Château de Meudon, also known as the Royal Castle of Meudon or Imperial Palace of Meudon, is a French castle in Meudon, Hauts-de-Seine. At the edge of a wooded plateau, the castle offers views of Paris and the Seine, as well as of the Chalais valley. Located between Paris and Versailles, in the heart of a hunting reserve, the castle has an ideal topography for large gardens.
Château de Meudon
Virtual recreation of the Château-Vieux de Meudon that was demolished.
"... the most beautiful place in the world, both in its layout and in its location. " - J. F. Blondel [fr], Cours d'Architecture ..., 1773, volume 4, p. 132.
The Chateau de Meudon has been classified as a historical monument since 12 April 1972. Hangar Y [fr] in the Chalais-Meudon park has been classified as an historical monument since 4 June 2000. It was the first storage facility for aerostats in the world and is one of the few still standing.
There is little information on the origin of the castle, but it was certainly a small castle with an unknown floor plan. Many records do, however, exist of 12th-century lords whose patronymic was "Meudon" as well as a mention of a "manor of the Meudon vale" in the 14th century.[1] Marie-Thérèse Herlédan published an account of this period in her book Meudon, Avant le Roy (Meudon Before the King). Many Meudons held positions at court, such as Robert de Meudon, the Grand Panetier of France under King Philip the Fair. His title was mentioned in a deed in 1305.
View of Paris from Meudon (detail). Langlacé, 1818. Musée d'art et d'histoire de Meudon.
Augustin Isbarre (1413–1425)edit
On 17 July 1413, Jean de Montrevel, known as the Hermit, lord of La Faye, chamberlain of the king and husband of Jeanne de Gaillonnel, holder of the castle's fief, sold the castle with his wife's consent to the wealthy Augustin Isbarre,[a] banker and jeweller. In 1422, Isbarre, whose family had performed financial services for the royal family,[2] was appointed cupbearer to the king. He died in Paris on 27 August 1425[3] and was buried at the Convent of the Grands Augustins [fr].
Renaissanceedit
Sanguin family and the Duchesse d'Étampes (1426–1552)edit
The fief of Meudon was bought in 1426 by Guillaume Sanguin [fr] for 2000 livres.[4] Sanguin was the valet of Charles VII and the treasurer of the Duke of Burgundy. He was previously associated with the former owner, Augustin Isbarre, a provost of the merchants of Paris from 1429 to 1431. It seems that he built a manor on the site of the old castle. He died in Paris on 14 February 1441.
Jean Sanguin, known as the "Bastard of Sanguin", inherited the seigniory of his father; he died in Paris on 13 November 1468. He had several children, including Antoine Sanguin, who inherited the fief and became lord of Meudon. Antoine later married Marie Simon and died on 18 October 1500.
The manor was demolished in 1520 by Antoine Sanguin, known as the Cardinal de Meudon, who built a square corps de logis of brick and stone with a loft floor over a ground floor with ornamented skylights.[5] It was adorned in the Italian style with pilasters, bands and stone framing. The layout of the castle supposedly influenced that of the Château du Grand Jardin in Joinville, a property of the House of Guise.[6] Antoine Sanguin gave the castle to his niece Anne of Pisseleu, also called the Duchess of Étampes, on 5 September 1527. She had become the mistress of François I, and almost the de facto queen of France. To better accommodate his mistress, François financed an addition of two square pavilions on either side of the initial body and two wings that ended with identical pavilions. These extensions mirrored the style of the main building. In the style of the Château d'Écouen, corbelled corner turrets were also added to the pavilions. The structure was similar to the works undertaken at the château at Marchais, then owned by Nicolas de Longueval, Count of Bossut and Superintendent of Finance under Francois I. He was governor of Champagne and Brie and a member of the inner circle of the Duchess of Étampes. The same still-unknown architect likely also headed the expansion of Meudon and Marchais, as well as the neighbouring castle in Sissonne, which are all in the same style. A triumphal arch was also built into the center of the enclosure wall, serving as a majestic entrance to the courtyard.
Francis I of France stayed in Meudon from 11 July to 5 August 1537 and many more times before his death in 1547.
Rendition of Chateau de Meudon during period between 1520's to 1550's
Location of castle of Antoine Sanguin, c. 1520
Rendition of castle, c. 1520
Additions by Anne of Pisseleu, c. 1540
View from mouth of ruelle de Beauvais, c. 1550's
Cardinal of Lorraine and the Guises (1552–1654)edit
Upon the death of Francis I, Anne de Pisseleu had to sell the Meudon estate in 1552 to Charles de Guise, Cardinal of Lorraine.[7] This ended the Sanguins' presence at Meudon, which had lasted more than a century. The former favourite withdrew to the Château d'Heilly, where she died in September 1580.[8]
The cardinal then renovated the castle, drawing inspiration from the Italian architectural style, which he had discovered during his travels to Rome. A letter written on 28 December 1552, addressed to his sister-in-law Anna d'Este, says: "I have been at Meudon while I was in Paris... there are no more beautiful houses in this kingdom."[citation needed]
The cardinal had the wings on the courtyard side of the gallery surmounted by a terrace, based on drawings by Francesco Primaticcio. The interiors were decorated with scenes from the Council of Trent, in which the cardinal had actively participated, probably in the style being practised in Italy at that time by Taddeo and Federigo Zuccaro.
Terraced gardens and an orangerie were created around small buildings. These included a small fantasy palace dedicated to nymphs and muses, the famous "Grotto of Meudon," based on drawings by Primaticcio from between 1552 and 1560, and decorated with compositions by the artist. It forms a small palace under a platform of arcades, sheltered from view by a hill that visually separates it from the castle, as shown on a print by Israel Silvestre representing the grotto. It was made up of three pavilions backing onto the slope, blending Italian and French styles. The central pavilion, decorated with mosaics, shells, corals and maiolica, sheltered the grotto. Its prime contractor was Primaticcio himself. The first floor of the central pavilion displayed antiques in a large salon.
Historian Henri Sauval wrote that the Diana of Versailles had been brought from Italy and placed in the castle of Meudon, but recent research seems to prove otherwise.[9] This grotto enjoyed immediate success and was praised by Pierre de Ronsard in his "Chant pastoral sur les noces de Charles, duc de Lorraine et Madame Claude, fille du roi" (Pastoral Song on the Wedding of Charles, Duke of Lorraine and Madame Claude, Daughter of the King).[10]
In 1568, Giorgio Vasari wrote enthusiastically about the grotto, whose repute had reached Italy.[11] For the Cardinal of Lorraine, Primaticcio executed many decorations in his great palace called La Grotte (the grotto), of so extraordinary an amplitude that it recalled the baths of antiquity, because of the infinite number and size of its galleries, staircases, and public and private apartments. The construction of this cave was spread out over time, starting with the grotto itself and the two ramps of the staircase (circa 1552–1555), and then, in a second stage, the two pavilions (1559). The lower cryptoportico was then built in a third phase.[12]
At the death of the Cardinal of Lorraine in 1574, the castle remained the property of the family of Guise, who held it as one of their fiefs, along with the castle of Joinville, Haute-Marne.
Meudon was plundered during the French Wars of Religion. Henri de Guise barely had the time to visit Meudon. It was at Meudon that the future Henri IV (Henry of Navarre) learned of the assassination of Henry III of France on 1 August 1589 by Jacques Clément. He went the very same day to see the wounded king in nearby Saint-Cloud. The king reassured him about his health. Henri went back to Meudon. Maximilien de Bethune, Duke of Sully, who accompanied him, lodged at "Sauvat", a house in the village. The next day, the king's condition worsened and he died at Saint-Cloud. Henry of Navarre became King of France, the first Bourbon king.
Meudon became one of the seats of the League. On July 24, 1605, the marriage of Francois de Bourbon, Prince of Conti (1558–1614) and Louise Marguerite de Lorraine took place in the chapel of the chateau.[13] In 1618, the Duke if Lorraine tasked his architect, Gabriel Soulignac [fr], with modifying the castle and extending the gardens. Other work was carried out by Soulignac in 1623, with the construction of a terrace and a staircase near the grotto.
In 1639, Jacques Dubreuil boasted of Meudon's stairs and turrets: "The garden is moderately large, made of flower beds, borders, open alleyways, surrounded by alleys covered with beautiful trees, with balusters."[citation needed] In 1641, the painter Nicolas Poussin visited Meudon, no doubt attracted by the famous decorations of Primaticcio. Above all, 18 May 1643, the union of Gaston d'Orléans, brother of Louis XIII with Marguerite of Lorraine, was renewed in the chapel of the castle, with the blessing of the Archbishop of Paris.
The domain was plundered under the Fronde, since the Lorraine princes who owned Meudon had taken the side of the rebellion against royal authority. Thus, beginning in 1649, the Grand Condé, at the head of the Royal Army, seized Charenton, Saint-Denis, Saint-Cloud and Meudon.
Views of Chateau de Meudon during period between 1550's to 1650's
Abel Servien and the marquis de Sablé (1654–1679)edit
Meudon, in poor condition, was bought on 12 September 1654 by Abel Servien, Superintendent of Finances, who took the title of Baron de Meudon. As soon as the purchase was made, Servien had extensive renovation work done by the architect Louis Le Vau. He was at the peak of his career, and felt that Meudon should reflect this power. In Paris, Servien lived at the Hôtel de la Roche-Guyon near the Palais-Royal at least from 1651 to 1659. The castle was richly furnished and decorated. The central foredeck was replaced by an octagonal pavilion, surmounted by a high roof shaped like a truncated pyramid. In the center of the pavilion was a large double spiral staircase. A large staircase, adorned with twelve columns of marble monoliths, precedes it. The first floor housed a large cupolaed salon, opening onto the gardens, similar to the one built at the time by Nicholas Fouquet at the chateau of Vaux-le-Vicomte. Servien had a large terrace built in the forecourt in order to clear the view of the castle, thereby engulfing nearly a third of the village of Meudon, which he moved elsewhere.
On the garden side, he built a monumental orangerie, still preserved today. He enlarged the park, which had existed since at least the Duchesse d'Étampes. Through many land purchases, he managed to put through a "Grande Perspective" south of the castle, featuring basins and ponds, including those of Chalais. Letters patent dated 31 August 1657 bear "permission to extend the park of Meudon, enclose it in walls, even though the acquired inheritances are in the neighborhood of the pleasures of His Majesty," or in other words, of the neighboring Palace of Versailles.
When Queen Christine of Sweden came to France, she offered Servien a bronze by Adrian de Vries, Mercury Abducting Psyche, now in the Louvre.[14] Servien had this bronze placed at the end of the flowerbed, just above his new orangery.
Servien died on 17 February 1659 at Meudon itself in his apartment on the ground floor, after having spent a true fortune on Meudon, which was still under construction. His son, Louis-François Servien [fr], marquess of Sablé and protector of Jean de La Fontaine, kept the estate for twenty years. On 2 August 1665, Gian Lorenzo Bernini visited Meudon.
Financial constraints finally forced Louis-Francois Servien to sell Meudon to François Lemoine de Louvois in 1679. Already, a year earlier in 1678, members of the Académie Royale d'Architecture visited Meudon, and found that "what was renovated on the garden side of the castle in the days of M. Servien is very ruined, particularly the cornice of the central pavilion," (P.V.I. 193).
The Chateau de Meudon during period between 1654 and 1679
Castle at the death of Abel Servien in 1659
Parterre of Meudon and the statue of "Mercury and Psyche", c. 1660
Layout of the ground floor of the old castle c. 1659
Sketch of the castle entrance and the village c. 1654
Evolution of Meudon by Abel Servien between 1654-1659
Unfinished project by Louis Le Vau to modify the central pavilion of the Vieux-Château. c. 1655
Louvois and his wife, Anne de Souvré (1679–1695)edit
For the powerful minister, who called himself "M. de Chaville" in his youth, the site of Meudon was ideal. It was near both Versailles and the Chateau of Chaville, where the family property was located. It was rebuilt by his father, Michel Le Tellier. Louvois obtained the superintendence for the buildings in 1683, then embarked on a series of grandiose rearrangements. He enriched the façade of the chateau with busts and balconies on columns of gray marble. He sumptuously redecorated the whole interior. He had woodwork installed in 1684.
Above the doors were floral paintings in the style of Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer. A cabinet displayed miniatures of the groves of Versailles painted by Jean Cotelle the elder, doubtless a gift from Louis XIV in 1688 to thank his minister for the perfect completion of the marble Trianon de porcelaine. The large gallery, which occupies the entire right wing on the first floor, is adorned with twelve paintings by Adam Frans van der Meulen on the great battles of the reign.
Louvois and his wife and vignette
François Michel Le Tellier de Louvois
Madame de Louvois in Meudon. At the back is the parterre and the Grotto
Meudon with the Le Tellier coat of arms in a vignette by Pierre-Paul Sevin c. 1685-1690
"The most remarkable in the house was the ceiling painted in oils directly on the vault by M. de La Fosse. At the four corners of the composition, simulating stucco, two seated figures and two standing figures were painted: in the corners and between the statues, the ceiling was painted in oils directly on the vault by Charles de La Fosse. In the corners and between the statues, there was something like an oeil-de-boeuf, through which the sky could be seen. Beside the figures and to make them stand out all the better, rich rugs of different colors, and between the first and the other corner, large ovals, in the center of which was depicted Pandora. Beside them, Mercury was particularly well painted. The vault stretched over the upper cornice, and the shadow below made a very good effect. The large stucco listels all around were completely gilded. The adjoining room must also have been painted by M. de La Fosse. Above, in the oval room, the mirrors made a very good impression. They were arranged circularly and were as tall as the five windows. There was only a woodwork halfway up the wall. In each panel were placed three ice sheets, about 6 qv. High and, when you were in the center of the panel, you could see each other in the three windows at once. The gallery was nicely decorated with a number of tables of jasper, busts, etc., and all the King's actions were to be painted by Van der Meulen; Two were already completed. At one end of the gallery there was a drawing-room, in which the table and the whole panel between the two windows were lined with mirror glass, and the opening of the doors was so great that, from afar, one could almost see the whole gallery. There is, moreover, a profusion of very large and beautiful mirrors. The furniture was very fine, but not of a peculiar taste. Every winter they were removed because of soil moisture. Beneath, in M. de Louvois's own room, there were three pipes of copper that permitted heat to pass at will. This heat came from a copper stove placed in the chimney of the neighboring room. A ventilation pipe passing under the vestibule arrived at this chimney, and then distributed the heat, when the window of this chamber was opened (like the "heat-making machine" at Versailles).
Borne to one of the sides of the stable by pillars of stones or buttresses, the house is externally in very bad condition. The site is rugged to the possible but nevertheless very pleasant. The central aisle below in the garden in front of the terraces, is covered with turf and 70 yards wide.Then, in the middle of an alley of sand of eight yards wide, are spruces and other trees; Then, on two sides, a new lawn of nine yards, and again a sandy alley with trees eight yards wide. The parterre of M. Le Nostre, in the middle, in front of the cave that I have drawn, is very nice, so the two "embroidery" in the center in front of the house, with two marble vases and marble statues around the oval basin, hand-built as tiles did not do a bad effect. I also drew the boxes of the orange trees there, taking them separately. This garden is surrounded, as well as the park, by a wall at least seven miles in circumference. At the bottom of the garden was another large pleasure-house, which M. de Louvois had bought for life for M. Honoré Courtin Courtin."
Outside, Louvois had extensive hydraulic works to power the waterways of the park, and allow the spectacular water jets. The upper park was developed, while Le Notre worked on the gardens continually throughout the 1680s and created practically all of the lower gardens, invented new groves and parterres, including the one in front of the Grotto. Louvois also arranged a large vegetable garden along the avenue of the castle. In short, he built everything at Meudon that Louis XIV did, in a more spectacular way still, at Versailles at the same time. And he asked Israel Silvestre, drawing master of Louis de France, to engrave the entire estate, which Silvestre carried out with several very spectacular prints, among the most careful of his work."
In July 1681, the Queen of France, Maria Theresa of Spain, came to visit Meudon, where "Mr. de Louvoy had the honor of serving her" [16] On August 17, 1684, Louvois had a great feast prepared for Meudon in honor of Philip of Orleans (1640–1701). On July 2, 1685, Louis XIV, Louis de France The Dauphin, the Dauphine, Monsieur and Madame, "accompany the greater part of the Princes and Lords of the Court," come to Meudon, where Louvois treated the King and the whole Court was given a magnificent collation, during which the violins and oboes of the Opera played melodies by Jean-Baptiste Lully "(...)" But M. de Louvo was sorry to see that he was pleased the whole time the king was with him." In 1686, a reception was still given at Meudon, in honor of the Siam ambassadors, who discovered both the gardens and the castle. Louvois was not present to receive them since he was with Maintenon and the King, to follow the work on the Eure canal. On August 25, 1689, Louvois again received Philip of Orleans (1640–1701) at dinner in Meudon. On the 29th of June, 1691, two weeks before the sudden death of Louvois, "Monseigneur went to Meudon with Madame Princesse de Conti; they made a snack at the chateau, and walked for a long time in the park and in the gardens "(Dangeau).
On July 16, 1691, Louvois died suddenly at Versailles. He had reached the point of honors, and the splendor of Meudon symbolized this power materially.
On the proposal of Louis XIV, the widow of Louvois, Anne of Souvré and his son Barbézieux agreed to exchange Meudon for the Chateau de Choisy and a balance. In the memoirs of the Marquis de Dangeau, on Wednesday, June 1, 1695: "In the morning, the king proposed to M. de Barbezieux the exchange of Choisy with Meudon; He asked her how much Madame de Louvois had taken Meudon in her share; M. de Barbezieux told him that she had taken him for a unit of 500,000 francs; The King told him that he would give him 400,000 of his return, and Choisy, whom he counted for 100,000 francs, if that were agreeable to Madame de Louvois; That he charged him to go and learn of her, but that he did not ask her for any complacency; That he wished that she should treat with him as with a private person, and should think only of his interests. M. de Barbezieux went to Paris to find his mother, who is pleased with the king's offer, and to whom the exchange is well suited. The contract will be signed on the first day; We started talking about business only in the morning, and it was finished in the evening." The castle, valued at 500,000 livres, and already considerably embellished by succeeding owners, knew its most brilliant period.
Detail of the painting Louvois chassant à Meudon (Louvois Hunting at Meudon). Musée de Versailles, circa 1683Uncompleted plan for a dome for the central pavilion of the Château-Vieux, by Jules Hardouin-Mansart for Louvois, circa 1685–1691. Bibliothèque Mazarine, ms 3361
Views of Chateau de Meudon during the period between 1679 and 1695
View of the entrance of the château de Meudon, Israël Silvestre, 1685
Back of the courtyard of the Château-Vieux. Circa 1685–1690. Bibliothèque Mazarine, ms 3361
Facade of the parterre side of the Château-Vieux. Circa 1685–1690. Bibliothèque Mazarine, ms 3361
Layout of the ground floor of Meudon after the death of Louvois, 1695
Layout of the first floor of the Château-Vieux after the death of Louvois, 1695
Louvois chassant à Meudon (Louvois hunting in Meudon), c. 1683. Musée de Versailles
Grande Perspective de Meudon, Israël Silvestre, third quarter of 17th century, Musée d'art et d'histoire de Meudon
View of the château de Meudon from the village of Fleury), Israel Silvestre, 1688. Musée d'art et d'histoire de Meudon
The apogee: Louis XIV and Monseigneur (1695–1711)edit
Louis of France (1661–1711), known as "le Grand Dauphin", by Hyacinthe RigaudReconstructione of the illumination on 27 August 1704, in honor of the birth of the Duke of Brittany
Works of the princeedit
View of the château de Meudon from the entrance, Pierre Aveline, c. 1710
The Grand Dauphin did extensive work at Meudon and turned it into his special showplace, spending a sum of one million one hundred forty thousand French livres, although the king his father had put it among the royal residences and in the charge of the Bâtiments du Roi.[17] Over sixteen years, at least three million livres were spent embellishing and maintaining the estate, a colossal sum. The prince redecorated the apartments to his liking. The Dauphin allowed Meudon to express his own artistic conceptions, breaking with the sometimes compassed aspect of the Louis XIV style. Although not for the first time, Meudon systematically used "Capucine" woodwork, carved and varnished strips of wood with gilt accents.
Regency style partially manifested at Meudon. The Dauphin gathered there his rich collections, which attempted to compete with those of the king: agate vases, Indian fabrics, Gobelin tapestries, Chinese porcelain, paintings by great masters and especially his collection of gems. He did not hesitate to redecorate some rooms several times, removing for example the ceiling painted by Charles de La Fosse to give expression to the light style of Claude Audran. His main apartment was located the length of the ground floor in the east wing of the Château-Vieux. He also had the parade apartment in the Château-Neuf, as well as a "small fresh apartment" in the chestnut tree wing.
