The Chateau de Brissac 
ished whilst the other contains the chapel. 
It was doubtless the intention of those who 
built the front to regularize their work by 
completely destroying the two towers, and 
raising in their place buildings more in char¬ 
acter with their own design. Antiquarians 
will, however, congratulate themselves that 
this act of vandalism was never carried out 
and that we are now able to enjoy some 
remnants of the older feudal work. The 
central pavilion which stands upon a broad 
terrace protected by balustrades and reached 
by a flight of steps to the left, was originally 
intended to form the centre of the front and 
is decorated with pilasters of five different 
orders of architecture. It was at one time 
topped by a campanile, covered with lead 
and surmounted by a statue, both of which 
were destroyed in 1793. The niches on 
either side contain statues sculptured by 
Count Raoul de Gontaut Biron and put in 
place in 1901, representing History and 
Music. Above this composite work is a huge 
stone tablet on which stands inscribed in 
large letters, “Virtute tempore,” the motto of 
the ancient house of Cosse. The front hall 
is most imposing with its lofty vaulted ceiling 
and is full of old armour. Amongst other 
works of art which it contains is a bronze 
group by l’Epinay representing Hannibal 
engaged in the throes of a death struggle 
with the Roman Eagle. The drawing-room 
to the left is remarkable for its fine gilt oak 
roof and for the embrasures of its windows 
and shutters painted with the monogram of 
the Cosses. The stone chimney-piece, rest¬ 
ing on caryatides on either side, is a modern 
piece of work, above which is the bust of 
Charles II. de Cosse. Five large pieces of 
tapestry tell the story of Joseph and his 
brethren, whilst the intermediate panelling 
is lined with family portraits and busts, a 
picture of Our Lady and the Child, by Van 
Dyck and Zegers, and a portrait of Madame 
de Tredern, Marquise de Brissac, by Cabanel. 
The dining-room contains a musician’s 
gallery and a fine collection of Gobelin 
tapestry. Of the bedrooms the most striking 
are the “Chambre Judith,” so called in 
memory of Judith d’Acigne, wife of the first 
Duke, the room in which Louis XIII. was 
reconciled with his mother in 1620, with fine 
tapestry recounting the exploits of Alexander 
the Great, and the “Chambre Morteinart” 
with its Gobelin tapestry, representing the 
Rape of Proserpine, and a Renaissance 
bedstead. The “Chambre du Due” and the 
“Chambre Duchesse” are also well worth a 
visit. The Baronial Hall with its tapestry 
by Wauters and its old armour, the Picture 
Gallery chiefly consisting of family portraits, 
and the Chapel with its marble bas-relief, by 
David, of Elizabeth Louise de Malide, first 
wife of the ninth Duke, are all most remark¬ 
able in their way. Above is the theatre in 
which operas and operettas composed by the 
Vicomtesse de Tredern, one of the greatest 
amateur vocalists in Europe, and other dis¬ 
tinguished composers, are sung every year in 
September and October. These perform¬ 
ances are generally given during a fortnight 
when the castle is full to overflowing. The 
whole building is surrounded by a moat and 
lies within a few yards of the village entrance 
at one side of a well-watered and well-wooded 
park. The surrounding country consists of 
a series of hills and valleys decorated here 
and there by small copses of young timber. 
