You are about to enter a tiny little room known as a retrait in the Middle Ages. This was a room that was warmed by a fireplace and fitted with a toilet. There was no toilet seat - just an evacuation pipe hidden in a cupboard. This retrait, adjoining the King’s Chamber, was used by Charles VII as a bathroom. In it you find a commode fitted with a bowl (which is listed as a “chaire de retrait” in the royal accounts in the 15th century), as well as various bowls used for the king’s toilette. On the same lines there is mention of un grant bacin de la[i]ton pour servir audit sire à laver ses piez (a large brass basin to be used to wash Sire’s feet) in the accounts for the year 1458. This mention indicates washing was divided into parts and conducted in order, with the king using different basins depending on the parts of the body to be cleaned (one for washing the head, one for the legs and others for his private parts).
During this period, we need to differentiate between "utilitarian" washing and taking a bath, a more recreational practice but also very widespread in the Middle Ages. Bathing was established as a ceremony by the elite at a time when water, still scarce in cities, meant the act was a sign of wealth. As in other areas of life, this fashion for bathing also signalled a return to the traditions of Ancient times and would continue up until the early 17th century. Then began the reign of dry washing, with which mirrors, ointments and perfumes continue to be associated.
For this exhibition, items related to finery and body care are displayed at the entrance to and inside this retrait: mirror cases, jewellery, small ivory boxes, a linen napkin, a comb made from bone, an openwork box for soap or a sponge and perfume-related accessories (a bottle and a pomander). The shape of such items varied little over the centuries. Their refinement demonstrates their owner's desire to combine the usefulness of the toiletry accessory with the immeasurable pleasure of owning something unique.
Mirrors in particular indicate the constant concern with appearances among the wealthy classes, and the search for an ideal of beauty, which, incidentally was ubiquitous in the arts of the Middle Ages and the modern period.
Illustration
Portrait of a woman
Nicholas Neufchâtel, known as Lucidel
Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Belgium
Inv No. 4507
Photo: Art photo Speltdoorn & Fils