The Dauphin liked to surround himself at Meudon with his family, his friends and courtisans, in particular Marie-Adelaide of Savoy the Duchess of Burgundy, Marie-Anne of Bourbon (1666- 1739), his daughter-in-law, the Princess of Conti, and Louise Francoise de Bourbon, Duchess of Bourbon, (1673–1743), her two half-sisters, Louis-Antoine de Pardaillan de Gondrin D'Antin son of Madame de Montespan. He also lodged there his mistress, Marie-Émilie de Joly de Choin. Like his father at the Castle of Marly, the Dauphin liked to find a relaxed and warm atmosphere in Meudon with chosen companions. To accommodate this large entourage, the Dauphin undertook extensive additions. In 1702, space at the Château-Vieux soon proved inadequate. He had the chestnut tree wing, the former courtyard of the offices, rearranged so as to connect it to the chateau by a hanging gallery. He arranged a large reception hall on the ground floor. He also built a new commons, which is still visible. He entrusted to Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the architect of all these works, the construction of a chapel. Antoine Coypel, one of the favorite painters of the Dauphin, painted the altar painting, the "Resurrection", a monumental painting, and the "Annunciation", much smaller in size. The sculptures were realized by Noël Jouvenet, François Lespingola and Jean Hardy.
In 1705, space still lacked to accommodate all the courtiers, who were {more and more numerous. At any moment, Monseigneur might become the next king of France, through the death of the aging Louis XIV. The Dauphin then decided to demolish the grotto, which was out of fashion, and to build a new castle, the Château-Neuf . Jules Hardouin-Mansart and Louis XIV collaborated on the project, which was entrusted to the contractors of the chapel and the Palais de Versailles. All the work at Meudon was indeed done by the same artists employed by the king, who worked for the institution of the King's Buildings.
The Château-Neuf had five levels, but due to the steep slope, did not have the same appearance on the side of the parterre as on the side of the forest. It was composed of three pavilions crowned with roofs with ridge terrace, connected by building wings. This sober architecture, which was not to overshadow the architectural character of the neighboring Château-Vieux, was nevertheless enriched by fine sculptures on the side pavilions, and the central pediments, where angels held the coat of arms of the Dauphin. Inside, a succession of apartments opened onto a large central corridor. The interior decoration, which highlighted the collections of the Dauphin, was composed of woodwork panels varnished or painted in pastel colors, enhanced by gilding. A ceremonial apartment was planned for Monseigneur, since Louis XIV retained his usual accommodation in the Château-Vieux, despite the new construction.
The gardens were not to be outdone. The poem titled Maison royale de Meudon (Royal House of Meudon), dated 1703, even compared them to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon of Semiramis. To expand Meudon, the Dauphin in 1696 acquired the neighboring estate of Chaville. He thus formed a vast hunting preserve where he and his father, who also liked Meudon, practiced venery. The park of Meudon was thus linked to that of Versailles, and together they made up the Grand Parc de Versailles, extending from Meudon to Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Many embellishments are carried out in the gardens. Louis XIV took pleasure in advising his son on them. The King - or his son - even drew up a "Manière de montrer Meudon [fr]" a guide in the style of the texts written for Versailles.
The Arthelon waterfall, lower gardens of Meudon. ca. 1700
one of the two waterfalls framing the "pièce de M. Le Nostre" (piece by Monsieur Le Nostre)[citation needed]
Plan for renovation of the parterre of the Hôtel Courtin, lower gardens of Meudon, c. 1710. BNF
The park and the gardens of the château, Mariette, circa 1715
Overall map of the domains of Meudon and Chaville, by Alexandre Lemoine, ADY. 1723
18th centuryedit
The cour d'honneur of the Château-Vieux at Meudon in the 18th century
At the death of the Dauphin in 1711, the castle was still perfectly maintained, since the Bâtiments du Roi (King's Buildings) administered it. Nevertheless, until the death of Louis XIV, no member of the royal family returned to Meudon, as a result of the remarks made by Louis XIV the day after the death of Monseigneur his son, wishing that the new Dauphin, the Duke of Burgundy, make no more trips to Meudon. The Marquis de Sourches on the 17th of April, 1711 noted that "Meudon was completely emptied and that all the furnishings were taken to the King's furniture storehouse."[19]
On May 16, 1718, Madame de Ventadour organized a fireworks show for Louis XV, who visited Meudon two or three times a week all that summer. On the following June 6, a new fireworks display was mounted in honor of the king.
Duchess of Berry, daughter of the Regent (1718–1719)edit
Marie Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans, Duchess of Berry, eldest daughter of the Regent, owned the Château d'Amboise and wanted to swap it for Meudon. She was then the first lady of the court of France, and both cousin and aunt to the young unmarried king. The Regent eventually agreed to the exchange effective 30 October 1718. The Duchess of Berry, who was then pregnant, gave the management of this new residence to her paramour, the Count of Riom, lieutenant of her guards.[21] Riom took possession of the castle the next day, 31 October. But the governor in office, Hyacinthe de Gauréault Dumont nevertheless retained his salary. On 2 November 1718, the Duchess went to Meudon to choose her apartments. On 8 February and 24 March 1719, the Regent came to Meudon to have supper with his daughter, by then just about to give birth.[22]
From April 12 to May 14, 1719, the duchess was convalescing at Meudon, hoping to recover from her harrowing delivery. She died on July 21, 1719, at her Château de la Muette in Paris, to which she had travelled from Meudon.[23] On 22 July 1719, a few hours after her death, seals were affixed to her properties: the Palace of Luxembourg and her castles of La Muette and Meudon.
Saint-Simon (1719–1722)edit
After the death of his daughter, Regent made Meudon available to Saint-Simon one of his principal advisers, a considerable honor.[24] Thus, the famous memorialist could stay close to Saint-Cloud, the Regent's family castle. On the night of June 15–16, 1722, the marriage of the daughter of Saint-Simon, Charlotte of Saint-Simon, to the Prince de Chimay, was celebrated at the chateau. The blessing was given by the Abbé Languet de Gercy, the parish priest of Saint-Sulpice.
Louis XV and his childrenedit
Louis XV and the Infante Reine. François de Troy, 1723View of the château of Meudon on the parterre side. Engraving by Jacques Rigaud, c. 1730.
On 27 September 1722, at the request of the young king, the Maréchal de Villars came to Meudon voir le fortin construit pour Louis XV, qui « lui parla souvent de son fort et le mena à toutes les attaques ». Louis XV was the grandson of Monseigneur.
Fireworks for the Dauphin at Meudon 3 September 1735". BNF
On the 17 April 1723, the King went to Meudon, went through the apartments of the Chateau, and gave orders for the stay of his Majesty. Indeed, from 4 June to 13 August 1723, Louis XV, the "Infante Reine", the Regent and the Court settled in Meudon for a month, time enough to restore Versailles to house the young sovereigns. On August 10, Cardinal William Dubois died at Versailles. "As soon as he was dead, the Duke of Orleans returned to Meudon to inform the King of this news, who begged him to take charge of all the conduct of affairs, declared him Prime Minister, and was sworn in on the following day" . Pierre-Denis Martin (1663–1742) painted for the king "A vision of Meudon in perspective that includes all the park and the castle, Monseigneur entering there."
On December 14, 1725, the new queen Marie Leszczynska, who married Louis XV on September 4, came to visit Meudon for the first time.
In September 1726, a royal edict brought together Meudon and the Crown Estate with the land that depended on it, with the exception of Chaville Castle and Park, and Castle and farm of Villacoublay. On this occasion, the arms of Le Tellier - azure, with three lizards of silver laid in pal, to the chief sewn gules charged with three gold stars - which were still on the central pediment - were erased.
In May 1733, at Versailles, a scene was set up between Louis XV and the governor of the castle of Meudon: Marquis de Pellevé,
"Stay of the Children of France in Meudon in 1733.
The sojourn of the children of France at Meudon was decided at the beginning of May, 1733, in an assembly of doctors held in Versailles, with regard to their health, the death of Madame and the Duke of Anjou having frightened the others.
Their journey was subsequently scheduled for the 21st of the same month and a few days before De Pellevé, Governor of this castle, speaking of their stay with M. le Cardinal de Fleury, told him that it would cause him some expense, and that he was persuaded that his Eminence wished And to treat him like his predecessor M. Hyacinthe de Gauréault Dumont had been there while the feu Roy remained there, and to grant him the same gratification.
The cardinal replied that the king's affairs were not in a position to make such graces, which did not prevent him from taking the time that the cardinal was with the king to speak to him in the presence of His Majesty and His Eminence told him the same thing.
He did not confine himself to these two rejections, he made the same request on the 21st, at the time when his Majesty was speaking to the duke Of Charot. The King replied that the matter was decided, which obliged him to cease. Only for a few moments: for he has again returned to the charge, and has represented to the King that he has interrupted a second time, the expense which he would be obliged to make, and the injustice which was done to him, His Majesty to tell the captain of his guards to take him out of his room. It was ordered to the officer of the guards who commanded Meudon not to let him enter the chamber of the Louis de France (1729–1765) or the ladies".
Queen's parents: the visit of Stanislas Leszczyński (1736–1737)edit
On 4 June 1736, Stanislas Leszczyński, after abdicating in April, temporarily settled in Meudon. According to the Duke of Luynes, "S. M. [Sa Majesté Louis XV] goes there at least once a week since the king and queen of Poland live there."[25] On 30 September 1736, King Stanislas secretly signed the Declaration of Meudon under pressure from Louis XV and the Cardinal Fleury. According to the terms of the agreement, possession of the Duchy of Bar would be "current" for the former Polish king and "possible" for Louis XV.[25][26] On 18 January 1737, Leszczyński handed the seals to the new Chancellor, who swore an oath to the King of Poland. The ceremony took place in the large vestibule of the Château Vieux, on the ground floor of the central pavilion. The painting by François-André Vincent of this ceremony, is from much later, since it dates only from 1778.[25] On 31 March 1737, "the king went today to Meudon bid farewell to the king and queen of Poland" (Duke of Luynes). They left Meudon the next day, 1 April. The two castles were then stripped of their furnishings.[25]
In the summer of 1743, facing the threat of Charles Alexander, Queen Catherine of Poland, wife of Stanislas and mother of the French queen, took refuge in Meudon. Stanislas took refuge in Metz.[25]
17th century Italian statue, of the Athena Giustiniani type, known as '"Alexandre Mazarin". Musée du Louvre. Displayed in 18th century in the Salon du Petit Pont, at one end of the gallery
The Knight of Fréjus visited Meudon on 5 May 1748. He left the following description:
On the 5th of May 1748, the first Sunday of the month, I went to Meudon by galiot. We went up to Sèvres and from Sèvres we went upriver to the Capuchin monastery at Meudon, where we heard mass. The church there is not unusual, but their garden is very beautiful. From there we ascended the terrace of Meudon to the château, which is situated on a mountain from which all of Paris and the surrounding villages can be viewed. All the hills around Meudon are planted in vineyards and well maintained. The castle is superb. I noticed on the main entrance the arms of Louvois, and below the image of Louis XIV in metal. A gallery reigns in beauty outside the windows of this castle, as well as a facade on the side of the garden, charming... I saw two chambers lined in Gobelins tapestry of admirable beauty.
Most rooms are covered in mirrors. The gallery leading to the chapel is superb. I saw there a very fine picture of the siege of Mannheim under Louis XIV, and a bust of Alexander of porphyry which is inestimable. Another, of Aristotle in Egyptian marble, is seen as a masterpiece. The chapel of the castle is very agreeable, with a single nave. There is only one altar, whose painting represents the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, but it is one of the most beautiful pictures that can be seen, and is said to be of Raphael by Antoine Coypel. From the castle we were led to see the new apartment [the Château-Neuf] It is very lovely and very agreeable, but less handsome than the first. From the castles to the village which is at the foot of the mountain, one sees only parterres and gardens of a charming cleanliness and arrangement. We saw the orangeries, the greenhouses. They are far from being as beautiful as those of Versailles. From there we ascended by a superb staircase to the top of the mountain, where you find the most beautiful alleys of trees, with beautiful pools of water. Going through the woods on the side of Sèvres, you find a basin of prodigious expanse, at the top of the mountain, beside a green meadow with a very gracious view. The alleys and gardens of Meudon have no beautiful statues as at the park at Versailles. The castles themselves do not approach the richness of that of Versailles but the location of Meudon...provides a beautiful view...The stables there are not beautiful. After seeing all that there was to see, we were dined at Meudon in the village... For dinner for three, including me, I paid three livres... [I] have not eaten elsewhere pigeons so fat (...)[27]
Château de Bellevue preferred after 1750edit
As an adult, Louis XV preferred the Château de Bellevue that he had built for Madame de Pompadour. The castle was used to accommodate courtiers, and the castle stables served Bellevue, whose stables were very small.
View of Meudon from Fleury. Jacques Rigaud, ca. 1730-40
"Dessein de la décoration et du feu d'artifice tiré à Meudon" (Drawing of decorations and fireworks at Meudon) in honor of the Duke of Burgundy, 13 September 1756. AD 92.
West wing of the Château-Vieux de Meudon, 1773. Drawing by architect Louis Le Dreux de La Châtre [fr]
"Vue prise à Meudon" (View from Meudon): the stair of the Petit Pont. Late 18th century by Thiery de Sainte-Colombe, INHA
Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette in Meudonedit
View of the parterre du Globe at Meudon in 1779. Jean Pierre Bocquet (Paris 1751 - Paris 1817). Albertina Museum, inv. 12591. Gouache, 22 x 29 cm
The new young king often liked to come and hunt in Meudon. One year after his accession, the architect Louis Le Dreux de la Châtre [fr] drew up an inventory dated October 10, 1775, which enumerates the "mirrors, marbles, paintings and other effects belonging to the King" in the castle. In the margin are drawn overall diagrams of all the mirrors.[28]
An edict of the king, in May 1778, united the domain of Meudon to that of Versailles, "to be governed and administered in the future in the same manner."
Louis XVI himself designed a pavilion called the "Trivaux Pavilion" in 1783, in an Anglo-Chinese style, which was finally corrected[clarification needed]in a more French style by the architect Jean-François Heurtier. This pavilion was situated at the very top of the green carpet of Meudon, towards Meudon-la-Forêt. At Meudon Louis XVI and his wife Marie-Antoinette lost little Louis-Joseph de France, who died on June 4, 1789, a month before the capture of the Bastille.
In 1791, the castle still served as a holiday home for the new Dauphin, as represented by a watercolor by Jean-Baptiste Isabey.
"I accompanied the ladies to the ambassadors at the chateau de Meudon. The new castle, where we dined at the house of the Duke of Harcourt, was built by Monseigneur for Marie Émilie de Joly de Choin, his mistress. This castle is in a proportion which would render it suitable to every nobleman in a position to spend from 2 to 300,000 livres a year. It is not the same with the old castle. This palace, which M. de Louvois had enlarged, embellished with a magnificence as indecent as it is incredible, would still very easily be a truly royal residence. All the ceilings are painted in arabesque, as if the reigning taste had presided over their order. The cornices, the chimneys, the parquets of superb woodwork, nothing would need to be modernized. There is, in a turret, a cabinet painted also in arabesque on a background of gold, which is as fresh of paint as if it came from the hands of one of our best artists. It is a question of making this beautiful castle the home of all the summers, if we do not feel the sorrow of losing this prince."
After 10 August 1792, the fate of the castle became uncertain. The National Convention quickly took care to remove most of the over-the-door paintings, and carefully disassembled and transferred them to provincial museums, which saved them from destruction.
"Castle of the Republic" (1793–1795)edit
On November 4, 1793, Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, appointed chief commissioner of experiments at Meudon, took possession on behalf of the Minister of Marine of this place, where he had suggested setting up artillery and ammunition tests[30]
But Choderlos de Laclos was arrested the next day. The site was transformed by the Convention into a national facility for various tests. It served as a factory for aerostats and became the "castle of the Republic", which served as a place for weapons experimentation to arm the new regime.
Nicolas-Jacques Conté was, together with several other scientists, in charge of these military and scientific experiments at Meudon, where he was given direction of the aerostation school established there. Conté had under his orders a confused gathering of young men in all professions, without any dye[clarification needed] of chemistry, drawing, or mathematics, who were called upon to create an entirely new technique. Conté had to approach the elements of the different sciences, for this new teaching had to embrace everything: chemistry, physics, mechanics. Conté, by giving both theoretical and practical lessons, Conté had the models he gave, the instruments he imagined, executed by the hands of his pupils, spending his nights preparing drawings for his lessons,
Military aérostats at the château in Meudon. Watercolors on paper by Nicolas-Jacques Conté
Découpage des toiles pour composer des fuseaux (1/5)
Assemblage des fuseaux (2/5)
Préparation du vernis (3/5)
Étalage du vernis et vérification des joints (4/5)
Aérostat au campement sous sa tente de protection (5/5)
Château-Vieux fire and demolitionedit
Auction completed on September 27, 2016 in Nantes, study COUTON VEYRAC JAMAULT, lot 30. measurements: 59 x 74 cm (without frame) Collection of the museum of the Domain Department of Sceaux since 2016
In 1795, a fire, linked to the technical research of the occupants, ravaged the chestnut tree wing and damaged the west wing of the Castle-Vieux. The castle remained in this condition for nearly a decade. Many English visitors such as James Forbes, came to Meudon from 1802, and left several descriptions or drawings. English colonel Henry Thornton Thornton, of Thornville-Royal, Yorkshire, describes the site in a letter written in English, dated August 31, 1802:
The castle of Meudon, originally residence of Madame de Pompadour [sic], consists of an immense block, unfortunately, dilapidated. It nevertheless retains some traces of its past splendor... my guide informed me that it included farms, plains, etc., all within 500 acres, to which 10,000 acres of forest. He also told us that the walls were once partly collapsed, on the orders of the late king, in order to give the game the possibility of escape, but that these had since been repaired. He also pointed out that the estate comprised 29 water bodies of various sizes, leading me immediately to one of them, with a capacity of about 9 acres. The latter was walled and partly surrounded by a wooded landscape, but its shape offered, from a distance, a pleasant rendering. It was also necessary to take into account the presence of some fish, hares and rabbits, as well as a reasonable number of partridges on the estate. On the other hand, all the pheasants had been slaughtered. The whole of the castle, as I said before, is now in ruins, and to entirely shave it would entail considerable expense, the cement of these old buildings being particularly solid. But from the point of view of its extent and its proximity to the capital, Meudon would undoubtedly constitute a precious acquisition (...)
The painter Hubert Robert, in charge of the landscaping at Meudon under Louis XVI, came to draw the demolition site in 1804. The Château-Vieux was destroyed in 1803. [31] In 1805, a small part of the Château-Vieux (southwestern pavilion) and the chapel remained, as indicated by François Collet Duclos in his report of 3 Ventose 13 (February 22, 1805). The whole was the subject of excavation works until about 1808. Some ornaments were recovered, including the stone columns nowadays located in the small rotunda of the Palais du Luxembourg (Senate), that the architect Jean Chalgrin was able to reuse.
Le Château-Vieux de Meudon en ruines, en 1802. James Forbes, Musée du Domaine départemental de Sceaux
La démolition du Château-Vieux de Meudon, by Hubert Robert, 1804
Trois ouvriers déplacent une colonne du château de Meudon. Hubert Robert, circa 1804. Musées de Weimar, Schossmuseum, KK 9110
Démolition du Château-Vieux de Meudon, Hubert Robert, 1806. Getty Museum
Schéma du Château-Vieux de Meudon en cours de démolition, 22 February 1805. En rose foncé, ce qu'il reste à démolir. ADY, 2Q 34
Columns from the château, taken to the rotonda of the Senate by Chalgrin
Napoleon : Meudon, Imperial Palace of the King of Rome (1807–1815)edit
Le roi de Rome (The King of Rome), by François Gérard, 1811View from the base of the bastion des Capucins at Meudon, C.W. Eckersberg, 1813, Museum of Copenhagen KMS 1623
After deciding in 1803 to demolish the Château-Vieux, which had been burnt down in 1795, and when he was only Bonaparte, Emperor Napoleon decided in 1807 to make the Château-Neuf an imperial palace. He restored the gardens and refurbished the Château-Neuf, notably by the architect Jean-Baptiste Lepère. A wing called the "Economat" was erected on the site of a part of the ruins of the chestnut wing. The Emperor, who wanted to make Meudon a "school of kings" in Europe, installed Napoleon II, the King of Rome in 1811, under the responsibility of his governess, Louise Charlotte Françoise de Montesquiou. To this end, numerous orders were made to furnish the palace of the Empire's heir (new Empire style decoration), furnishings, silks, etc.).
On April 22, 1811, Napoleon I visited Meudon. On June 30, 1811, Meudon was placed at the disposal of Letizia Bonaparte. In April 1812, the King of Rome came to stay at Meudon. During the summer, Queen of Westphalia, wife of Jerome Bonaparte, also stayed at Meudon, with Madame Mother. From March 24 to November 14, 1813, the Queen of Westphalia made another visit to Meudon.
But, at the fall of the First Empire, the castle lost its status of Imperial Palace.
