The weather vanes of Touraine - Poetry on your rooftop
Do you ever take the time? Take the time to look straight ahead of yourself. To look around yourself. To look up and see the most astounding details. Read these few lines, and we bet you’ll start seeing these little details in a new way: the weather vanes of Touraine.
In the heart of the Touraine countryside, just a stone’s throw from the sumptuous Château de Chenonceau, we pushed open the doors of Gérard Morisset’s workshop. Established in the little village of Dierre for over 30 years, this former post-office manager now devotes himself to a long-developed passion: designing weather vanes from scratch and by hand for your rooftops!
Between tradition and passion: the workshop's genesis
Though he remembers being intrigued by the weather vane perched on a little neighbouring castle’s rooftop as a child, it was an adult that this unique heritage element truly piqued his interest. And it was an encounter with an enthusiastic collector from Issoudin that finally converted him!
‘Originally, weather vanes were reserved for the nobility and the clergy,‘ he explains. ‘And after the Revolution, traders and craftsmen adopted them to indicate the placement of their stalls’. Today, anyone can embellish their roof with these unusual works, customisable to your tastes! ‘Many of my customers come to me with very personal and almost intimate wishes. These are family stories, highlights of their lives. Some of the weather vanes I have made truly moved me’.
What’s more, all his works are unique. He strives to ensure that each customer is the author of their own project.
The art of turning heads
On his workbench that day, we admired a very stylised bear, alongside an arrowhead reminiscent of ancient flints. ‘This client loves Native American culture, from a very specific tribe. I based my work on images we looked at together’. What’s for sure, this customer will be amazed by the attention to detail in this work that will take pride of place several metres high!
When we asked him what drove him towards this rather rare art, Gérard Morisset evoked the values he holds dear. ‘Being a craftsman is about highlighting what you are, through what you do. It’s trying even when we don’t know how, because learning over time is a real wealth. It’s enjoying yourself, while pleasing your customer’. Gérard astonishes some 20 customers per year. ‘It takes me around 3 days to make a weather vane. I start by working the material, often copper, zinc or tin. To weld it, I use silver or pewter. For the drawings, I call on an artist friend, Philippe Merlevède, based in Amboise’.
Gérard welcomes you
Having retired last year, Gérard can now focus on this trade and passion, alongside his wife, who takes care of the charming tourist lodge next door to their home. He also has time to dedicate to another passion: motorbiking. He happily welcomes visitors drawn in by the simple evocation of this unique art, who, without fail, will leave just like us, paying much more attention to what’s going on above their heads!
Les Girouettes de Touraine
4 rue de Coquiau
37150 DIERRE
09.63.02.36.66
Open every day (please phone ahead)
Le Crinkly d’Alexandre Calder
Dans le jardin bordé par l’Amasse, ne manquez pas d’admirer le Crinkly d’Alexandre Calder. Le mobile de l’un des plus célèbres sculpteurs américains y trône en effet majestueusement. Il pointe au gré des vents son bec vers le château royal.
