This is the window of a striking Renaissance house on rue du Chateau in Loches. The house owes its name to a dramatic bas-relief above the doorway, depicting Hercules moments after slaying the centaur Nessus. What makes the relief truly unique is that Hercules bears the face of King François I. This imaginative twist is credited to the house’s original owner, a court jester from the royal court who probably commissioned it as a playful homage or subtle satire.
It used to sit above the fireplace in the house but was moved outside in the 19th century after unsettling later residents.
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