Guéridon, gilt bronze ash wood and white marble, Mobilier National
Console fournie par Maigret, bois de frêne et marbre blanc, Mobilier National
Écran à glace, bois de frêne, gilded bronze, mirror, Mobilier National
Lustre placé dans la Galerie du Château-Neuf, c. 1811, gilded bronze, Feuchère, Mobilier National
Feu de la galerie du Château Neuf de meudon, Mobilier National
Meudon under the Restoration and the Orleansedit
Ferdinand-Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans, by Ingres, 1842Photograph of Château-Neuf in 1850 taken by Louis-Auguste Martin (1811–1875). Albertina Museum, FotoGLV2000/13822/7
Charles Ferdinand, son of Charles X, went to Meudon to hunt between 1815 and 1820.
After his abdication of the Imperial throne of Brazil on April 7, 1831, Pedro I of Brazil returned to Europe and settled in France with the title of Duke of Braganza. In the autumn of 1831 he spent some time at the Château-Neuf, an estate the king Louis-Philippe freely put at his disposal. During his stay in France, he became a friend of the famous General La Fayette.
A studio[clarification needed] was then installed below the old gardens at the bottom of Meudon. The Prince of Orleans, under the July Monarchy stayed there in 1834 and wrote his memoirs there. But in 1842 he died accidentally in Neuilly-sur-Seine.
Louis-Philippe also made available the castle of Meudon to Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult, who stayed there several times in the summer.
On May 8, 1842, a railway catastrophe took place in Meudon, in which Jules Dumont d'Urville perished. It was the first in France and one of the first in the world. Louis-Philippe I offered the Château-Neuf to treat survivors.
After the revolution of 1848, plans were made to make Meudon the new headquarters of the Ecole Polytechnique. But these grandiose projects, one of which was established by the architect Hector-Martin Lefuel, did not in the end see the light of day.
Meudon, taken from the walls of the stud farm, by Bergeron. Ca. 1825. BNF.
Detail of Sèvresporcelain representing the Château-Neuf of Meudon under Louis-Philippe. Fontainebleau museum, Galerie des Assiettes (Gallery of Plates).
Although Meudon was assigned to Prince Jerome's uncle Napoleon III, he did not visit the property. On the contrary, from 1860 to 1870, his son, Napoleon Bonaparte, cousin of the Emperor Napoleon III, often occupied Meudon. In Paris, he owned the famous Pompeian house sheltering his connection with the actress Rachel Felix, but it was to Meudon that he came to "sulk" over the protocol at the imperial court, of which he was not fond. He brought his wife Marie-Clotilde of Savoy and her three children, Louis Bonaparte (1864–1932), Louis Victor and Marie Laetitia. He collected many species of plants and exotic animals, brought back from his travels abroad. Several large receptions were organized at the castle, such as the one in honor of Louis I, king of Portugal, in 1867.
Château-Neuf de Meudon c. 1860
Meudon from the upper terrace. "Paris dans sa splendeur". Chapuis del.
View from the terrace at Meudon's château-neuf during the Paris Commune, 1870
Because the site was strategic, dominating Paris, a battery of Prussian artillery was installed there in 1870. The new castle caught fire on 31 January 1871 and burned for almost three days. Hypotheses on the cause included either a deliberate fire set by the Prussians as they left, or a bombardment by La Douai , a naval cannon, placed in bastion 74 of the Thiers precinct. The ruins were preserved for several years, until the site was entrusted to astronomer Jules Janssen in 1875. Janssen did not hesitate to raze nearly half the Château-Neuf, and together with architect Constant Moyaux, between 1880 and 1885 built there an astronomical observatory, later attached to the Paris Observatory in 1927.
Since then most of the estate (high preserved gardens) has been closed to the general public, and remains so to this day.
Drawings and photographs, Château-Neuf ruins
The Château-Neuf after the fire of 31 January 1871
Photograph of the Château-Neuf after the fire, 1871. Private collection
View of Meudon after the war of 1871. Hubert Clerget, Musée Carnavalet
Photograph of the lower vestibule of the Château-Neuf after the 1871 fire
The ruins of Château-Neuf and surroundings, February 1871
The Grande Coupole of the Paris Observatory in the restored Château Neuf at Meudon.Timeline showing the successive owners of the château of Meudon
The 20th century: a gradual renovationedit
View of Paris from the terrace at Meudon, 1889, Louis Tauzin, Musée des Beaux-Arts in BordeauxPhotograph of the Orangery in Meudon, first half 20th century. Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Meudon
Over the years, vegetation has encircled the Orangery, making it inaccessible. The destruction of the old village of Meudon after the war, and the reconstruction of the city center, has removed the once picturesque setting of multiple roofs at the foot of the old castle. The notion of heritage did not gain traction in French society until the 1970s and 1980s. The entire estate is now registered as a historic monument, though this was done very late for such a historic site, while similar large estates in Ile-de-France had been declared historic well before.
The domain todayedit
Although the Château-Vieux was destroyed, it still retains much of its splendor. In fact, 40% of the surface area of the original buildings, (the remains of the Château-Neuf, orangerie, communes, etc), still exists. One can still admire the avenue of the castle traced by Louvois, the guardhouses and common of the Grand Dauphin, the kennel of Louvois, the great prospect of Servien, and the nymphs and orangery of Louis Le Vau, and one can imagine the terraced gardens below the observatory, as well as the pond of Chalais and the green carpet. And above all, the large terrace, the most impressive achievement, is perfectly preserved. The orangery of Meudon was completely restored in 2012.
Aerial view of the Orangery and the remains of the Château-Neuf converted to an observatory
Aerial view of the terrace with the avenue of the château, towards the north
Aerial view of the old stables of Meudon
Aerial view of the terrace at Meudon, with the Bel Air pond
Aerial view of the Grande Perspective towards the south
Aerial view of Paris from Meudon
View of Paris from Meudon, 2013
The great dome of the observatory, built on the remains of the Château-Neuf
Remains of the Château-Neuf, converted to an observatory. 2014
Orangerie de Meudon, 17th century, restored in 2012
View of the commons of the château. 2009
contreforts of the terrace of the old parterre of the château de Meudon, 2013
The high terrace today
The Grande Perspective at Meudon, condition in 2010
Bel Air pond today
Porte dauphine, 1703. Museum of Fine Arts, Reims of Chalais, before the Grande Perspective, today.
Panoramic view of the Grande Terrasse at Meudon, 2013
Legal status: a divided and partly inaccessible spaceedit
Schéma showing areas closed to the general public, coming under the Observatoire de Paris.
Today, the domain of Meudon is divided in two parts.
The lower part: The large terrace and the orangery are managed by the city and are freely accessible to the public.
The upper part: The Observatory (Chateau-Neuf), the high gardens, as well as the communes situated at the entrance, come under the Ministry of National Education and are assigned to the Observatory of Paris. They are closed to the public.
The State still owns the entire estate, both the part assigned to the Observatory and that which is managed by the city government.
However, as regards the part of the domain accessible to the public, the State has signed a management agreement for the national domain of Meudon with the town of Meudon, which now manages it. Financially, the State still plays its role as owner and manages the pruning and maintenance work. It leaves it to the City to manage the site located within its territory.
The rehabilitation project of the Great Perspectiveedit
Photographic recreation of the Grande Perspective at Meudon, facing south. 2015. Today this perspective is blocked from the formal garden in the foreground to the pond visible here in the background.
The project to reconstitute the Great Perspective of Meudon was launched as early as the 1980s, but has made little progress to date. Nevertheless, it continues, in consultation with the parties concerned. Indeed, three quarters of this major landscape axis of Ile-de-France, by André Le Nôtre, are preserved. Only the part between the orangery gardens and the Chalais Pond remains blocked.
Layout of the Grande Perspective at Meudon, 2015. Legend: 1. Avenue of the château; 2.Grande Terrasse of the château; 3. Orangery; 4. Part still blocked; 5. Chalais pond; 6. Green carpet
No excavation has ever been undertaken on the site of the Chateau-Vieux. However, the demolition records are formal: all the cellars and ditches remain under the current lawn. An archaeological campaign could make it possible to highlight this hidden heritage.
The only unknown parameter is the exact nature of the impact on the subsoil at the Château-Vieux right-of-way during the Prussian occupation in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. Indeed, The Prussians occupied Meudon,[33] to bombard the capital and monitor operations.
Archeology of the Grande Terrasse at Meudon, with a map of part of the former village, demolished to expand the terrace.
Detail of the domainedit
Vieux-Châteauedit
3D rendition of the château-vieux of Meudon at its apogee, circa 1704. Franck Devedjian and Hervé Grégoire, 2012Ground floor of the château-vieux, c. 1700. BNF
The Château-Vieux was the central building of the estate, and the first historical castle at Meudon. It aligned with the Grand Perspective.
Château-Vieux around 1705. Legend: 1.Small Bridge 2. Chapel 3.Cellars 4.Large hallway 5. West ramp 6. East ramp 7. Apartment of the Duke of Burgundy 8. Apartment of the Duchess of Burgundy 9. Monseigneur's wardrobe 10. Mezzanine of Monseigneur 11. Cabinet of Monseigneur 12. Salon of the Moors 13. Antechamber of Louis XIV 14. Church of Louis XIV 15. Passage 16. Cabinet of the king's mirrors 17. Garde-meuble 1 18. Housing 19. Monseigneur's wardrobe. 20. View of Paris. 21. Games antechamber 22. Gameroom 23. Passage 24. Salon of the Petit Pont 25. Housing 26. Lodging of the first doctor 27. Garde-robe of the king 28, 29 & 30. Dwellings
Ground flooredit
Layout of the ground floor of the Château-Vieux in 1700
Grand Vestibule and Great Staircaseedit
These rooms were created when Louis Le Vau rebuilt the central pavilion of the castle for Abel Servien between 1655 and 1658.
Cross-section of the Grand Escalier (great staircase) 1658 to 1803
Cross-section of the Grand Vestibule (great vestibule), 1658 to 1803
"Grand Apartment" of Monseigneuredit
This was the principal dwelling in Meudon of Louis, Grand Dauphin (1661–1711), son of Louis XIV, on the ground floor of the east wing of the Château-Vieux. It was preserved intact throughout the 18th century.
In its final configuration, beginning in 1701, it was composed successively of:
Guard room;
Dining room enlivened by four canvases of Bacchus;
Billiard room, adorned with four oval canvases of mythological subjects;
Antechamber;
Bedroom of the Dauphin, where he died of smallpox on April 14, 1711;
Corner cabinet;
Small wooden wardrobe in the Capucine style;
A small Capucine mezzanine, wooded
Guardroomedit
Guardroom of the apartment of Monseigneur in the Château-Vieux of Meudon, circa 1700–1792
Blondel specifies in his Françoise Architecture : "In the House of Guards, in a Royal House, is called a large room where the Guards of the Prince are held, and against the panels of which are attached carabiners, To lay down their arms; They also place in these sorts of places taborets, which are the kinds of tables on which are made the counts, and of which the bottom receives during the day the beds in which the guards rest during the night. These rooms must be spacious, very high, have large chimneys, and be decorated with simplicity. See those of Versailles, of Meudon, of the Chateau des Thuileries ...".
Dining room of the Dauphin (from 1700)edit
Dining room of Monseigneur, ground floor of the Château-Vieux, east wing, c. 1700–1792
The 1775 inventory indicates that after the additions and other work of 1700, the room was "wooded height of gilded frames, cornice of the same, chimney of Campan green marble ...". In 1700, Monseigneur commissioned four different painters to paint "bacchic" subjects. The same artists then adorned the grand salon of the Chateau de Marly.
The triumph of Bacchus, who is carried on an elephant, with his tyrsus in his right hand, and several Baccantes around him carrying instruments. In the foreground are two children, one mounted on a tiger. On the left one sees Silenus on the reverse.[34]
By Jean Jouvenet (1644–1717): ‘’The Birth of Bacchus’’, Jean Jouvenet, 1701. Private collection. Mercury takes flight after having put Bacchus in the hands of the nymphs. The legend of his mother Semele says she was beloved by Jupiter, and herdownfall by lightning was engineered by Jupiter’s jealous wife Juno.
By Bon Boullogne (1649–1717): ‘’Venus, Bacchus and Ceres’’, Bon Boullogne, 1701. Musée du Louvre.Venus, Bacchus and Ceres. This painting is preserved in the Louvre, where it is called "Bacchus and Ariane". It is also named in the ancient inventories as ‘’Bacchus and Ariane’’, ‘’Bacchus and Erigone’’ or ‘’Bacchus, Flora and Ceres’’. Sent to the Central Museum at the end of the year II, it lost its attribution but remained at the Louvre, where it was found among the anonymous members of the French school.[35] It is to be restored.
By Antoine Coypel (1661–1722): Silenus smeared with blackberries by the nymph Eglé. Antoine Coypel, 1701. Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims. The theme comes from episode number six of Virgil's ‘’Eclogues’’, entitled "Silenus," in which Virgil writes: "And as the old man opens his eyes, he blushes his forehead and the temples of the juice Bloody of the blackberry." Silenus, asleep in a cave after his usual drinking, is surprised by two satyrs and the nymph Egle, for whom he promised to sing. The two satyrs seized Silenus, whom they bound with ivy, while the beautiful Egle blushed her face with blackberries, which she crushed in order to snatch from her threat the fulfillment of her promise. Measurements: 4 feet 9 inches by 4 feet 1 inches. The picture was substantially cut in the nineteenth century. It is preserved in the Museum of Fine Arts of Reims[36]
Billiard room
Beginning in 1700, the old staircase by Louvois and Jules Hardouin Mansart was demolished to create a series of rooms that included the "salon du billard". The 1775 inventory says that the room is "wooded of height, with gilded frames, gilded cornices, chimney of gryot marble".
Monseigneur ordered for this room a series of paintings above the doors, all of them oval and of the same size:
By Charles de La Fosse: Hercules between Vice and Virtue: Height 4 ft 10in; L. 3 ft 5 in; oval. For this work Charles de La Fosse was paid 600 livres in 1700, and 200 livres more in 1701, "for the perfect payment of 800 livres for the picture he made at Meudon, representing Hercules".[37]
. The painting, painted in 1700, had a format of 3 feet 10 inches by 3 feet 5 inches. Frédéric Villot correctly identified the painting at Meudon as a canvas, now rectangular, in the museum of Nevers in 1872[38]
By Jean Jouvenet: Latone and the peasants of Lycia. A copy of this work is preserved in the Museum of Art and History of Meudon, another, undoubtedly the original, in the Palace of Fontainebleau[39] It is inspired directly by the central white marble sculpture of the Latone fountain in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles.
Latone et les paysans lyciens: By Louis de Boullogne the Younger. Cephale and Procris: Cephalus of Phocis and his wife, who gives a dart to her husband. After being deposited at Compiègne,[40] the painting was sent in 1962 to the Musée de Saint-Etienne under the title: Venus and Adonis , and attributed in error to Bon Boullogne. Its former oval shape is clearly visible. The painting was made and placed in 1700, as David and Abigail commissioned by the same painter. A preparatory drawing is held at the Cabinet des Arts Graphiques in the Louvre.[41]
Antoine Coypel], then the youngest painter of the four: 'Hercules bringing back Alceste from the underworld; Height 3 feet 10 inches; Width 3 feet. It is a question of "Hercules returning to Admetus his wife Alceste that he brings back from the Underworld", a picture brought to Meudon by Antoine Coypel himself.[37] The painting was placed before May 1700, according to a memoir cited by F. Engerand [42] Charles-Antoine Coypel, the painter's son, showed the novelty of these literary subjects. To execute the painting of Meudon, Antoine Coypel had translated by Mme Dacier the fifth act of the tragedy of Euripides. The painting is preserved in the Cholet Museum of Art and History. The work was formerly titled "Hercules Freeing Theseus"! In May 1700, Antoine Coypel came to Meudon himself to install his barely completed work.
The four oval canvases in the billiard room of Monseigneur in Meudon throughout the 18th century
Latone et les paysans de Lycie, Jean Jouvenet, Musée d'art et d'histoire in Meudon
Hercule entre la Volupté et la Vertu (Hercules Between Voluptuousness and Virtue), Charles de La Fosse, musée de Nevers
Hercules Bringing Alceste Out of the Hells, Antoine Coypel, Musée d'art et d'histoire de Cholet
Céphale et Procris, Louis de Boullogne le Jeune, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Saint-Étienne.
Antechamber (former dining room of the Dauphin from 1695 to 1699)
Proposed restoration of the antechamber of the dauphin in the Château-Vieux at Meudon, ca. 1700, with the collection of André Le Nostre paintings.
The former "dining room of Monseigneur", which had this function in 1695, became a real antechamber with the enlargement of the apartment. The inventory of 1775 indicates: "Room lighted by two windows, paneling with gold frames, gilded cornice, ceiling in gilt arabesque and painted by Claude Audran. Jacques-François Blondel recalls his admiration for these ceilings of arabesques at Meudon, although he condemns the style of the ceiling to decorate the dwelling of a prince:
« D'ailleurs l'on peut réduire ces ouvrages à des nuages avec des Génies, & à quelques belle grisaille qui en forme les extrémités; décoration préférable à ces riches, mais peu vraisemblables peintures grotesques, dont on voit d'ingénieux desseins d'Audran, & qui sont exécutées avec un succès étonnant dans quelques appartements de Meudon, aussi bien que dans les plafonds & sur les lambris du Château de la Ménagerie: seul bâtiment où ce genre de peinture soit convenable ».
The inventory of 1775 adds that there is also a "green Campan marble chimney, the top of the mantelpiece decorated with marble of any height with gold-bronze ornamentation of ground gold, the mirror in two parts, the first 52 inches wide by 96 inches high, the second 52 inches by 26 inches high. Two paintings above the doors of each 3 feet 6 inches wide by 2 feet 9 inches high, representing fruit and flowers, painted by Jean-Baptiste Belin".
In this antechamber, the dauphin placed the collection of paintings offered to Louis XIV in 1693 by André Le Nôtre and which the king put at the disposal of his son. These works are now preserved in the Louvre Museum.
Bedchamber of the Grand Dauphinedit
Bacchus by Leonardo da Vinci, Museum of the Louvre, work placed in the chamber of Monseigneur in 1705
The inventory of 1775 indicates that the chamber of the Dauphin possessed: "Wall panels of gilded frames, gilded cornice, gilded ceiling and painted in arabesques by Claude Audran III, marble serancolin fireplace, the top in violet brown marble, the whole very ornamented with bronze gilded of ground gold. (...) Two paintings above doors of 3 feet 5 inches by 4 feet 1 inch wide representing fruits painted by Batiste ". It is in this room that Monseigneur died on April 14, 1711. This chimney excited the curiosity of the researchers: the famous little painting preserved at Versailles, representing "the Regent in his Cabinet of work with the Duke of Chartres" by Fiske Kimball as representing the Dauphin at Meudon. Of course, one finds there the type of furniture and decorations that could decorate the castle. But Jerome de La Gorce asks the right question:
"Has this interior really existed? Is it not surprising that the chimney, the paneling to the left of the door and the desk, that is to say, most of the elements of the decoration, are identical to the engraved work of Berain? Would not the painter, whose career is still obscure, have had recourse to the plates published by the draftsman to reconstruct a framework worthy of the personages whom he represented? The inventory of the furnishings of the crown mentions in the year 1695: "[n °] 1615 - An upholstery [sic] of red and yellow satin velvet, embroidered and silver lined, listed before No. 783, Which has been upgraded and furnished to serve Monseigneur le Dauphin at Meudon, now consisting of a full bed, four armchairs, eight folding seats, two panes, two doors, six sheets of screens, a business chair and two tapestries".
In addition, Monseigneur retrieved for his room the small ebony desk encrusted with copper and tortoiseshell which he had bought at Godron, which had a plateau supported by eight bronze caryatids, with, in the middle of the marquetry, one cupid on an escarpolette. In addition to this desk, the room included a table and two pedestals, the tablets of which were decorated with Chinese grotesques with figures and birds.
Restoration sketch of the bedroom of Monseigneur, in the "Grand Appartement" on the ground floor of the east wing of the château-vieux in Meudon. Circa 1700–1711. (Mirror dimensions based on sources)[clarification needed]
Corner cabinetedit
Proposition de restitution of the corner cabinet of the dauphin. Condition between 1700 and 1792Le triomphe de Pandore (Triumph of Pandora), Charles de La Fosse. Ca. 1685. Private collection. Model for the painted ceiling by Louvois. Monseigneur cancelled this ceiling, preferring the arabesques by Claude Audran III
The inventory of 1775 indicates that the room was adorned with "Wall panels with large gold frames, golden cornice, gilded ceiling with arabesques painted by Audran. Chimney of violet breccia marble, the top decorated in marble of all the height with bronzes very rich in children[clarification needed] and ornaments gilded of ground gold (...). As with the two previous rooms, Audran decorated with arabesques the ceiling: "Having come to Meudon on April 22, 1699, the king left on the 24th; Two days later, on the 25th of April, Mansart received orders from Monsignor to have the paintings of the ceiling of his corner cabinet erased, to print it with three layers of white, and to paint a base Grotesque like that in the room of the Dauphin. " The ceiling which was then erased can only be that realized by Charles de La Fosse for Louvois, whose subject is Pandora, and whose modello has been identified by Clémentine Gustin-Gomez. In 1702 twas found: "In the Grand Cabinet of Monseigneur: Five Porcelains, 630 Louis; Two Bronzes 180 Louis. Stéphane Castelluccio identified these two bronzes as the Laocoon and Lutteurs, for which Monseigneur certainly commanded their rich 'feet of marquetry'. Finally, the inventory of the royal furniture[43] indicates under the number: "1768 - Four couty mats striped with two strands of wool, with their threads of several colors, for the windows of the cabinet of Monseigneur at Meudon."
