An overview of the work in Madame Du Barry's apartment

The Louis XV exhibition includes the reopening of Madame Du Barry's apartment, whose restoration was made possible through the exceptional patronage of the AXA group. Furnished by Ange-Jacques Gabriel at the request of Louis XV, the fourteen-room apartment extends over more than 350 m², filled with white and gold decor. Stéphane Masi, the foreman on the site, looks back on the work that has gone into restoring the splendor of Madame Du Barry's apartment.

What were the major stages of this project? What type of craftsmen did you employ?

After a survey of the rooms, the first stage of construction was removal of lead sealing, in order to ensure the safety of the workers on-site. Then began the carpentry work: the damaged woodwork was removed; some restored on-site, some in the workshop. We then proceeded with the installation of electricity in the apartments; for example, putting in a power supply for the sconces above each fireplace. Next, we returned the woodwork and other components to their original places, where they were painted and decorated by painters and gilders. Once installed, the parquet was restored and covered with an ocher yellow mineral paint, very fashionable in the 18th century. Some newly designed technical equipment will facilitate the next projects in the north-central section, which will include greening and fireproofing these spaces.

The construction site was considerable. At the height of our activity, there were over thirty workers on the project: twenty-five painters and gilders, eight carpenters and two bronze makers.

What was the scope of the work? Were you confronted with any delicate issues or unforeseen events during this restoration?

It was an exceptionally large project, due to the surface area and the sheer volume of Madame du Barry's apartment. Indeed, unlike the recently restored Private Chamber, there were 14 rooms to restore in Madame du Barry's apartment, which constituted a real challenge—very stimulating but also quite stressful sometimes. We had only 16 months to complete the 14 rooms before the inauguration of the Louis XV exhibition, whereas it had taken us nearly a year to complete the restoration of the King’s Private Chamber, which was only one room.

In addition to the scale of the project, we encountered several constraints at different stages. The first difficulty was related to the location of Madame du Barry's apartment, which is in the heart of the estate, with very restricted passages. It was thus necessary to plan the work in such a way that would ensure the safety of the visitors. The fact that Madame du Barry's apartment is accessible only by two interior courtyards made the transportation of equipment and materials much more difficult, tripling handling times. Finally, the lead problem added an additional difficulty: not all the rooms were sealed, which forced us to designate two zones on the site based on the sealing status of the rooms.

How can you convey the intimate atmosphere of this apartment to visitors?

Frédéric Didier, the chief architect of historic monuments in charge of this restoration, worked to restore the atmosphere of the places inhabited by Madame du Barry between 1770 and 1774. He sought to reanimate this living—and lived-in—historical atmosphere by employing original materials. It is a veritable restoration that surpasses even André Japy’s great restoration between 1943 and 1947. We kept the decorations designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, the architect who furnished the apartment. The craftsmen carried out their tasks with this vision, which may have complicated their job—especially for the gilders given the great quantity of original gilding.

What role did AXA's patronage play in the progress of the work?

In addition to its financial support, the AXA team was dynamic and highly involved. AXA played an important role as a driving force in the progress of the site by proposing the opening of the Louis XV exhibition as a deadline. I also salute AXA's closeness to our workers on-site. The videos shared on social media as part of the communication campaign between AXA and the Palace of Versailles highlighted the workers’ craftsmanship and testified to AXA's recognition of the excellence and know-how of our craftsmen, which was greatly appreciated.