Marc Colson : The Highlander of the Fountain Builders Rocailleurs
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Marc Colson : The Highlander of the Fountain Builders Rocailleurs
Fontainier Rocailleur : a little-known profession
Marc Colson is a Fountain Builder Rocailleur, a little-known profession that corresponds to a specific period in history, the era of Napoleon III.
As a Fountain Builder Rocailleur, he masters the following techniques :
– Fountain design
Fountain design involves creating or repairing all the hydraulic systems needed to operate a fountain, a waterfall, a set of water jets…
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– The Art of Rocaillage
The Art of Rocaillage is a french term coined by craftsmen in the 19th century, under Napoleon III, to designate the techniques of rocaillage and rusticage.
. The rocaillage
Rocaillage is a technique that imitates tree bark in every detail. Veins, traces of wood disease, saw marks, knots and strapping appear to give a perfect illusion of wood. This technique can be seen in some parks on elements such as bridges, benches, staircases, as well as funerary structures (crosses, tombstones), kiosks and residential facades.
. The rusticage
Rusticage is a technique that imitates rocks and the underground world (artificial waterfalls and caves).
There are 3 types of artificial grottoes : imitation of natural grottoes, imitation of esoteric grottoes, imitation of religious grottoes (e.g. with a representation of the Virgin Mary).
The Parc des Buttes Chaumont, in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, is the world benchmark for the Art du Rocaillage (rocaillage and rustication techniques).
Napoleon III, an enthusiast of landscape architecture, gave impetus to the Rocaillage movement by building this park, a masterpiece of landscape art evoking the diversity of France, from the cliffs of Etretat to the Alpine landscapes. The park, which was inaugurated on April 1, 1867 to coincide with the Paris Universal Exhibition, features artificial elements imitating nature, such as a grotto with a large waterfall, a rocky island in the middle of an artificial lake, a stream, alpine scenery…
To sum up, the Art of Marc Colson is to imitate the natural elements of wood, rock and water. He brings them to life and consolidates, restores and creates these elements and, more generally, everything that revolves around water and the use of natural prompt cement, lime, local sands…
He works in France and abroad, for private individuals or professionals (owners, architects, Historical Heritage professionals, local authorities, governments…), on projects involving Castles, Hotels, Private Mansions, Parks and Gardens, Historical Monuments, National Monuments, to create or restore hydraulic systems and decors.
Fountain Builder Rocailleur : a rare profession
The Master of Art Marc Colson is today the only person to master this 19th-century Art of Rocaillage to this level of perfection and subtlety.
A colorful, passionate and inspiring character, he is the highlander of the profession.
His motto: “Sword in hand, bagpipes in mind”!
A graduate of the Ecole des Métiers in Lyon (Professions School), with extensive experience in modeling, casting, molding, tooling, engineering design and materials knowledge, technical teaching, and a lifelong interest in history and ancient heritage – as a boy, he watched the program “Masterpieces in Peril” and was fascinated by the Roman theaters and underground galleries that were being discovered in Lyon – Mar Colson specialized in the Fontainier Rocailleur trade, some twenty years ago.
In the 2000s, he discovered natural prompt cement, invented by Louis Vicat in 1817 and obtained from Chartreuse Urgonian limestone, fired in kilns, then ground and transformed into powder.
This cement has a dual advantage. It allows :
- to imitate details and decorations
- to decorate and repair in and under water, and on all types of surfaces, old and new (PVC, etc.).
A confidential craft, the Rocailleur’s know-how has always been passed down orally, and requires many years of practice and experimentations. Encounters, interest in the Art, studies and analyses, creation of his own tools – it has taken Marc Colson many years to refine and acquire these exceptional skills.
Marc Colson always begins his consolidation and restoration missions with a field survey, tools in hand.
His passion: observing what has been done, rediscovering the original techniques and gestures, restoring, consolidating and restoring according to the rules of the Art.
He can also create custom-made decorations or motifs, with an infinite number of possibilities on request.
Polyvalent, he combines a curiosity for historical research, a mastery of the skills of 19th-century craftsmen, the aesthetic sense of an enthusiast and a taste for sharing and passing on his know-how through training courses (training of Heritage Architects, training courses on request, and of course, training of his future successor Adrien, passionate about history and heritage and formerly a landscaper and nurseryman).
For Marc Colson, each worksite is unique, and an opportunity for new discoveries, new encounters, new rebirths. A perpetual resource, an ever-renewed sense of wonder.
A few emblematic projects
Marc Colson spends his life moving from one site to another, in France and abroad, as orders come in.
For example, he has undertaken the following projects :
- City of Tournus worksite – Jardin de la Légion d’Honneur : bridge restoration using wood imitation – rocaillage technique;
- Château de Montcaud worksite (5-star hotel), built in 1886 (Sabran): restoration of a double grotto, a large waterfall and a bridge – rusticage, rocaillage and fountain technique;
- Château de Castrie park worksite, in the park designed by Lenôtre, fed by a 7km aqueduct conceived by the Maréchal de Castres, designed by Pierre-Paul Riquet and built by the Maréchal’s army: restoration of the grand bassin, the Château’s emblematic pool, and recreation of the 7-meter-high water jet, restoration of a waterfall grotto and a large grotto with integrated hydraulic system;
- Château de la Malmaison worksite (Château de Bonaparte 1er Consul and Joséphine de Beauharnais – Rueil Malmaison): consolidation of the shooting range;
- Catholic University of Lyon worksite , at the request of the Fondation Vicat foundation: creation of an identical copy of the university blazon in natural prompt cement mortar;
- Château de Courcelles Sous-Moyencourt (Somme): monumental grotto (12 m long, 5 m high and 7 m wide): total restoration with recreation of stalactites and stalagmites, 19th-century basin – rustication technique, rocaillage benches;
- Expertise and technical assistance in Montenegro for a palace basins project;
- Mission to Ismailia, Egypt, Suez Canal Museum worksite (former premises of the International Suez Canal Company, built in 1869): mural expertises and transmission of whipped lime plaster techniques.
Vous avez un projet de consolidation, de restauration ou de création de décors aquatiques ou imitant la nature ? Contactez Marc Colson qui se fera un plaisir de vous accompagner dans cette aventure.
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