Saint-Simon, describing the death of the Grand Dauphin, tells us that it is in this room, on the evening of April 14, 1711, that the famous scene of the comings and goings takes place between the corner cabinet of the king, and the adjoining room where Monseigneur was dying:
"As he was about to enter the room, the Princess of Conti, who had had time to run to Monseigneur's in that short interval of the table-out, presented herself to prevent him from entering the room. She even pushed him away, and told him that he must no longer think of anything but himself. Then the king, almost in weakness of so sudden and complete a reversal, let himself go on a couch which was at the entrance of the door of the closet by which he had entered, which gave into the room. He asked all that came out of it for news, and hardly anyone dared to reply. Madame de Maintenon, hastening to the king, sat on the same sofa and tried to weep. She was trying to take the king, whose carriages were already ready in the courtyard, but there was no way of making him realize that the Monseigneur had expired. This unconscious agony lasted nearly an hour after the king was in the closet. The Duchess and the Princess de Conti divided themselves between the care of the dying man and of the king, to whom they frequently returned, while the confused Faculty, the distraught valets, the buzzing courtesan, pushed each other and walked without ever changing place".
Schéma of the ceiling of the corner cabinet, erased by the dauphin in 1699
Arabesques on gold background by Claude Audran III, circa 1700. Archives des Arts décoratifs de Paris.[44] For the Ménagerie de Versailles or the apartment of the Dauphin at Meudon
The apartment named "of the Duke and the Duchess of Burgundy"edit
It was situated between the Grand Vestibule and the apartment of Monseigneur.
These rooms were the main apartment of Abel Servien, who died there in his room on the ground floor in 1659.
When Monseigneur settled in Meudon in 1695 he gave this dwelling, next to his own, to Philip of Orleans (1640–1701), who occupied it until his death in 1701. The dwelling was then occupied by the Duke and the Duchess of Burgundy until their death in 1712.
Rooms on the ground flooredit
Ground floor of the Château-Vieux of Meudon in 1700
The first floor contained large reception rooms, mainly the "Salon des Moures" and the gallery.
Salon des Mauresedit
Sketch of restoration of the salon from the entrance, by the Grand Escalier (great staircase). Circa 1695Salon des Maures (Salon of the Moors). Circa 1690
Abel Servien created this oval room, centerpiece of the castle, which looks out on the parterre. This salon was built at the same time as the one at Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte was built for Nicolas Fouquet, and is similar, although slightly smaller in size. The cupola received no painted decoration. Gabriel Blanchard produced the twelve grisailles under the cornice, which the 1733 inventory describes: "In the same salon there are twelve paintings painted in grisaille representing the twelve months of the year by games of children, they are of damoiselet [faux, of Gabriel Blanchard], and can not raise the place being all maroufles, two feet high, 6 feet 5 inches wide.
Louvois placed in this salon twelve terms in Moorish and Moorish marble, eight of which are now in the Palace of Compiègne, transferred there at the very end of the 18th century. The minister also embellished the attic with seven paintings of flowers by Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer. The 1733 inventory of paintings of Meudon describes them:
"a golden vase filled with all kinds of flowers, laid on a blue carpet embroidered with gold - the bottom of the picture is a sky."
"a golden vase, or rather an agathic manner, whose handles are of gold, filled with all kinds of flowers, a carpet behind which is embroidered with gold, with two parrots, one blue and the other yellow."
"A golden ornamented goderon vase filled with all kinds of flowers - a carpet behind embroidered gold with a red and green parrot".
"A vase in the shape of a silver bowl filled with all sorts of flowers placed on a red carpet embroidered with gold with a peacock on the bowl."
"A golden vase garnished with all kinds of flowers, among which a poppy falls with one of its leaves to the pedestal on which the vase is laid."
"A golden vase laid on a foot-filled way filled with all kinds of flowers with a peacock behind the vase."
"A gold and silver vase set on a blue and gold carpet whose lining is crimson with a monkey holding a fish."
Les termes en marbre de maures et de mauresques, Salon des Maures de Meudon. Aujourd'hui au palais de Compiègne.
Terme féminin, C38.120 MR 2494.
Terme masculin, C38.98 MR 2492.
Terme féminin, C38.129 MR 2495.
Terme masculin, C38.122 MR 2497.
Terme masculin, C38.97 MR 2496.
Terme masculin, C38.121 MR 2493.
The antechamber called gamesedit
Essai de restitution de l'antichambre des jeux, vers 1700, avec la tapisserie de l'audience du cardinal Chigi, issue de la tenture de l'Histoire du Roi
After the Salon des Maures a series of reception rooms served as rooms for games, and, as it were, for so-called "apartment" evenings, as at Versailles. The first room after the oval salon was square and had two windows on the side of the pit. Monseigneur the dauphin hung on the wall the tapestry of the History of the King, to please his father.
Game roomedit
The second room was similar to the first, and was also enriched with draperies, the northern bays being clogged for this purpose.
Game room, c 1700. De nombreuses tables de jeu prenaient place dans cette pièce, pour les soirées dites d'appartement.
Salon du Petit Pontedit
Essai de restitution of the Salon du Petit Pont, first floor of the château-vieux in Meudon. Circa 1700
This corner room was one of the two salons framing the gallery. It had access to the "Petit Pont" (small bridge), which led directly to the high gardens. Alexander's porphyry bust was placed there.
Gallery of the old castleedit
Schéma of the gallery of the Château-Vieux in MeudonBronzes of the Crown placed in the gallery at Meudon in the 18th century, with their inventory numbers
The gallery of Meudon had an area of 300 m², and the main room measured 40 meters long. There were also two drawing-rooms, the Salon du Petit Pont, and the Salon des Albane to the north.
Draft reconstruction of the cross-section of the gallery of the Château-Vieux of Meudon
Van der Meulen canvases for the gallery in Meudon
La prise d'Ypres
La prise de Fribourg
La prise de Condé
La prise de Lau
The four statues placed in the niches of the gallery under Monseigneur
La Fidélité (Fidelity), following a drawing by Pierre Mignard, Jardins de Versailles
La Fourberie, following a drawing by Pierre Mignard, Jardins de Versailles
Aurora, or daybreak, by Gaspard Marsy, following a drawing by Charles Le Brun, Jardins de Versailles.
Octagonal pedestals placed in the gallery. Abbey of Chaalis
Draft reconstruction of the view of the chapel from the middle of the gallery, circa 1710
The Albane salonedit
Salon Albane, at the end of the gallery of the Château-Vieux, first floor. Circa 1700
This chamber ends the gallery, and it is the pendant of the Salon du Petit Pont, in symmetry. The salon is named for the painter Francesco Albani, for several oval-shaped canvases had been placed in the corners, copies reinterpreted from the master's work. The architecture of the room, with its niches adorned with mirrors and its domed ceiling, was inspired directly by the Cabinet of the medals of Louis XIV at Versailles.
The dauphin will place there the great bronzes of L'Algarde, Jupiter and Juno.
At the end of the 19th century, Louis XIV's apartment consisted of an antechamber, a royal chamber, a small passageway to the rear, That of a "cabinet of the mirrors of the King", which had a balcony allowing to admire the view on Paris.
Council antechamberedit
Reconstruction of the antichamber of Louis XIV on the first floor of the château-vieux, used as a council chamber. Circa 1696–1711. As seen leaving the king's chamber
This room without woodwork had three windows on the side of the floor and two French windows on the side of the courtyard allowing access to the balcony. The mantelpiece was of Campanian green marble.
The bedroom of Louis XIV in Meudonedit
Cutaway of the chamber of Louis XIV, château-vieux de Meudon, ca. 1700.
Above the fireplace in the king's chamber hung the original of "Charity" by Andrea del Sarto, then a copy of this painting. This work can be interpreted as an allegory of the transmission of royal power.
The cabinet of the mirrors of the kingedit
Le Cabinet des Glaces du Roi, c. 1697 to 1793. Archives nationales, O1 1768 A 1 et 2.
Elévation de la paroi Nord.
Elévation de la paroi Est.
Elévation de la paroi Sud.
Elévation de la paroi Ouest.
Restitution 3D du Cabinet des glaces de Louis XIV, Franck Devedjian & Hervé Grégoire, janvier 2013.
Madame de Maintenon's apartment consisted of an antechamber, a bedroom, and a closet in the center of the east wing, as well as a balcony with a view of Paris. In the cabinet of Maintenon, there was a painting above the door of David and Abigail, painted by Louis de Boullogne.
Antechamber of Mme de Maintenon, c. 1700
Chamber of Mme de Maintenon, 1700–1711
Cabinet of Mme de Maintenon, c. 1700
Apartment of the Princess of Contiedit
Projet de cheminée du cabinet des miroirs de Meudon, vers 1680 ? Nationalmuseum de Stockholm, NMH THC 1326
Afterwards, the apartment of the Princess of Conti followed and ended with another "Cabinet des mirroirs".
In the Princess room were two paintings by Antoine Coypel, Psyche discovering Sleeping Love, and Psyche abandoned by Love
In the adjoining cabinet was placed the painting entitled "Venus at the Forges of Lemnos", by the same painter. These three works were commissioned by Monseigneur for the apartment of his half-sister.
Canvases in the apartment of the Princess of Conti by Antoine Coypel, 1701
Psyché découvrant l'Amour endormi, Antoine Coypel, 1701
3D recreation of the interior of the chapel at Meudon. Franck Devedjian and Hervé Grégoire, 2014
The chapel was completed at the end of 1702, on the plans of Jules Hardouin-Mansart. This construction, desired by Monseigneur, was aimed at by Louis XIV. This chapel follows the same model as the Royal Chapel at the Chateau of Versailles and the Royal Chapel of Versailles. However, the chapel of Meudon was completed a decade before that of Versailles. Like the latter, it has a barrel-vaulted nave ending in a cul-de-four above the sanctuary. Above the high altar is a large painting of Antoine Coypel, four meters high, eighty-five by three wide, which features the "Resurrection". Charles de La Fosse will model this composition to undertake the painting of the kiln furnace of the royal chapel of Versailles. Another painting by Coypel, The Annunciation, completes the set.
The arms carved above the tribune are royal weapons on the drawing projecting the chapel, but will eventually be realized according to the model of weapons delphinales. The architectural theorist, Jacques-François Blondel, cites as an example, with the chapels of the Châteaux de Sceaux and Clagny "Perfect models".
It will be destroyed between 1805 and 1808.
Coupe de la tribune of the chapel of the château de Meudon, 1701
Projet non définitif de coupe of the chapel of Meudon. Dessin de Jules Hardouin-Mansart, 1701. AN.
Plan définitif of the chapel of Meudon, circa 1775–1780. AN
Jeton representing the interior of the chapel of the château of Meudon, seen from the tribune, 1703. Private collection
Copy of Résurrection by Antoine Coypel, chapel of Vernon
L'Annonciation, by Antoine Coypel. Estampe de Drevet
Chestnut Tree Wingedit
Plan of the apartment of the chestnut trees, circa 1703 (ADY). Caption: 1. communication gallery; 2. Large Oval Cabinet; 3. Large Corner Cabinet; 4. Large Living Room; 5. Dining room; 6. Buffet cabinet; 7. Antechamber of the Small Apartment Fresh; 8. House; 9.Cabinet.
The old "Cour des Offices", or "Basse Cour", was transformed by Monseigneur to create luxurious ceremonial rooms. The entire annex then took the name of "Wing of the Marronniers". The large reception rooms extend the width of the Terrasse des Marronniers. A small, luxurious apartment, the "Small Fresh Apartment", was also arranged behind these large rooms, no doubt for the Dauphin to receive his mistresses.
Small hanging galleryedit
Still life with profile of Diana by Blin de Fontenay
This gallery links to the communicating gallery which follows it perpendicularly. A large buffet painted by Fontenay completes the perspective of the small suspended gallery.
Communicating galleryedit
communicating gallery, chestnut tree wing, c. 1703–1711.
This room is decorated with large paintings by François Desportes, commissioned for the chamber, and which would make the painter's success.
Communicating gallery, Chestnut tree wing, c. 1703. Reconstruction by Franck Devedjian, 2012
François Desportes canvasses commissioned for the communicating gallery, 1703
Un cerf poursuivi par des chiens (Stag Pursued by Dogs), François Desportes, 1703
La mort d'un chevreuil (Death of a deer), François Desportes, 1703
La meute de Monseigneur (Hounds of Monseigneur), 1703, Musée de Gien
La mort du loup (Death of the wolf), François Desportes, 1703
Un sanglier chassé par huit chiens (A Boar Chased by Eight Dogs), François Desportes. 1703
Large oval cabinetedit
Chamber of mirrors in Charlottenburg Palace, Germany, contemporaneous with the Grand Cabinet Ovale, similar in its layout, size and systematic use of mirrorsPreparatory drawing for the Triomphe de Bacchus, attributed to Louis de Boullogne. Albertina Museum, Vienna (Austria)
Also called the "Salon doré" (golden salon) where hung the "Triumph of Bacchus" by Bon Boullogne. The painting disappeared, but a preparatory drawing, preserved at the Albertina Museum (Vienna), and attributed to his brother Louis, allows us to understand what the composition of this work might look like.
Large corner cabinetedit
Essai de restitution du Grand Cabinet de l'aile des marronniers, with the canvases in place circa 1705
The dauphin had some prestigious paintings in this room, including Renaud and Armide by the Dominiquin, and Moses saved from the waters by Nicolas Poussin. These canvases come from the royal collections.
Grand Salonedit
It was the main room of the apartment of the chestnut trees, with an area of 100 m². The dauphin placed there other pictures from the royal collections, including two by Paul Veronese.
Grand salon, c. 1705. With paintings placed by Monseigneur
Essai de restitution de la coupe de la paroi Est du grand salon des marronniers, circa 1705
Essai de restitution de la coupe de la paroi Sud du grand salon des marronniers, around 1705. With paintings placed by Monseigneur the dauphin.
Essai de restitution de la coupe de la paroi Ouest du grand salon des marronniers, circa 1705
Canvases by Nicolas Loir from the queen's apartment in Versailles, repurposed in the Grand Salon.
Pithopolis faisant servir des mets en or au roi Pithès (Pithopolis having King Pithès served food of gold), Nicolas Loir, formerly "Cléopâtre qui, dans un festin....", musée de Brou.
Reine donnant audience à un vieillard (Queen Giving Audience to an Old Man), by Nicolas Loir, also known as La reine de Saba (The Queen of Saba), Musée Hyacinthe-Rigaud [fr], Perpignan
Reine s'adressant à des soldats (Dueen addressing soldiers), or "la reine de Saba appuyée sur son trône" (the Queen of Saba leaning on her throne), Nicolas Loir, musée du Louvre, n°8715
The dining roomedit
Essai de restitution de la salle à manger de l'aile des marronniers du château de Meudon. Table dressée en 1704 pour recevoir le duc de Bavière, beau-frère du Dauphin.
It was in this hall that the Bishop invited guests to dine.
The cabinet of the buffetedit
This small room had two small basins, from which flowed streams of water.
"Small Fresh Apartment"edit
Behind these large reception rooms, the Prince was given a "small fresh apartment", which consisted of an antechamber and another room. As well as a cabinet, it was enlivened by miniatures painted by Jean Cotelle the Elder, representing the gardens of Versailles. These three rooms were all wooded at the Capucine, and adorned with the door-tops by Jean-Baptiste Belin.
Chamber of Monseigneur in the Petit Appartement Frais de l'aile des marronniers, c. 1703Cabinet of the "Petit appartement frais", circa 1703–1711
Miniatures of the gardens of Versailles, gouache by Jean II Cotelle
Le bassin de Neptune (Neptune's Basin), Jean II Cotelle
L'arc de triomphe, Jean II Cotelle
L'Encelade, Jean II Cotelle
L'entrée du labyrinthe (The Entrance of the Labyrinth), Jean II Cotelle
La fontaine du dragon (The Fountain of the Dragon), Jean II Cotelle
La colonnade, Jean II Cotelle
L'intérieur du labyrinthe (The Interior of the Labyrinth), Jean II Cotelle
Le théâtre d'eau (The Water Theatre), Jean II Cotelle
Grotto of Meudonedit
3D rendition of the Grotto of Meudon, c. 1690–1700. Franck Devedjian and Hervé Grégoire, 2013Grotte and parterre, Israël Silvestre, c. 1685.
The cave of Meudon is the twin sister of this "House of the Theater" begun for Henry II in 1556 by De l'Orme and continued in 1559 by Primaticcio, a beautiful belvedere which, following additions towards the end of century, became the Chateau-Neuf of Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
Interior of the Grotto
"The Primatice painted for the Cardinal of Lorraine for his Chateau de Meudon a cave made up of several rooms, among others that of the pavilion where there were a number of frescoed figures in the ceiling; We destroyed this cave by building the new Castle in the time of Monseigneur the Dauphin ayeul du Roy. "
Giorgio Vasari speaks of the Grotto when he approaches Primaticius, who is its architect and, as it were, the chief decorator. There is also an interesting description of a traveler from the mid-17th century, preserved in the manuscripts of the Saint-Germain fonds, no. 944, as given by the "Lettres écrites de la Vendée":
"At two leagues from Paris is Meudon, where is seen in the wood an admirable and wonderful grotto, enriched with supports and damping of cut stone, small turrets turned and massed in the ass of a lamp, paved with a pavement Of porphire bastard, speckled with white, red, green, gray spots and of a hundred different colors, noughed by esgouts made with gargoyles and lyon muffles. There are columns, figures and statues of marble, grotesque paintings, compartimens and images of gold and azure, and other couleurs. The frontispiece has large fluted and roughened columns, trimmed with bases, Capital, architrave, friezes, cornices and moldings of good grace And just proportion: the vase and taillour sustained on the tests of virtues, approaching the average proportion of the colossi, enriched with leaves of acanthus and ursine branch to sustain the fullness of the stock, Very well conducted and completed; But the troubles have made there irreparable ruins, and especially to the pipes which have been broken".
It was demolished in 1705 to build the Château-Neuf in the same location.
Map of the Grotto de Meudon and its surroundings, late 17th century, Archives nationales
Parterre of the Grotto, seen from the central salon. Israël Silvestre, c. 1685
Décor project for the Grotto, c. 1685. Not carried out. Jules Hardouin-Mansart
Grotto of Meudon in an imaginairy landscape, Harvard Art Museum, 34.1991 (The roofing of the central pavilion is fictive)
Château-Neuf (new castle)edit
3D rendition of the Château-Neuf at its apogee, around 1709. Franck Devedjian and Hervé Grégoire, 2013Facade of the Château-Neuf, 2013
We owe the plans of the Château-Neuf to the architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart. Philippe de Courcillon de Dangeau wrote May 21, 1706, that being at Marly, "the king worked in the morning with Mansart, who showed him the plans of the buildings that M. M. wants to make at Meudon at the place where the grotto is." Monseigneur wished this building to house the courtiers he received at Meudon, and the king aimed at the drawings made for Monseigneur. The building was erected on the site of the grotto, previously demolished in 1705.
A long corridor serves all the apartments: this was not unusual for the time. What was much more so was the systematization of the typical dwelling of the courtier, since the whole of the Château-Neuf can be compared to a "hotel" in the modern sense of the word.
After nearly two hundred years, a fire ravaged the building on January 31, 1871. The ruins were left to the inclement weather, and probably also looted, until 1879 when a law enacted the choice of Meudon as an observatory. Restoration of the ruins was then begun by the architect Constant Moyaux, saving from destruction what remained of the castle, especially the two lower floors, less damaged by the fire.
