Even before I could read, maps captured my imagination. Neither the heaviness nor its size ever stopped me from pulling the oversized atlas from among the smaller books until I managed to place it safely on the rug in front of me. Its pages provided endless opportunities for incredible journeys at first following such guides as Robin Crusoe, Jules Verne and later Jacque Cousteau.
So it is no wonder that even today I am immediately drawn to designs like the La Cite Cavaliere or the La France.
Sixty years its senior, to me the de la Perriere creation is as captivating as the Marsal.
In her 1959 design, Françoise de la Perriere highlights the various regions of France and represents them skillfully and beautifully with symbols for each area. There is so much to behold here; from the Monche (The Channel) in the north to the Mediterranean in the south, from the Atlantic in the west to the Vosges in the East…
But lets begin with the rooster at the center, the Coq Gaulois, the longtime unofficial symbol of France. From here we can travel to Notre Dame, then Mont Sainct Michele and end at Château of Chambord.
(Photo courtese Amaustan – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79528206)
Madame de la Perrier did not forget France’s mountain regions with the Pyrenees bordering Spain, the Alps Italy and Switzerland, and the Vosges Germany.
France’s famous wine regions are also all represented here; Bordeaux, Champagne, Loire Valley, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Alsace (Rhine) and Rhone.
We are also reminded of France’s long tradition with horses and horseback riding with the cowboy from the Camargue region in the South, polo gear representing Chantilly and a jockey competing at a race at Ateuil. [Links to Blog Posts about the respective Hermès Carrés]
Nature’s bounty and epicurean cuisine are of course also included as are other iconic architectural works. Altogether they showcase France’s riches and together they allow us to travel from destination to destination, pausing here and there, enjoying and discovering the wonder of Madame de la Perriere’s creation.
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