NewsEvents

Acquisition of a set of four folding stools by Sené

July 2010

These elegant folding stools form part of a series of sixty-four ordered for the Games Room of Queen Marie-Antoinette in the royal residence of Compiègne, delivered in two groups to the Queen by Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené (1748 - 1803). Twenty-four of these folding stools were immediately placed in the throne room of the Château de Fontainebleau where they can still be seen. These folding stools will be installed in the bedchamber of Louis XV.

Participation of the Société des Amis de Versailles and the national Fonds du Patrimoine

Office armchair from the royal furniture depository

July 2010

This office armchair is today the only one to be identified as one of those delivered to the royal furniture depository in the mid-18th century. It thus constitutes a unique reference enabling the future identification of other office armchairs from the royal furniture depository. Characteristic of Parisian furniture of the period when the rocaille style was predominant, this chair has proportions slightly different from those of a lounge armchair, notably in the lower back. The fine quality carving enhances the seat’s structuring frame. Its acquisition fills a blank in the typology of pieces of furniture preserved in the royal furniture depository of Versailles. Moreover, it is one of the rare seats to be identified as from the rocaille period and originating in the royal furniture depository. It joins the flat desk that formed part of the same delivery for Fontainebleau in 1745 and that has been deposited by the Mobilier National.

Acquisition of a drawing by Charles Joseph Natoire to mark the birth of the Duc de Bourgogne

July 2010

This large drawing was the sketch for the painting called Allegory of the Birth of the Duc de Bourgogne, commissioned from Natoire to celebrate the forthcoming birth of the Duc de Bourgogne in 1750, the first child of the Dauphin Louis and Marie-Joseph of Saxony. The child turned out to be a girl, called Marie-Zéphirine (who died in 1755). The first Duc de Bourgogne, Louis-Joseph-Xavier, was born the following year. The drawing features numerous differences to the painting, which make it particularly interesting. Its iconography is much richer. Jupiter and Juno preside at the scene from above, while Mercury announces the glad tidings. Instruments evoking the arts and sciences prefigure the future education of the Duc de Bourgogne. The Dauphine, recovering from the delivery, is depicted in the centre, flanked by Minerva and three Graces who will ensure the child’s education. The allegorical figure of France holds the newborn child in her arms, with Hercules at her side. The painting by Natoire has a much simpler iconography and was hung in the Dauphin’s apartment on 2 September 1750.

Acquisition of two drawings by Jean-Baptiste Regnault (1754 - 1829)

July 2010

Commissioned in 1785 by the Comte d’Angiviller for Marie-Antoinette, the two drawings by Jean-Baptiste Regnault are related to the overdoors of the Room of the Nobles in the Queen’s Grand Apartment. In 1785, Queen Marie-Antoinette changed the room’s decoration and furniture to bring it up to date with the current style. This involved notably replacing the old overdoors of Madeleine de Boullogne with new compositions by Jean-Baptiste Regnault on the theme of the arts: Dibutades, or the Invention of Painting and Pygmalion, or the Invention of Sculpture. The two drawings feature clear differences with the paintings in place, notably in the details of the settings and in the poses of the figures. They enable us to document the artist’s creative process as they are very probably preliminary sketches for the paintings. The two sketches are also very finely executed.

Acquisition of two prints showing two cabinets of Louis XIV

2009

These two prints are the only surviving copies of copper prints depicting the two celebrated cabinets made for Louis XIV at the Gobelins royal manufactory by the cabinet-maker Domenico Cucci. Completed in 1682, they now form part of the collections of the Duke of Northumberland. They were the last large-scale pieces of furniture of this type ordered by Louis XIV. These two prints provide precious information about these cabinets. The inked annotations on the margin of the compositions indicate that they were to be coloured to reflect all the magnificence of the units in their rich polychrome finish. They also provide an image of the original state of these cabinets before the work carried out on them in England in the 1820s when the Duke of Northumberland acquired them. They likewise show certain elements that have not survived. The absence of the “letter” on the bottom of the prints makes the identification of their author uncertain.

Donation of the Société des Amis de Versailles

Acquisition of a Carpet woven by the Savonnerie, from the Royal Chapel of Versailles

July 2009

This carpet corresponds to the central compartment of one of the five carpets forming the grand carpet of the nave of the Royal Chapel of Versailles consecrated in June 1710. Louis XIV had ordered carpets from the Savonnerie royal manufactory. The first three for the nave were delivered in 1726 and the next two in 1728. Each of these carpets measuring 9.30 metres in length was made up of three more or less square compartments. The total height of the five carpets was a little over 22 metres. The present carpet features in its centre a cartouche with the arms of France surrounded by collars of the orders of St Michael and the Holy Spirit, surmounted by the closed royal crown and flanked by two spread wings, with the royal staff of the hand of justice and the sceptre in saltire. The cartouche stands out against a white daffodil background, the sides decorated with garlands of natural-looking flowers and fruits. This carpet, exceptional for both its quality and perfect state of preservation, was probably sold by the Directory after the Revolution. It then entered the collections of the Rothschild family in Vienna in the 1860s.

