Monday 19 March 2012

HD at Anet

A lasting tribute!
I have recently been asked to include posts about Diane's personal style, a subject I hold very dearly! Nowhere is her essence more evident than in her homes. Unfortunately, Chenonceau had been drastically altered after Catherine de Medici claimed it for herself and tried to deface the many HD emblems Diane and Henri had placed there. Although Diane's influence is certainly to be found at Chenonceau to this day, Anet is a more accurate example.
The double D's and crescent moons in black and white, on a stone floor at Anet


The HD emblem on a beautifully cared doorway
When Diane and Henri set about re-creating Anet from the ancestral estate of Louis de Breze, they carved their monogrammed emblem throughout. It has endured through subsequent renovations, and today it is found in abundance, as the current owners strive to keep Diane's memory alive.
An elaborate dining room ceiling at Anet, with the HD emblem,
fleur de lis, crescent moons, and Diana's coat of arms

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