Qu'est-ce que c'est?
UNE CHASSE-ROUE
This object is called a chasse-roue, also sometimes referred to as a boute-roue or bouteroue which means 'to push the wheel out of the way.' In English we would call it a guard stone. And that's exactly what it does--or did. A chasse-roue protected the vulnerable corner of an entryway from the wheels of wagons or carts as they passed through the open doors. If you look closely, you will see them alongside many of the doors on the previous page.
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Once you see one chasses-roue, you begin to see them everywhere throughout Paris.
(Click to enlarge photos) |
How did I learn about these? I must give proper credit to the blog "Invisible Paris" which I followed regularly in anticipation of our trip to Paris. It was in the November 2012 issue that the author wrote about these mostly unknown or unnoticed architectural details. So I was on the lookout for them from Day 1 and was more than happy to point them out to my fellow travelers, especially when they wondered why I was taking pictures of what looked to them like the street.
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ABOVE: Before the age of cheap iron and steel, chasses-roues were traditionally made of stone.
These chasses-roues are made of cast iron and are found in more humble circumstances. Some of them are painted while others have been left to develop a natural patina. Regardless, they perform the same job as the stone chasses-roues at a porte cochere of a distinguished residence.
Note the last two photos which illustrate what I call a "chasses-roue two-fer." Is this double protection the same as wearing a belt and suspenders? Je ne sais pas! |