Château-Neuf from the parterre. Mariette, c. 1715
Third level of the Château-Neuf ("le bel étage"), by Mariette, around 1715
April 10, 2024
château, meudon, this, article, contains, many, pictures, overall, length, relevant, discussion, found, talk, page, please, improve, this, article, removing, indiscriminate, collections, images, adjusting, images, that, sandwiching, text, accordance, with, man. This article contains too many pictures for its overall length Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please improve this article by removing indiscriminate collections of images or adjusting images that are sandwiching text in accordance with the Manual of Style on use of images September 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message Chateau de Meudon also known as the Royal Castle of Meudon or Imperial Palace of Meudon is a French castle in Meudon Hauts de Seine At the edge of a wooded plateau the castle offers views of Paris and the Seine as well as of the Chalais valley Located between Paris and Versailles in the heart of a hunting reserve the castle has an ideal topography for large gardens Chateau de MeudonVirtual recreation of the Chateau Vieux de Meudon that was demolished LocationMeudonNearest cityParis VersaillesFounded14th centuryMonument historiqueDesignated12 April 1972 the most beautiful place in the world both in its layout and in its location J F Blondel fr Cours d Architecture 1773 volume 4 p 132 It had many successive owners from the Renaissance until the fall of the Second French Empire It should not be confused with the Chateau de Bellevue also located in Meudon Famous past residents include Anne de Pisseleu d Heilly Duchess of Etampes the Cardinal of Lorraine Abel Servien Francois Michel Le Tellier Marquis of Louvois and Louis Grand Dauphin also known as Monseigneur who linked the Chaville Castle to Meudon Castle The Chateau Vieux Old Castle burned down in 1795 and was rebuilt as the Chateau Neuf New Castle which in turn burned down in 1871 Demolition was considered but most of the castle was preserved and became an observatory with an astronomical telescope in 1878 which was then attached to the Observatory of Paris in 1927 The Chateau de Meudon has been classified as a historical monument since 12 April 1972 Hangar Y fr in the Chalais Meudon park has been classified as an historical monument since 4 June 2000 It was the first storage facility for aerostats in the world and is one of the few still standing Contents 1 History 1 1 Late Middle Ages 1 1 1 Lords of Meudon 12th century 1413 1 1 2 Augustin Isbarre 1413 1425 1 2 Renaissance 1 2 1 Sanguin family and the Duchesse d Etampes 1426 1552 1 2 2 Cardinal of Lorraine and the Guises 1552 1654 1 3 Grand Siecle 1 3 1 Abel Servien and the marquis de Sable 1654 1679 1 3 2 Louvois and his wife Anne de Souvre 1679 1695 1 4 The apogee Louis XIV and Monseigneur 1695 1711 1 4 1 Works of the prince 1 4 2 Hanging gardens 1 5 18th century 1 5 1 Duchess of Berry daughter of the Regent 1718 1719 1 5 2 Saint Simon 1719 1722 1 5 3 Louis XV and his children 1 5 4 Queen s parents the visit of Stanislas Leszczynski 1736 1737 1 5 5 Chateau de Bellevue preferred after 1750 1 5 6 Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette in Meudon 1 6 19th century between pomp and decline 1 6 1 Castle of the Republic 1793 1795 1 6 2 Chateau Vieux fire and demolition 1 6 3 Napoleon Meudon Imperial Palace of the King of Rome 1807 1815 1 6 4 Meudon under the Restoration and the Orleans 1 6 5 Second Empire hideout of Prince Napoleon 1 6 6 1871 Chateau Neuf fire and takeover by the Observatoire de Paris 1 7 The 20th century a gradual renovation 1 7 1 The domain today 1 7 2 Legal status a divided and partly inaccessible space 1 7 3 The rehabilitation project of the Great Perspective 1 7 4 Archaeological potential 2 Detail of the domain 2 1 Vieux Chateau 2 1 1 Ground floor 2 1 1 1 Grand Vestibule and Great Staircase 2 1 1 2 Grand Apartment of Monseigneur 2 1 1 2 1 Guardroom 2 1 1 3 Dining room of the Dauphin from 1700 2 1 1 3 1 Bedchamber of the Grand Dauphin 2 1 1 3 2 Corner cabinet 2 1 1 4 The apartment named of the Duke and the Duchess of Burgundy 2 1 2 Rooms on the ground floor 2 1 2 1 Salon des Maures 2 1 2 2 The antechamber called games 2 1 2 3 Game room 2 1 2 4 Salon du Petit Pont 2 1 2 5 Gallery of the old castle 2 1 2 6 The Albane salon 2 1 2 7 The apartment said of Louis XIV 2 1 2 7 1 Council antechamber 2 1 2 7 2 The bedroom of Louis XIV in Meudon 2 1 2 7 3 The cabinet of the mirrors of the king 2 1 2 8 Apartment of Madame de Maintenon 2 1 2 9 Apartment of the Princess of Conti 2 2 Chapel 2 3 Chestnut Tree Wing 2 3 1 Small hanging gallery 2 3 2 Communicating gallery 2 3 3 Large oval cabinet 2 3 4 Large corner cabinet 2 3 5 Grand Salon 2 3 6 The dining room 2 3 7 The cabinet of the buffet 2 3 8 Small Fresh Apartment 2 4 Grotto of Meudon 2 5 Chateau Neuf new castle 2 5 1 The upper vestibule 2 5 2 The guardroom 2 5 3 The first antechamber 2 5 4 The second antechamber 2 5 5 Monseigneur s Parade Chamber 2 5 6 Gallery 2 6 Orangeries 2 6 1 Orangery of the old castle 2 6 2 The Orangery of the new castle 2 6 3 The greenhouse below the Orangerie du Chateau Vieux 2 7 Stables 2 8 Gardens 2 8 1 The Grand Perspective 2 8 2 Lower gardens 2 8 3 High gardens 2 9 Park and ponds 2 10 The village of Meudon 3 Notes 4 References 5 Sources 6 External linksHistory editLate Middle Ages edit Lords of Meudon 12th century 1413 edit There is little information on the origin of the castle but it was certainly a small castle with an unknown floor plan Many records do however exist of 12th century lords whose patronymic was Meudon as well as a mention of a manor of the Meudon vale in the 14th century 1 Marie Therese Herledan published an account of this period in her book Meudon Avant le Roy Meudon Before the King Many Meudons held positions at court such as Robert de Meudon the Grand Panetier of France under King Philip the Fair His title was mentioned in a deed in 1305 nbsp View of Paris from Meudon detail Langlace 1818 Musee d art et d histoire de Meudon Augustin Isbarre 1413 1425 edit On 17 July 1413 Jean de Montrevel known as the Hermit lord of La Faye chamberlain of the king and husband of Jeanne de Gaillonnel holder of the castle s fief sold the castle with his wife s consent to the wealthy Augustin Isbarre a banker and jeweller In 1422 Isbarre whose family had performed financial services for the royal family 2 was appointed cupbearer to the king He died in Paris on 27 August 1425 3 and was buried at the Convent of the Grands Augustins fr Renaissance edit Sanguin family and the Duchesse d Etampes 1426 1552 edit The fief of Meudon was bought in 1426 by Guillaume Sanguin fr for 2000 livres 4 Sanguin was the valet of Charles VII and the treasurer of the Duke of Burgundy He was previously associated with the former owner Augustin Isbarre a provost of the merchants of Paris from 1429 to 1431 It seems that he built a manor on the site of the old castle He died in Paris on 14 February 1441 Jean Sanguin known as the Bastard of Sanguin inherited the seigniory of his father he died in Paris on 13 November 1468 He had several children including Antoine Sanguin who inherited the fief and became lord of Meudon Antoine later married Marie Simon and died on 18 October 1500 The manor was demolished in 1520 by Antoine Sanguin known as the Cardinal de Meudon who built a square corps de logis of brick and stone with a loft floor over a ground floor with ornamented skylights 5 It was adorned in the Italian style with pilasters bands and stone framing The layout of the castle supposedly influenced that of the Chateau du Grand Jardin in Joinville a property of the House of Guise 6 Antoine Sanguin gave the castle to his niece Anne of Pisseleu also called the Duchess of Etampes on 5 September 1527 She had become the mistress of Francois I and almost the de facto queen of France To better accommodate his mistress Francois financed an addition of two square pavilions on either side of the initial body and two wings that ended with identical pavilions These extensions mirrored the style of the main building In the style of the Chateau d Ecouen corbelled corner turrets were also added to the pavilions The structure was similar to the works undertaken at the chateau at Marchais then owned by Nicolas de Longueval Count of Bossut and Superintendent of Finance under Francois I He was governor of Champagne and Brie and a member of the inner circle of the Duchess of Etampes The same still unknown architect likely also headed the expansion of Meudon and Marchais as well as the neighbouring castle in Sissonne which are all in the same style A triumphal arch was also built into the center of the enclosure wall serving as a majestic entrance to the courtyard Francis I of France stayed in Meudon from 11 July to 5 August 1537 and many more times before his death in 1547 Rendition of Chateau de Meudon during period between 1520 s to 1550 s nbsp Location of castle of Antoine Sanguin c 1520 nbsp Rendition of castle c 1520 nbsp Additions by Anne of Pisseleu c 1540 nbsp View from mouth of ruelle de Beauvais c 1550 s Cardinal of Lorraine and the Guises 1552 1654 edit This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Chateau de Meudon news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message nbsp Charles de Guise Cardinal of Lorraine 1524 1574 by El GrecoUpon the death of Francis I Anne de Pisseleu had to sell the Meudon estate in 1552 to Charles de Guise Cardinal of Lorraine 7 This ended the Sanguins presence at Meudon which had lasted more than a century The former favourite withdrew to the Chateau d Heilly where she died in September 1580 8 The cardinal then renovated the castle drawing inspiration from the Italian architectural style which he had discovered during his travels to Rome A letter written on 28 December 1552 addressed to his sister in law Anna d Este says I have been at Meudon while I was in Paris there are no more beautiful houses in this kingdom citation needed The cardinal had the wings on the courtyard side of the gallery surmounted by a terrace based on drawings by Francesco Primaticcio The interiors were decorated with scenes from the Council of Trent in which the cardinal had actively participated probably in the style being practised in Italy at that time by Taddeo and Federigo Zuccaro Terraced gardens and an orangerie were created around small buildings These included a small fantasy palace dedicated to nymphs and muses the famous Grotto of Meudon based on drawings by Primaticcio from between 1552 and 1560 and decorated with compositions by the artist It forms a small palace under a platform of arcades sheltered from view by a hill that visually separates it from the castle as shown on a print by Israel Silvestre representing the grotto It was made up of three pavilions backing onto the slope blending Italian and French styles The central pavilion decorated with mosaics shells corals and maiolica sheltered the grotto Its prime contractor was Primaticcio himself The first floor of the central pavilion displayed antiques in a large salon Historian Henri Sauval wrote that the Diana of Versailles had been brought from Italy and placed in the castle of Meudon but recent research seems to prove otherwise 9 This grotto enjoyed immediate success and was praised by Pierre de Ronsard in his Chant pastoral sur les noces de Charles duc de Lorraine et Madame Claude fille du roi Pastoral Song on the Wedding of Charles Duke of Lorraine and Madame Claude Daughter of the King 10 In 1568 Giorgio Vasari wrote enthusiastically about the grotto whose repute had reached Italy 11 For the Cardinal of Lorraine Primaticcio executed many decorations in his great palace called La Grotte the grotto of so extraordinary an amplitude that it recalled the baths of antiquity because of the infinite number and size of its galleries staircases and public and private apartments The construction of this cave was spread out over time starting with the grotto itself and the two ramps of the staircase circa 1552 1555 and then in a second stage the two pavilions 1559 The lower cryptoportico was then built in a third phase 12 At the death of the Cardinal of Lorraine in 1574 the castle remained the property of the family of Guise who held it as one of their fiefs along with the castle of Joinville Haute Marne Meudon was plundered during the French Wars of Religion Henri de Guise barely had the time to visit Meudon It was at Meudon that the future Henri IV Henry of Navarre learned of the assassination of Henry III of France on 1 August 1589 by Jacques Clement He went the very same day to see the wounded king in nearby Saint Cloud The king reassured him about his health Henri went back to Meudon Maximilien de Bethune Duke of Sully who accompanied him lodged at Sauvat a house in the village The next day the king s condition worsened and he died at Saint Cloud Henry of Navarre became King of France the first Bourbon king Meudon became one of the seats of the League On July 24 1605 the marriage of Francois de Bourbon Prince of Conti 1558 1614 and Louise Marguerite de Lorraine took place in the chapel of the chateau 13 In 1618 the Duke if Lorraine tasked his architect Gabriel Soulignac fr with modifying the castle and extending the gardens Other work was carried out by Soulignac in 1623 with the construction of a terrace and a staircase near the grotto In 1639 Jacques Dubreuil boasted of Meudon s stairs and turrets The garden is moderately large made of flower beds borders open alleyways surrounded by alleys covered with beautiful trees with balusters citation needed In 1641 the painter Nicolas Poussin visited Meudon no doubt attracted by the famous decorations of Primaticcio Above all 18 May 1643 the union of Gaston d Orleans brother of Louis XIII with Marguerite of Lorraine was renewed in the chapel of the castle with the blessing of the Archbishop of Paris The domain was plundered under the Fronde since the Lorraine princes who owned Meudon had taken the side of the rebellion against royal authority Thus beginning in 1649 the Grand Conde at the head of the Royal Army seized Charenton Saint Denis Saint Cloud and Meudon Views of Chateau de Meudon during period between 1550 s to 1650 s nbsp View of the castle of Meudon c 1600 nbsp The Cave of Meudon by Israel Silvestre nbsp The grotto of Meudon by Claude Chastillon c 1600 nbsp The church of Meudon c early 1600 s nbsp Meudon by Claude Chastillon c 1600 Grand Siecle edit nbsp Abel ServienAbel Servien and the marquis de Sable 1654 1679 edit Meudon in poor condition was bought on 12 September 1654 by Abel Servien Superintendent of Finances who took the title of Baron de Meudon As soon as the purchase was made Servien had extensive renovation work done by the architect Louis Le Vau He was at the peak of his career and felt that Meudon should reflect this power In Paris Servien lived at the Hotel de la Roche Guyon near the Palais Royal at least from 1651 to 1659 The castle was richly furnished and decorated The central foredeck was replaced by an octagonal pavilion surmounted by a high roof shaped like a truncated pyramid In the center of the pavilion was a large double spiral staircase A large staircase adorned with twelve columns of marble monoliths precedes it The first floor housed a large cupolaed salon opening onto the gardens similar to the one built at the time by Nicholas Fouquet at the chateau of Vaux le Vicomte Servien had a large terrace built in the forecourt in order to clear the view of the castle thereby engulfing nearly a third of the village of Meudon which he moved elsewhere On the garden side he built a monumental orangerie still preserved today He enlarged the park which had existed since at least the Duchesse d Etampes Through many land purchases he managed to put through a Grande Perspective south of the castle featuring basins and ponds including those of Chalais Letters patent dated 31 August 1657 bear permission to extend the park of Meudon enclose it in walls even though the acquired inheritances are in the neighborhood of the pleasures of His Majesty or in other words of the neighboring Palace of Versailles When Queen Christine of Sweden came to France she offered Servien a bronze by Adrian de Vries Mercury Abducting Psyche now in the Louvre 14 Servien had this bronze placed at the end of the flowerbed just above his new orangery Servien died on 17 February 1659 at Meudon itself in his apartment on the ground floor after having spent a true fortune on Meudon which was still under construction His son Louis Francois Servien fr marquess of Sable and protector of Jean de La Fontaine kept the estate for twenty years On 2 August 1665 Gian Lorenzo Bernini visited Meudon Financial constraints finally forced Louis Francois Servien to sell Meudon to Francois Lemoine de Louvois in 1679 Already a year earlier in 1678 members of the Academie Royale d Architecture visited Meudon and found that what was renovated on the garden side of the castle in the days of M Servien is very ruined particularly the cornice of the central pavilion P V I 193 The Chateau de Meudon during period between 1654 and 1679 nbsp Castle at the death of Abel Servien in 1659 nbsp Parterre of Meudon and the statue of Mercury and Psyche c 1660 nbsp Mercury and Psyche bronze by Adrien de Vries nbsp The grotto in the state where Servien found it in 1654 nbsp Meudon by Claude Chastillon c 1600 nbsp Layout of the ground floor of the old castle c 1659 nbsp Sketch of the castle entrance and the village c 1654 nbsp Evolution of Meudon by Abel Servien between 1654 1659 nbsp Unfinished project by Louis Le Vau to modify the central pavilion of the Vieux Chateau c 1655 Louvois and his wife Anne de Souvre 1679 1695 edit For the powerful minister who called himself M de Chaville in his youth the site of Meudon was ideal It was near both Versailles and the Chateau of Chaville where the family property was located It was rebuilt by his father Michel Le Tellier Louvois obtained the superintendence for the buildings in 1683 then embarked on a series of grandiose rearrangements He enriched the facade of the chateau with busts and balconies on columns of gray marble He sumptuously redecorated the whole interior He had woodwork installed in 1684 Above the doors were floral paintings in the style of Jean Baptiste Monnoyer A cabinet displayed miniatures of the groves of Versailles painted by Jean Cotelle the elder doubtless a gift from Louis XIV in 1688 to thank his minister for the perfect completion of the marble Trianon de porcelaine The large gallery which occupies the entire right wing on the first floor is adorned with twelve paintings by Adam Frans van der Meulen on the great battles of the reign Louvois and his wife and vignette nbsp Francois Michel Le Tellier de Louvois nbsp Madame de Louvois in Meudon At the back is the parterre and the Grotto nbsp Meudon with the Le Tellier coat of arms in a vignette by Pierre Paul Sevin c 1685 1690 Nicodemus Tessin the Younger noted the following during his visit to the castle in 1687 15 The most remarkable in the house was the ceiling painted in oils directly on the vault by M de La Fosse At the four corners of the composition simulating stucco two seated figures and two standing figures were painted in the corners and between the statues the ceiling was painted in oils directly on the vault by Charles de La Fosse In the corners and between the statues there was something like an oeil de boeuf through which the sky could be seen Beside the figures and to make them stand out all the better rich rugs of different colors and between the first and the other corner large ovals in the center of which was depicted Pandora Beside them Mercury was particularly well painted The vault stretched over the upper cornice and the shadow below made a very good effect The large stucco listels all around were completely gilded The adjoining room must also have been painted by M de La Fosse Above in the oval room the mirrors made a very good impression They were arranged circularly and were as tall as the five windows There was only a woodwork halfway up the wall In each panel were placed three ice sheets about 6 qv High and when you were in the center of the panel you could see each other in the three windows at once The gallery was nicely decorated with a number of tables of jasper busts etc and all the King s actions were to be painted by Van der Meulen Two were already completed At one end of the gallery there was a drawing room in which the table and the whole panel between the two windows were lined with mirror glass and the opening of the doors was so great that from afar one could almost see the whole gallery There is moreover a profusion of very large and beautiful mirrors The furniture was very fine but not of a peculiar taste Every winter they were removed because of soil moisture Beneath in M de Louvois s own room there were three pipes of copper that permitted heat to pass at will This heat came from a copper stove placed in the chimney of the neighboring room A ventilation pipe passing under the vestibule arrived at this chimney and then distributed the heat when the window of this chamber was opened like the heat making machine at Versailles dd Borne to one of the sides of the stable by pillars of stones or buttresses the house is externally in very bad condition The site is rugged to the possible but nevertheless very pleasant The central aisle below in the garden in front of the terraces is covered with turf and 70 yards wide Then in the middle of an alley of sand of eight yards wide are spruces and other trees Then on two sides a new lawn of nine yards and again a sandy alley with trees eight yards wide The parterre of M Le Nostre in the middle in front of the cave that I have drawn is very nice so the two embroidery in the center in front of the house with two marble vases and marble statues around the oval basin hand built as tiles did not do a bad effect I also drew the boxes of the orange trees there taking them separately This garden is surrounded as well as the park by a wall at least seven miles in circumference At the bottom of the garden was another large pleasure house which M de Louvois had bought for life for M Honore Courtin Courtin dd Outside Louvois had extensive hydraulic works to power the waterways of the park and allow the spectacular water jets The upper park was developed while Le Notre worked on the gardens continually throughout the 1680s and created practically all of the lower gardens invented new groves and parterres including the one in front of the Grotto Louvois also arranged a large vegetable garden along the avenue of the castle In short he built everything at Meudon that Louis XIV did in a more spectacular way still at Versailles at the same time And he asked Israel Silvestre drawing master of Louis de France to engrave the entire estate which Silvestre carried out with several very spectacular prints among the most careful of his work In July 1681 the Queen of France Maria Theresa of Spain came to visit Meudon where Mr de Louvoy had the honor of serving her 16 On August 17 1684 Louvois had a great feast prepared for Meudon in honor of Philip of Orleans 1640 1701 On July 2 1685 Louis XIV Louis de France The Dauphin the Dauphine Monsieur and Madame accompany the greater part of the Princes and Lords of the Court come to Meudon where Louvois treated the King and the whole Court was given a magnificent collation during which the violins and oboes of the Opera played melodies by Jean Baptiste Lully But M de Louvo was sorry to see that he was pleased the whole time