The acquisition of this carpet, classified as a “major heritage work”, was made possible thanks to the sponsorship of Total.

Acquisition of a commode bearing the marks of the Palace of Versailles.

July 2009

A commode bearing the marks of the Palace of Versailles was acquired during a public sale in Lyon. These items of furniture used on a daily basis, provided in large quantities and regularly replaced, were sold during the French Revolution. This toilet seat presents itself as a rectangular chest sitting on spindle-shaped legs. The solid mahogany was chosen with care and set-off by the decorative moulding-free surfaces. The marks of the palace are found on the back board, made of oak, the W painted simply in black ink and the hot branding of a W with a crown above it. On the other hand, there is no Garde-Meuble registration number on the commode: was it on the toilet rim, which has disappeared, or did someone forget to inscribe it on the commode as it was delivered with other pieces of furniture? Paradoxically, the most basic items of furniture are those which are lacking the most today in the palace’s collections.

Acquisition of four chairs from the living room of Countess Du Barry

May 2009

Marked Louis Delanois, these were the first medallion back chairs, a style that enjoyed much success in the history of French furniture. Thanks to the sponsorship of companies like Ponthieu Rabelais, Financière de Tournon and Financière du Bac, the historical items which are recognised as “National Treasures”, will be returned to the collections of the Palace of Versailles. The chairs belong to a series of thirteen, including a higher one for the King, delivered at the end of 1769 by joiner Louis Delanois for the living room of Madame Du Barry at Versailles. The living room was also decorated with thirteen armchairs, a large settee and a screen. All covered with white satin, trimmed with green satin and embroidered with silk for the summer and velvet for the winter. Madame Du Barry, who was Louis XV’s mistress after Madame de Pompadour, lived at Versailles from 1769 until the king’s death (1774). An art lover, she supported painters and craftsmen and cultivated the neo-classical style at Versailles

Three volumes with the arms of Madame Victoire

May 2009

Homilies or sermons of Saint Jean Chrysostom, patriarch of Constantinople, containing his commentary on all the Gospel of Saint Matthew, translated into French by Paul Antoine de Marsilly, published in Paris by André Pralard. Saint Jean Chrysostom (347? – 407) was born in Antioch in Syria. He was the patriarch of Constantinople from 397-398 to 404. A Father and Doctor of the Church, he was one of the principal theologians of the early Christian church in Greece. His name in Greek means “golden mouthed”, in tribute to his eloquence. He was a very popular preacher in the Eastern Church. His sermons were published in Latin in the 15th century, with many further editions in the 16th century. The first French publication dates from 1543: the treatise entitled “Que nul n’est offensé sinon par soymesme” (Nobody is offended except by himself). There followed numerous Latin editions of his homilies and sermons throughout the 17th century. French editions began to appear from 1555 on; they multiplied in the 1590s and especially in the 17th century in the reign of Louis XIV, thanks to the translations of Pierre Morel.

Donated by the Forum Connaissances de Versailles

Acquisition of a chest of drawers

April 2009

The public establishment put in a bid during a sale organised by Sotheby’s for a piece of furniture from the Palace of Versailles. The item acquired is a chest of drawers made by Pierre Denizot and delivered in 1771, for the apartment of the Countess of Provence, Marie-Josephine Louise of Savoy, wife of Louis-Stanislas Xavier, Count of Provence and future Louis XVIII. At the time, the Count and Countess of Provence occupied the apartment on the ground floor of the main building which they were required to leave in 1781, at the birth of the first Dauphin, son of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. The chest of drawers will therefore be returned to that apartment.

Pair of pails for glasses from the "aux amours" dinner service of Madame Du Barry

February 2009

The decoration of these two pails corresponds to that of the small 37-piece dinner service with 12 plates that Mme Du Barry ordered in 1770 and was delivered on 1 September 1770. It depicts cupids and their attributes in landscapes in round panels surrounded by a garland of myrtle on a white border on a blue and white background by Taillandier.
The service includes 2 knife handles which indicates that it was ordered for 2 diners: Louis XV and Mme Du Barry. Apart from the 12 plates it included 6 fruit bowls, 2 round, 2 square and 2 scalloped, 1 triangular tray, 5 ice cream cups, 1 sugar bowl and a mustard pot with their trays, 1 salt pot basket, 1 oval basket, 3 bottle pails, 2 half-bottle pails, 2 pails for small bottles each costing 192 livres and 2 pails for glasses each costing 144 livres.

This pair of pails for glasses completes the famous service for two and was acquired by the Public Establishment of Versailles

Journal des Scavans with the arms of Madame de Pompadour

Journal des Scavans with the arms of Madame de Pompadour

This work was published in Amsterdam in 1704. It contains 452 pages. The calfskin binding bears the arms of Madame de Pompadour on each cover. The spine has five ribs, and three compartments with arms not yet identified. The title lettering piece is red morocco.

Donated by Pascal Monté