Castles were built for defence and also acted as symbols of
power. Moats and drawbridges added to the fortifications, and walls were
massive, and built to withstand attack by all manner of weapons, from rocks
slung by trebuchets to iron balls fired from large cannon. Even if the
outer walls were breached, or undermined, there were inner defences like keeps.
If all attacks failed to result in surrender, then there was always siege and the
starving of the castle occupants into submission.
There are hundreds of
paintings that feature castles, but let me give six examples, grouped into
three categories:
Castles as safe retreats
St George and the Dragon (1502) by Vittore Carpaccio
In The Golden Legend, Jacobus da Varagine (ca. 1230
-1298) describes how St George killed a dragon that terrorised the people of
Silene, and rescued a princess who was to be the latest victim. In this
painting, Carpaccio shows us the three principal characters in the drama, with
the foreground strewn with the remains of previous victims, including humans,
other vertebrates, and invertebrates. Among the remains is the shell of a large
marine snail that the dragon must have captured from the nearby sea.
In the background, we have ships and other craft (being a
Venetian, Carpaccio was familiar with these), and the town from which the
princess has become isolated. There are several castles that would provide protection,
but they are too far away, something that would have been perceived readily by
mediaeval viewers of the painting.
Madonna del Prato (1505) by Giovanni Bellini
Bellini shows Mary in a pastoral setting, cradling the
infant Jesus. As we look to the middle distance, we see cows and a cowherd, and
a crane with wings partially outstretched, resembling the wings of an angel. Another
bird sits in the branches of a dead tree, acting as a contrast to the crane,
and this bird is black and is a symbol of death, a device sometimes used in
paintings. On the right, we see the town from which the Madonna and Child are isolated,
the castellated walls emphasising that it is a place of refuge. All viewers know
Jesus’ eventual fate.
Castles as impregnable fortresses
The Enchanted Castle [Landscape with Psyche outside the
Palace of Cupid] (1664) by Claude Lorrain
The story of Cupid and Psyche is told in Metamorphoses
by Apuleius, written in the second century of the common era. It is a complex
story of love and passion, with Psyche falling hopelessly in love with Cupid,
even though she had only met him in darkness. After she lit a candle to see
what he looked like, Cupid ended the relationship and Psyche attempted suicide.
The story did have a happy ending though, as they were reunited and Psyche
became immortal.
In this painting we see Psyche yearning to see Cupid, who is
in an impregnable castle and is thus unattainable. The symbolism is powerful
and the melancholy atmosphere created by Claude certainly adds to the tension
of the scene, with the luminosity of the background highlighting the adjacent landscape
and casting the castle into shadow. It is a powerful painting.
Château
de Chillon (1874) by Gustave Courbet
Château de
Chillon was built on a rocky island on the shores of Lake Geneva, near Montreux.
From the 12th to the 16th Centuries it was occupied by the Counts of Savoy and
was then captured by the Bernese and, later, by the Vaudois. It has a commanding
strategic position on the lake and alongside a trade route. In Courbet’s painting,
we feel a sense of impregnability and the castle is the only obvious sign of
human influence in an otherwise natural landscape.
The slope of the mountains in the background emphasises the
isolation of the castle and the sunlight falling on one wall, echoed by the
light on the distant mountainside, draws our attention to its massive
construction. Further emphasis comes with the luminosity of the background behind
the castle, focussing our attention on its imposing strength. The castle symbolises the power
of the Counts, and also shows that humans can produce buildings whose grandeur matches
that of Nature. However, we know that castles are only transient.
Castle ruins and despair
The Ruins of Castle Landskron in Pomerania (ca. 1825)
by Caspar David Friedrich
Best known for his paintings of remote figures in harsh
landscapes, Friedrich shows us how a ruined castle can convey a haunting sense
of loneliness. It is isolated within the landscape, and what was once a
bustling place, is now empty, with extensive damage around the windows, as well
as to the main walls. We are left to wonder what life was like at Landskron,
and what happened to its last residents: any power and influence has certainly
gone and we are left with just a vestige, as successive owners neglected the
castle and allowed it to fall into ruin. Painted in watercolours, Friedrich
uses a light palette and we focus solely on the castle, and what became of it.
Hadleigh Castle. The Mouth of the Thames – morning after a stormy night (1828-9) by John Constable
If we get a sense of loneliness and quiet melancholia from Friedrich’s
picture, we get rather different feelings from Constable’s painting of Hadleigh
Castle. We know from the full title of the work that it shows the castle after
an earlier storm, with the turbulent sky conveying the impression that it is
still very squally. Being painted in oils, it has a much more disturbed feel
than the watercolour by Friedrich, and both the castle and the sky convey a
sense of anger. This is not surprising, as Constable’s wife had died in 1828
and anger is part of bereavement. The portrayal of a ruined castle, painted
this boldly, gives an insight into how emotionally vulnerable Constable must
have been when he painted it. Hadleigh Castle is all about pain and we can feel
it.
There are so many other paintings that feature castles and
it was difficult to choose six. My three categories for the symbolism of
castles is not exclusive and it is interesting that castles are among the
buildings that we most like to visit, whether intact or in ruins. They
certainly stir the imagination.
St George and the Dragon (1502) by Vittore Carpaccio
Madonna del Prato (1505) by Giovanni Bellini
The Enchanted Castle [Landscape with Psyche outside the
Palace of Cupid (1664) by Claude Lorrain
Château
de Chillon (1874) by Gustave Courbet
The Ruins of Castle Landskron in Pomerania (ca. 1825)
by Caspar David Friedrich
Hadleigh Castle. The Mouth of the Thames – morning after
a stormy night (1828-9) by John Constable
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