the king was with him In 1686 a reception was still given at Meudon in honor of the Siam ambassadors who discovered both the gardens and the castle Louvois was not present to receive them since he was with Maintenon and the King to follow the work on the Eure canal On August 25 1689 Louvois again received Philip of Orleans 1640 1701 at dinner in Meudon On the 29th of June 1691 two weeks before the sudden death of Louvois Monseigneur went to Meudon with Madame Princesse de Conti they made a snack at the chateau and walked for a long time in the park and in the gardens Dangeau On July 16 1691 Louvois died suddenly at Versailles He had reached the point of honors and the splendor of Meudon symbolized this power materially On the proposal of Louis XIV the widow of Louvois Anne of Souvre and his son Barbezieux agreed to exchange Meudon for the Chateau de Choisy and a balance In the memoirs of the Marquis de Dangeau on Wednesday June 1 1695 In the morning the king proposed to M de Barbezieux the exchange of Choisy with Meudon He asked her how much Madame de Louvois had taken Meudon in her share M de Barbezieux told him that she had taken him for a unit of 500 000 francs The King told him that he would give him 400 000 of his return and Choisy whom he counted for 100 000 francs if that were agreeable to Madame de Louvois That he charged him to go and learn of her but that he did not ask her for any complacency That he wished that she should treat with him as with a private person and should think only of his interests M de Barbezieux went to Paris to find his mother who is pleased with the king s offer and to whom the exchange is well suited The contract will be signed on the first day We started talking about business only in the morning and it was finished in the evening The castle valued at 500 000 livres and already considerably embellished by succeeding owners knew its most brilliant period nbsp Detail of the painting Louvois chassant a Meudon Louvois Hunting at Meudon Musee de Versailles circa 1683 nbsp Uncompleted plan for a dome for the central pavilion of the Chateau Vieux by Jules Hardouin Mansart for Louvois circa 1685 1691 Bibliotheque Mazarine ms 3361Views of Chateau de Meudon during the period between 1679 and 1695 nbsp View of the entrance of the chateau de Meudon Israel Silvestre 1685 nbsp Back of the courtyard of the Chateau Vieux Circa 1685 1690 Bibliotheque Mazarine ms 3361 nbsp Facade of the parterre side of the Chateau Vieux Circa 1685 1690 Bibliotheque Mazarine ms 3361 nbsp Layout of the ground floor of Meudon after the death of Louvois 1695 nbsp Layout of the first floor of the Chateau Vieux after the death of Louvois 1695 nbsp Louvois chassant a Meudon Louvois hunting in Meudon c 1683 Musee de Versailles nbsp Grande Perspective de Meudon Israel Silvestre third quarter of 17th century Musee d art et d histoire de Meudon nbsp View of the chateau de Meudon from the village of Fleury Israel Silvestre 1688 Musee d art et d histoire de Meudon The apogee Louis XIV and Monseigneur 1695 1711 edit nbsp Louis of France 1661 1711 known as le Grand Dauphin by Hyacinthe Rigaud nbsp Reconstructione of the illumination on 27 August 1704 in honor of the birth of the Duke of BrittanyWorks of the prince edit nbsp View of the chateau de Meudon from the entrance Pierre Aveline c 1710The Grand Dauphin did extensive work at Meudon and turned it into his special showplace spending a sum of one million one hundred forty thousand French livres although the king his father had put it among the royal residences and in the charge of the Batiments du Roi 17 Over sixteen years at least three million livres were spent embellishing and maintaining the estate a colossal sum The prince redecorated the apartments to his liking The Dauphin allowed Meudon to express his own artistic conceptions breaking with the sometimes compassed aspect of the Louis XIV style Although not for the first time Meudon systematically used Capucine woodwork carved and varnished strips of wood with gilt accents Regency style partially manifested at Meudon The Dauphin gathered there his rich collections which attempted to compete with those of the king agate vases Indian fabrics Gobelin tapestries Chinese porcelain paintings by great masters and especially his collection of gems He did not hesitate to redecorate some rooms several times removing for example the ceiling painted by Charles de La Fosse to give expression to the light style of Claude Audran His main apartment was located the length of the ground floor in the east wing of the Chateau Vieux He also had the parade apartment in the Chateau Neuf as well as a small fresh apartment in the chestnut tree wing The Dauphin liked to surround himself at Meudon with his family his friends and courtisans in particular Marie Adelaide of Savoy the Duchess of Burgundy Marie Anne of Bourbon 1666 1739 his daughter in law the Princess of Conti and Louise Francoise de Bourbon Duchess of Bourbon 1673 1743 her two half sisters Louis Antoine de Pardaillan de Gondrin D Antin son of Madame de Montespan He also lodged there his mistress Marie Emilie de Joly de Choin Like his father at the Castle of Marly the Dauphin liked to find a relaxed and warm atmosphere in Meudon with chosen companions To accommodate this large entourage the Dauphin undertook extensive additions In 1702 space at the Chateau Vieux soon proved inadequate He had the chestnut tree wing the former courtyard of the offices rearranged so as to connect it to the chateau by a hanging gallery He arranged a large reception hall on the ground floor He also built a new commons which is still visible He entrusted to Jules Hardouin Mansart the architect of all these works the construction of a chapel Antoine Coypel one of the favorite painters of the Dauphin painted the altar painting the Resurrection a monumental painting and the Annunciation much smaller in size The sculptures were realized by Noel Jouvenet Francois Lespingola and Jean Hardy In 1705 space still lacked to accommodate all the courtiers who were more and more numerous At any moment Monseigneur might become the next king of France through the death of the aging Louis XIV The Dauphin then decided to demolish the grotto which was out of fashion and to build a new castle the Chateau Neuf Jules Hardouin Mansart and Louis XIV collaborated on the project which was entrusted to the contractors of the chapel and the Palais de Versailles All the work at Meudon was indeed done by the same artists employed by the king who worked for the institution of the King s Buildings The Chateau Neuf had five levels but due to the steep slope did not have the same appearance on the side of the parterre as on the side of the forest It was composed of three pavilions crowned with roofs with ridge terrace connected by building wings This sober architecture which was not to overshadow the architectural character of the neighboring Chateau Vieux was nevertheless enriched by fine sculptures on the side pavilions and the central pediments where angels held the coat of arms of the Dauphin Inside a succession of apartments opened onto a large central corridor The interior decoration which highlighted the collections of the Dauphin was composed of woodwork panels varnished or painted in pastel colors enhanced by gilding A ceremonial apartment was planned for Monseigneur since Louis XIV retained his usual accommodation in the Chateau Vieux despite the new construction It was imitated some ten years later by the Duke of Antin at the Petit Bourg castle in Evry 18 nbsp Chateau de Meudon from the entrance by Pierre Denis Martin 1663 1742 1723 Musee de Versailles nbsp Layout of the ground floor of the Chateau Vieux in 1695 at the arrival of Monseigneur nbsp Layout of the ground floor of the Chateau Vieux in 1700 nbsp Layout of the first floor of the Chateau Vieux in Meudon 1700 nbsp Cutaway of the Chateau Vieux with the chapel after 1702 East west axis 2013 nbsp Diagram of the Chateau Vieux and of the aile des marronniers Chestnut tree wing to the right ADY nbsp Chateau Neuf on the side of the parterre Mariette around 1715 nbsp Diagram of the third level of the Chateau Neuf known as le Bel etage the beautiful floor by Mariette around 1715Hanging gardens edit nbsp Detail of painting by Etienne Allegrain of Louis XIV at Versailles To his right his son Monseigneur le Dauphin and next to him Andre Le Notre who was visiting the gardenThe gardens were not to be outdone The poem titled Maison royale de Meudon Royal House of Meudon dated 1703 even compared them to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon of Semiramis To expand Meudon the Dauphin in 1696 acquired the neighboring estate of Chaville He thus formed a vast hunting preserve where he and his father who also liked Meudon practiced venery The park of Meudon was thus linked to that of Versailles and together they made up the Grand Parc de Versailles extending from Meudon to Saint Germain en Laye Many embellishments are carried out in the gardens Louis XIV took pleasure in advising his son on them The King or his son even drew up a Maniere de montrer Meudon fr a guide in the style of the texts written for Versailles nbsp The Arthelon waterfall lower gardens of Meudon ca 1700 nbsp one of the two waterfalls framing the piece de M Le Nostre piece by Monsieur Le Nostre citation needed nbsp Plan for renovation of the parterre of the Hotel Courtin lower gardens of Meudon c 1710 BNF nbsp The park and the gardens of the chateau Mariette circa 1715 nbsp Overall map of the domains of Meudon and Chaville by Alexandre Lemoine ADY 172318th century edit nbsp The cour d honneur of the Chateau Vieux at Meudon in the 18th centuryAt the death of the Dauphin in 1711 the castle was still perfectly maintained since the Batiments du Roi King s Buildings administered it Nevertheless until the death of Louis XIV no member of the royal family returned to Meudon as a result of the remarks made by Louis XIV the day after the death of Monseigneur his son wishing that the new Dauphin the Duke of Burgundy make no more trips to Meudon The Marquis de Sourches on the 17th of April 1711 noted that Meudon was completely emptied and that all the furnishings were taken to the King s furniture storehouse 19 On 17 May 1717 the Tsar Peter the Great accompanied by Prince Rakoczy and the Marshal de Tesse visited Meudon and rode horses in the gardens 20 On May 16 1718 Madame de Ventadour organized a fireworks show for Louis XV who visited Meudon two or three times a week all that summer On the following June 6 a new fireworks display was mounted in honor of the king Duchess of Berry daughter of the Regent 1718 1719 edit nbsp Portrait of the Duchess of Berry by Pierre GobertMarie Louise Elisabeth d Orleans Duchess of Berry eldest daughter of the Regent owned the Chateau d Amboise and wanted to swap it for Meudon She was then the first lady of the court of France and both cousin and aunt to the young unmarried king The Regent eventually agreed to the exchange effective 30 October 1718 The Duchess of Berry who was then pregnant gave the management of this new residence to her paramour the Count of Riom lieutenant of her guards 21 Riom took possession of the castle the next day 31 October But the governor in office Hyacinthe de Gaureault Dumont nevertheless retained his salary On 2 November 1718 the Duchess went to Meudon to choose her apartments On 8 February and 24 March 1719 the Regent came to Meudon to have supper with his daughter by then just about to give birth 22 From April 12 to May 14 1719 the duchess was convalescing at Meudon hoping to recover from her harrowing delivery She died on July 21 1719 at her Chateau de la Muette in Paris to which she had travelled from Meudon 23 On 22 July 1719 a few hours after her death seals were affixed to her properties the Palace of Luxembourg and her castles of La Muette and Meudon Saint Simon 1719 1722 edit After the death of his daughter Regent made Meudon available to Saint Simon one of his principal advisers a considerable honor 24 Thus the famous memorialist could stay close to Saint Cloud the Regent s family castle On the night of June 15 16 1722 the marriage of the daughter of Saint Simon Charlotte of Saint Simon to the Prince de Chimay was celebrated at the chateau The blessing was given by the Abbe Languet de Gercy the parish priest of Saint Sulpice Louis XV and his children edit nbsp Louis XV and the Infante Reine Francois de Troy 1723 nbsp View of the chateau of Meudon on the parterre side Engraving by Jacques Rigaud c 1730 On 27 September 1722 at the request of the young king the Marechal de Villars came to Meudon voir le fortin construit pour Louis XV qui lui parla souvent de son fort et le mena a toutes les attaques Louis XV was the grandson of Monseigneur nbsp Fireworks for the Dauphin at Meudon 3 September 1735 BNFOn the 17 April 1723 the King went to Meudon went through the apartments of the Chateau and gave orders for the stay of his Majesty Indeed from 4 June to 13 August 1723 Louis XV the Infante Reine the Regent and the Court settled in Meudon for a month time enough to restore Versailles to house the young sovereigns On August 10 Cardinal William Dubois died at Versailles As soon as he was dead the Duke of Orleans returned to Meudon to inform the King of this news who begged him to take charge of all the conduct of affairs declared him Prime Minister and was sworn in on the following day Pierre Denis Martin 1663 1742 painted for the king A vision of Meudon in perspective that includes all the park and the castle Monseigneur entering there On December 14 1725 the new queen Marie Leszczynska who married Louis XV on September 4 came to visit Meudon for the first time In September 1726 a royal edict brought together Meudon and the Crown Estate with the land that depended on it with the exception of Chaville Castle and Park and Castle and farm of Villacoublay On this occasion the arms of Le Tellier azure with three lizards of silver laid in pal to the chief sewn gules charged with three gold stars which were still on the central pediment were erased In May 1733 at Versailles a scene was set up between Louis XV and the governor of the castle of Meudon Marquis de Pelleve Stay of the Children of France in Meudon in 1733 The sojourn of the children of France at Meudon was decided at the beginning of May 1733 in an assembly of doctors held in Versailles with regard to their health the death of Madame and the Duke of Anjou having frightened the others Their journey was subsequently scheduled for the 21st of the same month and a few days before De Pelleve Governor of this castle speaking of their stay with M le Cardinal de Fleury told him that it would cause him some expense and that he was persuaded that his Eminence wished And to treat him like his predecessor M Hyacinthe de Gaureault Dumont had been there while the feu Roy remained there and to grant him the same gratification The cardinal replied that the king s affairs were not in a position to make such graces which did not prevent him from taking the time that the cardinal was with the king to speak to him in the presence of His Majesty and His Eminence told him the same thing He did not confine himself to these two rejections he made the same request on the 21st at the time when his Majesty was speaking to the duke Of Charot The King replied that the matter was decided which obliged him to cease Only for a few moments for he has again returned to the charge and has represented to the King that he has interrupted a second time the expense which he would be obliged to make and the injustice which was done to him His Majesty to tell the captain of his guards to take him out of his room It was ordered to the officer of the guards who commanded Meudon not to let him enter the chamber of the Louis de France 1729 1765 or the ladies Queen s parents the visit of Stanislas Leszczynski 1736 1737 edit nbsp King Stanislas Stanislas Leszczynski in 1728On 4 June 1736 Stanislas Leszczynski after abdicating in April temporarily settled in Meudon According to the Duke of Luynes S M Sa Majeste Louis XV goes there at least once a week since the king and queen of Poland live there 25 On 30 September 1736 King Stanislas secretly signed the Declaration of Meudon under pressure from Louis XV and the Cardinal Fleury According to the terms of the agreement possession of the Duchy of Bar would be current for the former Polish king and possible for Louis XV 25 26 On 18 January 1737 Leszczynski handed the seals to the new Chancellor who swore an oath to the King of Poland The ceremony took place in the large vestibule of the Chateau Vieux on the ground floor of the central pavilion The painting by Francois Andre Vincent of this ceremony is from much later since it dates only from 1778 25 On 31 March 1737 the king went today to Meudon bid farewell to the king and queen of Poland Duke of Luynes They left Meudon the next day 1 April The two castles were then stripped of their furnishings 25 In the summer of 1743 facing the threat of Charles Alexander Queen Catherine of Poland wife of Stanislas and mother of the French queen took refuge in Meudon Stanislas took refuge in Metz 25 nbsp 17th century Italian statue of the Athena Giustiniani type known as Alexandre Mazarin Musee du Louvre Displayed in 18th century in the Salon du Petit Pont at one end of the galleryThe Knight of Frejus visited Meudon on 5 May 1748 He left the following description On the 5th of May 1748 the first Sunday of the month I went to Meudon by galiot We went up to Sevres and from Sevres we went upriver to the Capuchin monastery at Meudon where we heard mass The church there is not unusual but their garden is very beautiful From there we ascended the terrace of Meudon to the chateau which is situated on a mountain from which all of Paris and the surrounding villages can be viewed All the hills around Meudon are planted in vineyards and well maintained The castle is superb I noticed on the main entrance the arms of Louvois and below the image of Louis XIV in metal A gallery reigns in beauty outside the windows of this castle as well as a facade on the side of the garden charming I saw two chambers lined in Gobelins tapestry of admirable beauty Most rooms are covered in mirrors The gallery leading to the chapel is superb I saw there a very fine picture of the siege of Mannheim under Louis XIV and a bust of Alexander of porphyry which is inestimable Another of Aristotle in Egyptian marble is seen as a masterpiece The chapel of the castle is very agreeable with a single nave There is only one altar whose painting represents the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ but it is one of the most beautiful pictures that can be seen and is said to be of Raphael by Antoine Coypel From the castle we were led to see the new apartment the Chateau Neuf It is very lovely and very agreeable but less handsome than the first From the castles to the village which is at the foot of the mountain one sees only parterres and gardens of a charming cleanliness and arrangement We saw the orangeries the greenhouses They are far from being as beautiful as those of Versailles From there we ascended by a superb staircase to the top of the mountain where you find the most beautiful alleys of trees with beautiful pools of water Going through the woods on the side of Sevres you find a basin of prodigious expanse at the top of the mountain beside a green meadow with a very gracious view The alleys and gardens of Meudon have no beautiful statues as at the park at Versailles The castles themselves do not approach the richness of that of Versailles but the location of Meudon provides a beautiful view The stables there are not beautiful After seeing all that there was to see we were dined at Meudon in the village For dinner for three including me I paid three livres I have not eaten elsewhere pigeons so fat 27 Chateau de Bellevue preferred after 1750 edit As an adult Louis XV preferred the Chateau de Bellevue that he had built for Madame de Pompadour The castle was used to accommodate courtiers and the castle stables served Bellevue whose stables were very small nbsp View of Meudon from Fleury Jacques Rigaud ca 1730 40 nbsp Dessein de la decoration et du feu d artifice tire a Meudon Drawing of decorations and fireworks at Meudon in honor of the Duke of Burgundy 13 September 1756 AD 92 nbsp West wing of the Chateau Vieux de Meudon 1773 Drawing by architect Louis Le Dreux de La Chatre fr nbsp Vue prise a Meudon View from Meudon the stair of the Petit Pont Late 18th century by Thiery de Sainte Colombe INHALouis XVI and Marie Antoinette in Meudon edit nbsp View of the parterre du Globe at Meudon in 1779 Jean Pierre Bocquet Paris 1751 Paris 1817 Albertina Museum inv 12591 Gouache 22 x 29 cmThe new young king often liked to come and hunt in Meudon One year after his accession the architect Louis Le Dreux de la Chatre fr drew up an inventory dated October 10 1775 which enumerates the mirrors marbles paintings and other effects belonging to the King in the castle In the margin are drawn overall diagrams of all the mirrors 28 An edict of the king in May 1778 united the domain of Meudon to that of Versailles to be governed and administered in the future in the same manner Louis XVI himself designed a pavilion called the Trivaux Pavilion in 1783 in an Anglo Chinese style which was finally corrected clarification needed in a more French style by the architect Jean Francois Heurtier This pavilion was situated at the very top of the green carpet of Meudon towards Meudon la Foret At Meudon Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette lost little Louis Joseph de France who died on June 4 1789 a month before the capture of the Bastille In 1791 the castle still served as a holiday home for the new Dauphin as represented by a watercolor by Jean Baptiste Isabey In his Journal on June 8 1788 Marquis de Bombelles described Meudon I accompanied the ladies to the ambassadors at the chateau de Meudon The new castle where we dined at the house of the Duke of Harcourt was built by Monseigneur for Marie Emilie de Joly de Choin his mistress This castle is in a proportion which would render it suitable to every nobleman in a position to spend from 2 to 300 000 livres a year It is not the same with the old castle This palace which M de Louvois had enlarged embellished with a magnificence as indecent as it is incredible would still very easily be a truly royal residence All the ceilings are painted in arabesque as if the reigning taste had presided over their order The cornices the chimneys the parquets of superb woodwork nothing would need to be modernized There is in a turret a cabinet painted also in arabesque on a background of gold which is as fresh of paint as if it came from the hands of one of our best artists It is a question of making this beautiful castle the home of all the summers if we do not feel the sorrow of losing this prince nbsp Portrait of Louis XVI in 1786 nbsp Portrait of Marie Antoinette 1783 nbsp Pavillon de Trivaux 1783 nbsp Death of the Dauphin in Meudon 4 June 1789 nbsp Retour de la promenade de Mr le Dauphin Louis XVII at the vieux chateau in Meudon Jean Baptiste Isabey 1791 Musee du Louvre 29 19th century between pomp and decline edit After 10 August 1792 the fate of the castle became uncertain The National Convention quickly took care to remove most of the over the door paintings and carefully disassembled and transferred them to provincial museums which saved them from destruction Castle of the Republic 1793 1795 edit On November 4 1793 Pierre Choderlos de Laclos appointed chief commissioner of experiments