galatina (1400s)
Frescoes in the Castello Challant, Issogne (1489-1502)
15th century | 16th century | 17th century
Sculptors
11th-14th centuries | 15th-18th centuries
Florentine Grand Ducal workshops