THOMAS ALLOM (1804-1872)
Le Pic du Midi d'Ossau (2, 848m-9,462 ft)
France ( Pyrénées)
In "Les Eaux Bonnes dans les Pyréneées ",vers 1840, Lithographed by J. Kernot
The mountain
The Pic du Midi d'Ossau (2,
848m-9,462 ft) not to be confused with the Pic du Midi de Bigorre is a
mountain rising above the Ossau Valley in the French Pyrenees. Despite
possessing neither a glacier nor, in the context of the range, a
particularly high summit, its distinctive shape makes it a symbol of the
French side of the Pyrenees. This familiar shape also makes it easily
recognisable from afar, and it is particularly distinctive from the
Boulevard des Pyrénées in Pau, some 55 km to the north.
The Pic du
Midi d'Ossau lies within the commune of Laruns, in the département of
Pyrénées Atlantiques and the Aquitaine region of France. It lies within
the fully protected area of the Pyrenees National Park. As normally
seen from the north, the mountain presents itself as having two distinct
peaks, although from the south two other summits are also visible. It
stands separate from any surrounding peaks, being largely surrounded by
the valleys of the Gave de Bious, to the west, and the Gave du Brousset,
to the east. These two mountain streams come together in the hamlet of
Gabas at the foot of the mountain's northern slopes, to form the Gave
d'Ossau.
The valley of Ossau is placed in the Béarnaises Pyrénées,
between la vallée d'Aspe and the Vallée de Gavarnie, from Rébénacq to
the French-Spanish frontier (Col du Portalet). The Col d'Aubisque closes
the valley to the east. The villages (from N to S) of the high Ossau
are: Bilhères, Bielle, Béon, Bélesten, Gère-Bélesten, Aste-Béon,
Louvie-Soubiron, Béost, Assouste, Aas, Laruns, Eaux-Bonnes, Gourette,
Eaux-Chaudes, Goust, Gabas, Arouste-Fabréges and Pont de Camps.
The
Pic du Midi d'Ossau was reputedly first climbed in 1552 by an
expedition led by François de Foix-Candale, later to become the Bishop
of Aire. Although the success of this first climb is disputed, it is
known that the mountain had been successfully climbed by 1787 when a
military surveyor noted that a triangulation cairn had been built on the
summit. The first fully recorded climb was by Guillaume Delfau
accompanied by Mathieu (a shepherd from Eaux-Bonnes) on October 2, 1797.
The mountain offers many routes of ascent; the voie normale is a
serious scramble and rock climb with a grading of PD, II+, 550 m. It
approaches the summit via the Refuge de Pombie, a Club Alpin Français
owned mountain hut situated at 2,031 m - 6,663 ft, and requires most of a
day to execute.
Two others refuges : Cabane Pyrenea Sports
belonging to Société Pyrénées Sports at Pau, 25 places located on the NE
shore of Lac de Bious-Artigues, and Cabane de Peyreget (1.950 m)
non guarded, 4 places located near Lac de Peyreget and W of Peyreget' little peak ridge.
The artist
Thomas
Allom was an English architect, artist, and topographical illustrator.
He was a founding member of what became the Royal Institute of British
Architects (RIBA). He designed many buildings in London, including the
Church of St Peter's and parts of the elegant Ladbroke Estate in Notting
Hill. He also worked with Sir Charles Barry on numerous projects, most
notably the Houses of Parliament, and is chiefly known for his numerous
topographical works, which were used to illustrate books on travel. From
the 1820s onwards, he travelled extensively through the UK and mainland
Europe. In 1832 he published Westmorland, Durham and Northumberland Illustrated from Original Drawings
(three volumes). In 1834 Allom arrived in Istanbul, Turkey, and
produced hundreds of drawings during journeys through Anatolia, Syria
and Palestine. The results of this expedition were published in 1838 in Constantinople and the Scenery of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor published in two volumes with text by Robert Walsh. He is also remembered for numerous illustrations of China, published in China Illustrated in 1845. He also provided illustrations for "Family Secrets" by Mrs Ellis (1841) and E W Brayley's "A topographical history of Surrey" (1850).
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Un blog de Francis Rousseau
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