at Meudon took possession on behalf of the Minister of Marine of this place where he had suggested setting up artillery and ammunition tests 30 But Choderlos de Laclos was arrested the next day The site was transformed by the Convention into a national facility for various tests It served as a factory for aerostats and became the castle of the Republic which served as a place for weapons experimentation to arm the new regime Nicolas Jacques Conte was together with several other scientists in charge of these military and scientific experiments at Meudon where he was given direction of the aerostation school established there Conte had under his orders a confused gathering of young men in all professions without any dye clarification needed of chemistry drawing or mathematics who were called upon to create an entirely new technique Conte had to approach the elements of the different sciences for this new teaching had to embrace everything chemistry physics mechanics Conte by giving both theoretical and practical lessons Conte had the models he gave the instruments he imagined executed by the hands of his pupils spending his nights preparing drawings for his lessons Military aerostats at the chateau in Meudon Watercolors on paper by Nicolas Jacques Conte nbsp Decoupage des toiles pour composer des fuseaux 1 5 nbsp Assemblage des fuseaux 2 5 nbsp Preparation du vernis 3 5 nbsp Etalage du vernis et verification des joints 4 5 nbsp Aerostat au campement sous sa tente de protection 5 5 Chateau Vieux fire and demolition edit nbsp Auction completed on September 27 2016 in Nantes study COUTON VEYRAC JAMAULT lot 30 measurements 59 x 74 cm without frame Collection of the museum of the Domain Department of Sceaux since 2016In 1795 a fire linked to the technical research of the occupants ravaged the chestnut tree wing and damaged the west wing of the Castle Vieux The castle remained in this condition for nearly a decade Many English visitors such as James Forbes came to Meudon from 1802 and left several descriptions or drawings English colonel Henry Thornton Thornton of Thornville Royal Yorkshire describes the site in a letter written in English dated August 31 1802 The castle of Meudon originally residence of Madame de Pompadour sic consists of an immense block unfortunately dilapidated It nevertheless retains some traces of its past splendor my guide informed me that it included farms plains etc all within 500 acres to which 10 000 acres of forest He also told us that the walls were once partly collapsed on the orders of the late king in order to give the game the possibility of escape but that these had since been repaired He also pointed out that the estate comprised 29 water bodies of various sizes leading me immediately to one of them with a capacity of about 9 acres The latter was walled and partly surrounded by a wooded landscape but its shape offered from a distance a pleasant rendering It was also necessary to take into account the presence of some fish hares and rabbits as well as a reasonable number of partridges on the estate On the other hand all the pheasants had been slaughtered The whole of the castle as I said before is now in ruins and to entirely shave it would entail considerable expense the cement of these old buildings being particularly solid But from the point of view of its extent and its proximity to the capital Meudon would undoubtedly constitute a precious acquisition The painter Hubert Robert in charge of the landscaping at Meudon under Louis XVI came to draw the demolition site in 1804 The Chateau Vieux was destroyed in 1803 31 In 1805 a small part of the Chateau Vieux southwestern pavilion and the chapel remained as indicated by Francois Collet Duclos in his report of 3 Ventose 13 February 22 1805 The whole was the subject of excavation works until about 1808 Some ornaments were recovered including the stone columns nowadays located in the small rotunda of the Palais du Luxembourg Senate that the architect Jean Chalgrin was able to reuse nbsp Le Chateau Vieux de Meudon en ruines en 1802 James Forbes Musee du Domaine departemental de Sceaux nbsp La demolition du Chateau Vieux de Meudon by Hubert Robert 1804 nbsp Trois ouvriers deplacent une colonne du chateau de Meudon Hubert Robert circa 1804 Musees de Weimar Schossmuseum KK 9110 nbsp Demolition du Chateau Vieux de Meudon Hubert Robert 1806 Getty Museum nbsp Schema du Chateau Vieux de Meudon en cours de demolition 22 February 1805 En rose fonce ce qu il reste a demolir ADY 2Q 34 nbsp Columns from the chateau taken to the rotonda of the Senate by ChalgrinNapoleon Meudon Imperial Palace of the King of Rome 1807 1815 edit nbsp Le roi de Rome The King of Rome by Francois Gerard 1811 nbsp View from the base of the bastion des Capucins at Meudon C W Eckersberg 1813 Museum of Copenhagen KMS 1623After deciding in 1803 to demolish the Chateau Vieux which had been burnt down in 1795 and when he was only Bonaparte Emperor Napoleon decided in 1807 to make the Chateau Neuf an imperial palace He restored the gardens and refurbished the Chateau Neuf notably by the architect Jean Baptiste Lepere A wing called the Economat was erected on the site of a part of the ruins of the chestnut wing The Emperor who wanted to make Meudon a school of kings in Europe installed Napoleon II the King of Rome in 1811 under the responsibility of his governess Louise Charlotte Francoise de Montesquiou To this end numerous orders were made to furnish the palace of the Empire s heir new Empire style decoration furnishings silks etc On April 22 1811 Napoleon I visited Meudon On June 30 1811 Meudon was placed at the disposal of Letizia Bonaparte In April 1812 the King of Rome came to stay at Meudon During the summer Queen of Westphalia wife of Jerome Bonaparte also stayed at Meudon with Madame Mother From March 24 to November 14 1813 the Queen of Westphalia made another visit to Meudon But at the fall of the First Empire the castle lost its status of Imperial Palace nbsp Napoleon I as King of Italy 1805 nbsp Drawing for the terrace refusing under Napoleon I by Jean Baptiste Lepere c 1808 nbsp Chateau de Meudon c 1812 First Empire nbsp Layout of the third level of the Chateau Neuf under Napoleon I 1812 nbsp Seating ordered by Napoleon I for Meudon Fontainebleau museum nbsp Pendule de l Etude ou de la Meditation vers 1810 Mobilier National nbsp Gilded bronze firedogs c 1810 1811 Jean Jacques Feuchere Mobilier National nbsp Gueridon gilt bronze ash wood and white marble Mobilier National nbsp Console fournie par Maigret bois de frene et marbre blanc Mobilier National nbsp Ecran a glace bois de frene gilded bronze mirror Mobilier National nbsp Lustre place dans la Galerie du Chateau Neuf c 1811 gilded bronze Feuchere Mobilier National nbsp Feu de la galerie du Chateau Neuf de meudon Mobilier NationalMeudon under the Restoration and the Orleans edit nbsp Ferdinand Philippe d Orleans Duke of Orleans by Ingres 1842 nbsp Photograph of Chateau Neuf in 1850 taken by Louis Auguste Martin 1811 1875 Albertina Museum FotoGLV2000 13822 7Louis XVIII Charles X and Louis Philippe used Meudon as a hunting ground near Versailles Charles Ferdinand son of Charles X went to Meudon to hunt between 1815 and 1820 After his abdication of the Imperial throne of Brazil on April 7 1831 Pedro I of Brazil returned to Europe and settled in France with the title of Duke of Braganza In the autumn of 1831 he spent some time at the Chateau Neuf an estate the king Louis Philippe freely put at his disposal During his stay in France he became a friend of the famous General La Fayette A studio clarification needed was then installed below the old gardens at the bottom of Meudon The Prince of Orleans under the July Monarchy stayed there in 1834 and wrote his memoirs there But in 1842 he died accidentally in Neuilly sur Seine Louis Philippe also made available the castle of Meudon to Marshal Jean de Dieu Soult who stayed there several times in the summer On May 8 1842 a railway catastrophe took place in Meudon in which Jules Dumont d Urville perished It was the first in France and one of the first in the world Louis Philippe I offered the Chateau Neuf to treat survivors After the revolution of 1848 plans were made to make Meudon the new headquarters of the Ecole Polytechnique But these grandiose projects one of which was established by the architect Hector Martin Lefuel did not in the end see the light of day nbsp Meudon taken from the walls of the stud farm by Bergeron Ca 1825 BNF nbsp Detail of Sevres porcelain representing the Chateau Neuf of Meudon under Louis Philippe Fontainebleau museum Galerie des Assiettes Gallery of Plates nbsp Stables at Meudon preserved nbsp 19th century stall from the stables at Meudon Second Empire hideout of Prince Napoleon edit nbsp Le Prince Napoleon by Hippolyte Flandrin 1860 Musee d OrsayAlthough Meudon was assigned to Prince Jerome s uncle Napoleon III he did not visit the property On the contrary from 1860 to 1870 his son Napoleon Bonaparte cousin of the Emperor Napoleon III often occupied Meudon In Paris he owned the famous Pompeian house sheltering his connection with the actress Rachel Felix but it was to Meudon that he came to sulk over the protocol at the imperial court of which he was not fond He brought his wife Marie Clotilde of Savoy and her three children Louis Bonaparte 1864 1932 Louis Victor and Marie Laetitia He collected many species of plants and exotic animals brought back from his travels abroad Several large receptions were organized at the castle such as the one in honor of Louis I king of Portugal in 1867 nbsp Chateau Neuf de Meudon c 1860 nbsp Meudon from the upper terrace Paris dans sa splendeur Chapuis del nbsp Reception for Louis I of Portugal given by Prince Napoleon salon serre of the Chateau Neuf former upper vesti nbsp Meudon kennels and Prince Napoleon s dog1871 Chateau Neuf fire and takeover by the Observatoire de Paris edit See also Siege of Paris 1870 71 nbsp View from the terrace at Meudon s chateau neuf during the Paris Commune 1870Because the site was strategic dominating Paris a battery of Prussian artillery was installed there in 1870 The new castle caught fire on 31 January 1871 and burned for almost three days Hypotheses on the cause included either a deliberate fire set by the Prussians as they left or a bombardment by La Douai a naval cannon placed in bastion 74 of the Thiers precinct The ruins were preserved for several years until the site was entrusted to astronomer Jules Janssen in 1875 Janssen did not hesitate to raze nearly half the Chateau Neuf and together with architect Constant Moyaux between 1880 and 1885 built there an astronomical observatory later attached to the Paris Observatory in 1927 Since then most of the estate high preserved gardens has been closed to the general public and remains so to this day Drawings and photographs Chateau Neuf ruins nbsp The Chateau Neuf after the fire of 31 January 1871 nbsp Photograph of the Chateau Neuf after the fire 1871 Private collection nbsp View of Meudon after the war of 1871 Hubert Clerget Musee Carnavalet nbsp Photograph of the lower vestibule of the Chateau Neuf after the 1871 fire nbsp The ruins of Chateau Neuf and surroundings February 1871 nbsp The Grande Coupole of the Paris Observatory in the restored Chateau Neuf at Meudon nbsp Timeline showing the successive owners of the chateau of MeudonThe 20th century a gradual renovation edit nbsp View of Paris from the terrace at Meudon 1889 Louis Tauzin Musee des Beaux Arts in Bordeaux nbsp Photograph of the Orangery in Meudon first half 20th century Musee d Art et d Histoire de MeudonOver the years vegetation has encircled the Orangery making it inaccessible The destruction of the old village of Meudon after the war and the reconstruction of the city center has removed the once picturesque setting of multiple roofs at the foot of the old castle The notion of heritage did not gain traction in French society until the 1970s and 1980s The entire estate is now registered as a historic monument though this was done very late for such a historic site while similar large estates in Ile de France had been declared historic well before The domain today edit Although the Chateau Vieux was destroyed it still retains much of its splendor In fact 40 of the surface area of the original buildings the remains of the Chateau Neuf orangerie communes etc still exists One can still admire the avenue of the castle traced by Louvois the guardhouses and common of the Grand Dauphin the kennel of Louvois the great prospect of Servien and the nymphs and orangery of Louis Le Vau and one can imagine the terraced gardens below the observatory as well as the pond of Chalais and the green carpet And above all the large terrace the most impressive achievement is perfectly preserved The orangery of Meudon was completely restored in 2012 nbsp Aerial view of the Orangery and the remains of the Chateau Neuf converted to an observatory nbsp Aerial view of the terrace with the avenue of the chateau towards the north nbsp Aerial view of the old stables of Meudon nbsp Aerial view of the terrace at Meudon with the Bel Air pond nbsp Aerial view of the Grande Perspective towards the south nbsp Aerial view of Paris from Meudon nbsp View of Paris from Meudon 2013 nbsp The great dome of the observatory built on the remains of the Chateau Neuf nbsp Remains of the Chateau Neuf converted to an observatory 2014 nbsp Orangerie de Meudon 17th century restored in 2012 nbsp View of the commons of the chateau 2009 nbsp contreforts of the terrace of the old parterre of the chateau de Meudon 2013 nbsp The high terrace today nbsp The Grande Perspective at Meudon condition in 2010 nbsp Bel Air pond today nbsp Porte dauphine 1703 Museum of Fine Arts Reims of Chalais before the Grande Perspective today nbsp Panoramic view of the Grande Terrasse at Meudon 2013Legal status a divided and partly inaccessible space edit nbsp Schema showing areas closed to the general public coming under the Observatoire de Paris Today the domain of Meudon is divided in two parts The lower part The large terrace and the orangery are managed by the city and are freely accessible to the public The upper part The Observatory Chateau Neuf the high gardens as well as the communes situated at the entrance come under the Ministry of National Education and are assigned to the Observatory of Paris They are closed to the public The State still owns the entire estate both the part assigned to the Observatory and that which is managed by the city government However as regards the part of the domain accessible to the public the State has signed a management agreement for the national domain of Meudon with the town of Meudon which now manages it Financially the State still plays its role as owner and manages the pruning and maintenance work It leaves it to the City to manage the site located within its territory The rehabilitation project of the Great Perspective edit nbsp Photographic recreation of the Grande Perspective at Meudon facing south 2015 Today this perspective is blocked from the formal garden in the foreground to the pond visible here in the background The project to reconstitute the Great Perspective of Meudon was launched as early as the 1980s but has made little progress to date Nevertheless it continues in consultation with the parties concerned Indeed three quarters of this major landscape axis of Ile de France by Andre Le Notre are preserved Only the part between the orangery gardens and the Chalais Pond remains blocked nbsp Layout of the Grande Perspective at Meudon 2015 Legend 1 Avenue of the chateau 2 Grande Terrasse of the chateau 3 Orangery 4 Part still blocked 5 Chalais pond 6 Green carpetArchaeological potential edit nbsp Map of the archeological ruins at Meudon 32 No excavation has ever been undertaken on the site of the Chateau Vieux However the demolition records are formal all the cellars and ditches remain under the current lawn An archaeological campaign could make it possible to highlight this hidden heritage The only unknown parameter is the exact nature of the impact on the subsoil at the Chateau Vieux right of way during the Prussian occupation in the Franco Prussian War of 1870 Indeed The Prussians occupied Meudon 33 to bombard the capital and monitor operations nbsp Archeology of the Grande Terrasse at Meudon with a map of part of the former village demolished to expand the terrace Detail of the domain editVieux Chateau edit nbsp 3D rendition of the chateau vieux of Meudon at its apogee circa 1704 Franck Devedjian and Herve Gregoire 2012 nbsp Ground floor of the chateau vieux c 1700 BNFThe Chateau Vieux was the central building of the estate and the first historical castle at Meudon It aligned with the Grand Perspective nbsp Chateau Vieux around 1705 Legend 1 Small Bridge 2 Chapel 3 Cellars 4 Large hallway 5 West ramp 6 East ramp 7 Apartment of the Duke of Burgundy 8 Apartment of the Duchess of Burgundy 9 Monseigneur s wardrobe 10 Mezzanine of Monseigneur 11 Cabinet of Monseigneur 12 Salon of the Moors 13 Antechamber of Louis XIV 14 Church of Louis XIV 15 Passage 16 Cabinet of the king s mirrors 17 Garde meuble 1 18 Housing 19 Monseigneur s wardrobe 20 View of Paris 21 Games antechamber 22 Gameroom 23 Passage 24 Salon of the Petit Pont 25 Housing 26 Lodging of the first doctor 27 Garde robe of the king 28 29 amp 30 DwellingsGround floor edit nbsp Layout of the ground floor of the Chateau Vieux in 1700Grand Vestibule and Great Staircase edit These rooms were created when Louis Le Vau rebuilt the central pavilion of the castle for Abel Servien between 1655 and 1658 nbsp Small vestibule 1658 to 1803 nbsp Cross section of the Grand Escalier great staircase 1658 to 1803 nbsp Cross section of the Grand Vestibule great vestibule 1658 to 1803 Grand Apartment of Monseigneur edit This was the principal dwelling in Meudon of Louis Grand Dauphin 1661 1711 son of Louis XIV on the ground floor of the east wing of the Chateau Vieux It was preserved intact throughout the 18th century In its final configuration beginning in 1701 it was composed successively of Guard room Dining room enlivened by four canvases of Bacchus Billiard room adorned with four oval canvases of mythological subjects Antechamber Bedroom of the Dauphin where he died of smallpox on April 14 1711 Corner cabinet Small wooden wardrobe in the Capucine style A small Capucine mezzanine woodedGuardroom edit nbsp Guardroom of the apartment of Monseigneur in the Chateau Vieux of Meudon circa 1700 1792Blondel specifies in his Francoise Architecture In the House of Guards in a Royal House is called a large room where the Guards of the Prince are held and against the panels of which are attached carabiners To lay down their arms They also place in these sorts of places taborets which are the kinds of tables on which are made the counts and of which the bottom receives during the day the beds in which the guards rest during the night These rooms must be spacious very high have large chimneys and be decorated with simplicity See those of Versailles of Meudon of the Chateau des Thuileries Dining room of the Dauphin from 1700 edit nbsp Dining room of Monseigneur ground floor of the Chateau Vieux east wing c 1700 1792The 1775 inventory indicates that after the additions and other work of 1700 the room was wooded height of gilded frames cornice of the same chimney of Campan green marble In 1700 Monseigneur commissioned four different painters to paint bacchic subjects The same artists then adorned the grand salon of the Chateau de Marly By Charles de La Fosse 1636 1716 nbsp The triumph of Bacchus Charles de la Fosse 1701 Musee du LouvreThe triumph of Bacchus who is carried on an elephant with his tyrsus in his right hand and several Baccantes around him carrying instruments In the foreground are two children one mounted on a tiger On the left one sees Silenus on the reverse 34 By Jean Jouvenet 1644 1717 nbsp The Birth of Bacchus Jean Jouvenet 1701 Private collection Mercury takes flight after having put Bacchus in the hands of the nymphs The legend of his mother Semele says she was beloved by Jupiter and herdownfall by lightning was engineered by Jupiter s jealous wife Juno By Bon Boullogne 1649 1717 nbsp Venus Bacchus and Ceres Bon Boullogne 1701 Musee du Louvre Venus Bacchus and Ceres This painting is preserved in the Louvre where it is called Bacchus and Ariane It is also named in the ancient inventories as Bacchus and Ariane Bacchus and Erigone or Bacchus Flora and Ceres Sent to the Central Museum at the end of the year II it lost its attribution but remained at the Louvre where it was found among the anonymous members of the French school 35 It is to be restored By Antoine Coypel 1661 1722 nbsp Silenus smeared with blackberries by the nymph Egle Antoine Coypel 1701 Musee des Beaux Arts de Reims The theme comes from episode number six of Virgil s Eclogues entitled Silenus in which Virgil writes And as the old man opens his eyes he blushes his forehead and the temples of the juice Bloody of the blackberry Silenus asleep in a cave after his usual drinking is surprised by two satyrs and the nymph Egle for whom he promised to sing The two satyrs seized Silenus whom they bound with ivy while the beautiful Egle blushed her face with blackberries which she crushed in order to snatch from her threat the fulfillment of her promise Measurements 4 feet 9 inches by 4 feet 1 inches The picture was substantially cut in the nineteenth century It is preserved in the Museum of Fine Arts of Reims 36 Billiard roomBeginning in 1700 the old staircase by Louvois and Jules Hardouin Mansart was demolished to create a series of rooms that included the salon du billard The 1775 inventory says that the room is wooded of height with gilded frames gilded cornices chimney of gryot marble Monseigneur ordered for this room a series of paintings above the doors all of them oval and of the same size By Charles de La Fosse Hercules between Vice and Virtue Height 4 ft 10in L 3 ft 5 in oval For this work Charles de La Fosse was paid 600 livres in 1700 and 200 livres more in 1701 for the perfect payment of 800 livres for the picture he made at Meudon representing Hercules 37 The painting painted in 1700 had a format of 3 feet 10 inches by 3 feet 5 inches Frederic Villot correctly identified the painting at Meudon as a canvas now rectangular in the museum of Nevers in 1872 38 By Jean Jouvenet Latone and the peasants of Lycia A copy of this work is preserved in the Museum of Art and History of Meudon another undoubtedly the original in the Palace of Fontainebleau 39 It is inspired directly by the central white marble sculpture of the Latone fountain in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles Latone et les paysans lyciens By Louis de Boullogne the Younger Cephale and Procris Cephalus of Phocis and his wife who gives a dart to her husband After being deposited at Compiegne 40 the painting was sent in 1962 to the Musee de Saint Etienne under the title Venus and Adonis and attributed in error to Bon Boullogne Its former oval shape is clearly visible The painting was made and placed in 1700 as David and Abigail commissioned by the same painter A preparatory drawing is held at the Cabinet des Arts Graphiques in the Louvre 41 Antoine Coypel then the youngest painter of the four Hercules bringing back Alceste from the underworld Height 3 feet 10 inches Width 3 feet It is a question of Hercules returning to Admetus his wife Alceste that he brings back from the Underworld a picture brought to Meudon by Antoine Coypel himself 37 The painting was placed before May 1700 according to a memoir cited by F Engerand 42 Charles Antoine Coypel the painter s son showed the novelty of these literary subjects To execute the painting of Meudon Antoine Coypel had translated by Mme Dacier the fifth act of the tragedy of Euripides The painting is preserved in the Cholet Museum of Art and History The work was formerly titled Hercules Freeing Theseus In May 1700 Antoine Coypel came to Meudon himself to install his barely completed work The four oval canvases in the billiard room of Monseigneur in Meudon throughout the 18th century nbsp Latone et les paysans de Lycie Jean Jouvenet Musee d art et d histoire in Meudon nbsp Hercule entre la Volupte et la Vertu Hercules Between Voluptuousness and Virtue Charles de La Fosse musee de Nevers nbsp Hercules Bringing Alceste Out of the Hells Antoine Coypel Musee d art et d histoire de Cholet nbsp Cephale et Procris Louis de Boullogne le Jeune Musee des Beaux Arts de Saint Etienne Antechamber former dining room of the Dauphin from 1695 to 1699 nbsp Proposed restoration of the antechamber of the dauphin in the Chateau Vieux at Meudon ca 1700 with the collection of Andre Le Nostre paintings The former dining room of Monseigneur which had this function in 1695 became a real antechamber with the enlargement of the apartment The inventory of 1775 indicates Room lighted by two windows paneling with gold frames gilded cornice ceiling in gilt arabesque and painted by Claude Audran Jacques Francois Blondel recalls his admiration for these ceilings of arabesques at Meudon although he condemns the style of the ceiling to decorate the dwelling of a prince D ailleurs l on peut reduire ces ouvrages a des nuages avec des Genies amp a quelques belle grisaille qui en forme les extremites decoration preferable a ces riches mais peu vraisemblables peintures grotesques dont on voit d ingenieux desseins d Audran amp qui sont executees avec un succes etonnant dans quelques appartements de Meudon aussi bien que dans les plafonds amp sur les lambris du Chateau de la Menagerie seul batiment ou ce genre de peinture soit convenable The inventory of 1775 adds that there is also a green Campan marble chimney the top of the mantelpiece decorated with marble of any height with gold bronze ornamentation of ground gold the mirror in two parts the first 52 inches wide by 96 inches high the second 52 inches by 26 inches high Two paintings above the doors of each 3 feet 6 inches wide by 2 feet 9 inches high representing fruit and flowers painted by Jean Baptiste Belin In this antechamber the dauphin placed the collection of paintings offered to Louis XIV in 1693 by Andre Le Notre and which the king put at the disposal of his son These works are now preserved in the Louvre Museum Bedchamber of the Grand Dauphin edit nbsp Bacchus by Leonardo da Vinci Museum of the Louvre work placed in the chamber of Monseigneur in 1705The inventory of 1775 indicates that the chamber of the Dauphin possessed Wall panels of gilded frames gilded cornice gilded ceiling and painted in arabesques by Claude Audran III marble serancolin fireplace the top in violet brown marble the whole very ornamented with bronze gilded of ground gold Two paintings above doors of 3 feet 5 inches by 4 feet 1 inch wide representing fruits painted by Batiste It is in this room that Monseigneur died on April 14 1711 This chimney excited the curiosity of the researchers the famous little painting preserved at Versailles representing the Regent in his Cabinet of work with the Duke of Chartres by Fiske Kimball as representing the Dauphin at Meudon Of course one finds there the type of furniture and decorations that could decorate the castle But Jerome de La Gorce asks the right question Has this interior really existed Is it not surprising that the chimney the paneling to the left of the door and the desk that is to say most of the elements of the decoration are identical to the engraved work of Berain Would not the painter whose career is still obscure have had recourse to the plates published by the draftsman to reconstruct a framework worthy of the personages whom he represented The inventory of the furnishings of the crown mentions in the year 1695 n 1615 An upholstery sic of red and yellow satin velvet embroidered and silver lined listed before No 783 Which has been upgraded and furnished to serve Monseigneur le Dauphin at Meudon now consisting of a full bed four armchairs eight folding seats two panes two doors six sheets of screens a business chair and two tapestries In addition Monseigneur retrieved for his room the small ebony desk encrusted with copper and tortoiseshell which he had bought at Godron which had a plateau supported by eight bronze caryatids with in the middle of the marquetry one cupid on an escarpolette In addition to this desk the room included a table and two pedestals the tablets of which were decorated with Chinese grotesques with figures and birds nbsp Restoration sketch of the bedroom of Monseigneur in the Grand Appartement on the ground floor of the east wing of the chateau vieux in Meudon Circa 1700 1711 Mirror dimensions based on sources clarification needed Corner cabinet edit nbsp Proposition de restitution of the corner cabinet of the dauphin Condition between 1700 and 1792 nbsp Le triomphe de Pandore Triumph of Pandora Charles de La Fosse Ca 1685 Private collection Model for the painted ceiling by Louvois Monseigneur cancelled this ceiling preferring the arabesques by Claude Audran IIIThe inventory of 1775 indicates that the room was adorned with Wall panels with large gold frames golden cornice gilded ceiling with arabesques painted by Audran Chimney of violet breccia marble the top decorated in marble of all the height with bronzes very rich in children clarification needed and ornaments gilded of ground gold As with the two previous rooms Audran decorated with arabesques the ceiling Having come to Meudon on April 22 1699 the king left on the 24th Two days later on the 25th of April Mansart received orders from Monsignor to have the paintings of the ceiling of his corner cabinet erased to print it with three layers of white and to paint a base Grotesque like that in the room of the Dauphin The ceiling which was then erased can only be that realized by Charles de La Fosse for Louvois whose subject is Pandora and whose modello has been identified by Clementine Gustin Gomez In 1702 twas found In the Grand Cabinet of Monseigneur Five Porcelains 630 Louis Two Bronzes 180 Louis Stephane Castelluccio identified these two bronzes as the Laocoon and Lutteurs for which Monseigneur certainly commanded their rich feet of marquetry Finally the inventory of the royal furniture 43 indicates under the number 1768 Four couty mats striped with two strands of wool with their threads of several colors for the windows of the cabinet of Monseigneur at Meudon Saint Simon describing the death of the Grand Dauphin tells us that it is in this room on the evening of April 14 1711 that the famous scene of the comings and goings takes place between the corner cabinet of the king and the adjoining room where Monseigneur was dying As he was about to enter the room the Princess of Conti who had had time to run to Monseigneur s in that short interval of the table out presented herself to prevent him from entering the room She even pushed him away and told him that he must no longer think of anything but himself Then the king almost in weakness of so sudden and complete a reversal let himself go on a couch which was at the entrance of the door of the closet by which he had entered which gave into the room He asked all that came out of it for news and hardly anyone dared to reply Madame de Maintenon hastening to the king sat on the same sofa and tried to weep She was trying to take the king whose carriages were already ready in the courtyard but there was no way of making him realize that the Monseigneur had expired This unconscious agony lasted nearly an hour after the king was in the closet The Duchess and the Princess de Conti divided themselves between the care of the dying man and of the king to whom they frequently returned while the confused Faculty the distraught valets the buzzing courtesan pushed each other and walked without ever changing place nbsp Schema of the ceiling of the corner cabinet erased by the dauphin in 1699 nbsp Arabesques on gold background by Claude Audran III circa 1700 Archives des Arts decoratifs de Paris 44 For the Menagerie de Versailles or the apartment of the Dauphin at Meudon nbsp Other decorations by Audran 45 The apartment named of the Duke and the Duchess of Burgundy edit It was situated between the Grand Vestibule and the apartment of Monseigneur These rooms were the main apartment of Abel Servien who died there in his room on the ground floor in 1659 When Monseigneur settled in Meudon in 1695 he gave this dwelling next to his own to Philip of Orleans 1640 1701 who occupied it until his death in 1701 The dwelling was then occupied by the Duke and the Duchess of Burgundy until their death in 1712 Rooms on the ground floor edit nbsp Ground floor of the Chateau Vieux of Meudon in 1700The first floor contained large reception rooms mainly the Salon des Moures and the gallery Salon des Maures edit nbsp Sketch of restoration of the salon from the entrance by the Grand Escalier great staircase Circa 1695 nbsp Salon des Maures Salon of the Moors Circa 1690Abel Servien created this oval room centerpiece of the castle which looks out on the parterre This salon was built at the same time as the one at Chateau de Vaux le Vicomte was built for Nicolas Fouquet and is similar although slightly smaller in size The cupola received no painted decoration Gabriel Blanchard produced the twelve grisailles under the cornice which the 1733 inventory describes In the same salon there are twelve paintings painted in grisaille representing the twelve months of the year by games of children they are of damoiselet faux of Gabriel Blanchard and can not raise the place being all maroufles two feet high 6 feet 5 inches wide Louvois placed in this salon twelve terms in Moorish and Moorish marble eight of which are now in the Palace of Compiegne transferred there at the very end of the 18th century The minister also embellished the attic with seven paintings of flowers by Jean Baptiste Monnoyer The 1733 inventory of paintings of Meudon describes them a golden vase filled with all kinds of flowers laid on a blue carpet embroidered with gold the bottom of the picture is a sky a golden vase or rather an agathic manner whose handles are of gold filled with all kinds of flowers a carpet behind which is embroidered with gold with two parrots one blue and the other yellow A golden ornamented goderon vase filled with all kinds of flowers a carpet behind embroidered gold with a red and green parrot A vase in the shape of a silver bowl filled with all sorts of flowers placed on a red carpet embroidered with gold with a peacock on the bowl A golden vase garnished with all kinds of flowers among which a poppy falls with one of its leaves to the pedestal on which the vase is laid A golden vase laid on a foot filled way filled with all kinds of flowers with a peacock behind the vase A gold and silver vase set on a blue and gold carpet whose lining is crimson with a monkey holding a fish Les termes en marbre de maures et de mauresques Salon des Maures de Meudon Aujourd hui au palais de Compiegne nbsp Terme feminin C38 120 MR 2494 nbsp Terme masculin C38 98 MR 2492 nbsp Terme feminin C38 129 MR 2495 nbsp Terme masculin C38 122 MR 2497 nbsp Terme masculin C38 97 MR 2496 nbsp Terme masculin C38 121 MR 2493 The antechamber called games edit nbsp Essai de restitution de l antichambre des jeux vers 1700 avec la tapisserie de l audience du cardinal Chigi issue de la tenture de l Histoire du RoiAfter the Salon des Maures a series of reception rooms served as rooms for games and as it were for so called apartment evenings as at Versailles The first room after the oval salon was square and had two windows on the side of the pit Monseigneur the dauphin hung on the wall the tapestry of the History of the King to please his father Game room edit The second room was similar to the first and was also enriched with draperies the northern bays being clogged for this purpose nbsp Game room c 1700 De nombreuses tables de jeu prenaient place dans cette piece pour les soirees dites d appartement Salon du Petit Pont edit nbsp Essai de restitution of the Salon du Petit Pont first floor of the chateau vieux in Meudon Circa 1700This corner room was one of the two salons framing the gallery It had access to the Petit Pont small bridge which led directly to the high gardens Alexander s porphyry bust was placed there Gallery of the old castle edit nbsp Schema of the gallery of the Chateau Vieux in Meudon nbsp Bronzes of the Crown placed in the gallery at Meudon in the 18th century with their inventory numbersThe gallery of Meudon had an area of 300 m and the main room measured 40 meters long There were also two drawing rooms the Salon du Petit Pont and the Salon des Albane to the north nbsp Draft reconstruction of the cross section of the gallery of the Chateau Vieux of MeudonVan der Meulen canvases for the gallery in Meudon nbsp La prise d Ypres nbsp La prise de Fribourg nbsp La prise de Conde nbsp La prise de LauThe four statues placed in the niches of the gallery under Monseigneur nbsp La Fidelite Fidelity following a drawing by Pierre Mignard Jardins de Versailles nbsp La Fourberie following a drawing by Pierre Mignard Jardins de Versailles nbsp Aurora or daybreak by Gaspard Marsy following a drawing by Charles Le Brun Jardins de Versailles nbsp Flore by Philippe Buyster 1595 1688 Sculptures and furniture placed in the gallery at Meudon nbsp The Alexander of Mazarin Musee du Louvre nbsp Bust of the painter Raphael by Alessandro Rondoni nbsp Bust of Annibal Carrache by Alessandro Rondoni nbsp Jupiter and Junon bronzes by the Algarde Wallace Collection London nbsp Octagonal pedestals placed in the gallery Abbey of Chaalis nbsp Draft reconstruction of the view of the chapel from the middle of the gallery circa 1710The Albane salon edit nbsp Salon Albane at the end of the gallery of the Chateau Vieux first floor Circa 1700This chamber ends the gallery and it is the pendant of the Salon du Petit Pont in symmetry The salon is named for the painter Francesco Albani for several oval shaped canvases had been placed in the corners copies reinterpreted from the master s work The architecture of the room with its niches adorned with mirrors and its domed ceiling was inspired directly by the Cabinet of the medals of Louis XIV at Versailles The dauphin will place there the great bronzes of L Algarde Jupiter and Juno The apartment said of Louis XIV edit nbsp Charity by Andrea del Sarto Musee du Louvre In the chamber of Louis XIVAt the end of the 19th century Louis XIV s apartment consisted of an antechamber a royal chamber a small passageway to the rear That of a cabinet of the mirrors of the King which had a balcony allowing to admire the view on Paris Council antechamber edit nbsp Reconstruction of the antichamber of Louis XIV on the first floor of the chateau vieux used as a council chamber Circa 1696 1711 As seen leaving the king s chamberThis room without woodwork had three windows on the side of the floor and two French windows on the side of the courtyard allowing access to the balcony The mantelpiece was of Campanian green marble The bedroom of Louis XIV in Meudon edit nbsp Cutaway of the chamber of Louis XIV chateau vieux de Meudon ca 1700 Above the fireplace in the king s chamber hung the original of Charity by Andrea del Sarto then a copy of this painting This work can be interpreted as an allegory of the transmission of royal power The cabinet of the mirrors of the king edit Le Cabinet des Glaces du Roi c 1697 to 1793 Archives nationales O1 1768 A 1 et 2 nbsp Elevation de la paroi Nord nbsp Elevation de la paroi Est nbsp Elevation de la paroi Sud nbsp Elevation de la paroi Ouest nbsp Restitution 3D du Cabinet des glaces de Louis XIV Franck Devedjian amp Herve Gregoire janvier 2013 Apartment of Madame de Maintenon edit nbsp David et Abigail by Louis de Boullogne musee du Louvre inv 8548 Madame de Maintenon s apartment consisted of an antechamber a bedroom and a closet in the center of the east wing as well as a balcony with a view of Paris In the cabinet of Maintenon there was a painting above the door of David and Abigail painted by Louis de Boullogne nbsp Antechamber of Mme de Maintenon c 1700 nbsp Chamber of Mme de Maintenon 1700 1711 nbsp Cabinet of Mme de Maintenon c 1700Apartment of the Princess of Conti edit nbsp Projet de cheminee du cabinet des miroirs de Meudon vers 1680 Nationalmuseum de Stockholm NMH THC 1326Afterwards the apartment of the Princess of Conti followed and ended with another Cabinet des mirroirs In the Princess room were two paintings by Antoine Coypel Psyche discovering Sleeping Love and Psyche abandoned by LoveIn the adjoining cabinet was placed the painting entitled Venus at the Forges of Lemnos by the same painter These three works were commissioned by Monseigneur for the apartment of his half sister Canvases in the apartment of the Princess of Conti by Antoine Coypel 1701 nbsp Psyche decouvrant l Amour endormi Antoine Coypel 1701 nbsp Psyche Abandoned Antoine Coypel 1701 nbsp Venus aux forges de Lemnos Antoine Coypel 1701Chapel edit nbsp 3D recreation of the interior of the chapel at Meudon Franck Devedjian and Herve Gregoire 2014The chapel was completed at the end of 1702 on the plans of Jules Hardouin Mansart This construction desired by Monseigneur was aimed at by Louis XIV This chapel follows the same model as the Royal Chapel at the Chateau of Versailles and the Royal Chapel of Versailles However the chapel of Meudon was completed a decade before that of Versailles Like the latter it has a barrel vaulted nave ending in a cul de four above the sanctuary Above the high altar is a large painting of Antoine Coypel four meters high eighty five by three wide which features the Resurrection Charles de La Fosse will model this composition to undertake the painting of the kiln furnace of the royal chapel of Versailles Another painting by Coypel The Annunciation completes the set The arms carved above the tribune are royal weapons on the drawing projecting the chapel but will eventually be realized according to the model of weapons delphinales The architectural theorist Jacques Francois Blondel cites as an example with the chapels of the Chateaux de Sceaux and Clagny Perfect models It will be destroyed between 1805 and 1808 nbsp Coupe de la tribune of the chapel of the chateau de Meudon 1701 nbsp Projet non definitif de coupe of the chapel of Meudon Dessin de Jules Hardouin Mansart 1701 AN nbsp Plan definitif of the chapel of Meudon circa 1775 1780 AN nbsp Jeton representing the interior of the chapel of the chateau of Meudon seen from the tribune 1703 Private collection nbsp Copy of Resurrection by Antoine Coypel chapel of Vernon nbsp L Annonciation by Antoine Coypel Estampe de DrevetChestnut Tree Wing edit nbsp Plan of the apartment of the chestnut trees circa 1703 ADY Caption 1 communication gallery 2 Large Oval Cabinet 3 Large Corner Cabinet 4 Large Living Room 5 Dining room 6 Buffet cabinet 7 Antechamber of the Small Apartment Fresh 8 House 9 Cabinet The old Cour des Offices or Basse Cour was transformed by Monseigneur to create luxurious ceremonial rooms The entire annex then took the name of Wing of the Marronniers The large reception rooms extend the width of the Terrasse des Marronniers A small luxurious apartment the Small Fresh Apartment was also arranged behind these large rooms no doubt for the Dauphin to receive his mistresses Small hanging gallery edit nbsp Still life with profile of Diana by Blin de FontenayThis gallery links to the communicating gallery which follows it perpendicularly A large buffet painted by Fontenay completes the perspective of the small suspended gallery Communicating gallery edit nbsp communicating gallery chestnut tree wing c 1703 1711 This room is decorated with large paintings by Francois Desportes commissioned for the chamber and which would make the painter s success nbsp Communicating gallery Chestnut tree wing c 1703 Reconstruction by Franck Devedjian 2012Francois Desportes canvasses commissioned for the communicating gallery 1703 nbsp Un cerf poursuivi par des chiens Stag Pursued by Dogs Francois Desportes 1703 nbsp La mort d un chevreuil Death of a deer Francois Desportes 1703 nbsp La meute de Monseigneur Hounds of Monseigneur 1703 Musee de Gien nbsp La mort du loup Death of the wolf Francois Desportes 1703 nbsp Un sanglier chasse par huit chiens A Boar Chased by Eight Dogs Francois Desportes 1703Large oval cabinet edit nbsp Chamber of mirrors in Charlottenburg Palace Germany contemporaneous with the Grand Cabinet Ovale similar in its layout size and systematic use of mirrors nbsp Preparatory drawing for the Triomphe de Bacchus attributed to Louis de Boullogne Albertina Museum Vienna Austria Also called the Salon dore golden salon where hung the Triumph of Bacchus by Bon Boullogne The painting disappeared but a preparatory drawing preserved at the Albertina Museum Vienna and attributed to his brother Louis allows us to understand what the composition of this work might look like Large corner cabinet edit nbsp Essai de restitution du Grand Cabinet de l aile des marronniers with the canvases in place circa 1705The dauphin had some prestigious paintings in this room includingRenaud and Armide by the Dominiquin and Moses saved from the waters by Nicolas Poussin These canvases come from the royal collections Grand Salon edit It was the main room of the apartment of the chestnut trees with an area of 100 m The dauphin placed there other pictures from the royal collections including two by Paul Veronese nbsp Grand salon c 1705 With paintings placed by Monseigneur nbsp Essai de restitution de la coupe de la paroi Est du grand salon des marronniers circa 1705 nbsp Essai de restitution de la coupe de la paroi Sud du grand salon des marronniers around 1705 With paintings placed by Monseigneur the dauphin nbsp Essai de restitution de la coupe de la paroi Ouest du grand salon des marronniers circa 1705Canvases by Nicolas Loir from the queen s apartment in Versailles repurposed in the Grand Salon nbsp Pithopolis faisant servir des mets en or au roi Pithes Pithopolis having King Pithes served food of gold Nicolas Loir formerly Cleopatre qui dans un festin musee de Brou nbsp Reine donnant audience a un vieillard Queen Giving Audience to an Old Man by Nicolas Loir also known as La reine de Saba The Queen of Saba Musee Hyacinthe Rigaud fr Perpignan nbsp Reine s adressant a des soldats Dueen addressing soldiers or la reine de Saba appuyee sur son trone the Queen of Saba leaning on her throne Nicolas Loir musee du Louvre n 8715The dining room edit nbsp Essai de restitution de la salle a manger de l aile des marronniers du chateau de Meudon Table dressee en 1704 pour recevoir le duc de Baviere beau frere du Dauphin It was in this hall that the Bishop invited guests to dine The cabinet of the buffet edit This small room had two small basins from which flowed streams of water Small Fresh Apartment edit Behind these large reception rooms the Prince was given a small fresh apartment which consisted of an antechamber and another room As well as a cabinet it was enlivened by miniatures painted by Jean Cotelle the Elder representing the gardens of Versailles These three rooms were all wooded at the Capucine and adorned with the door tops by Jean Baptiste Belin nbsp Chamber of Monseigneur in the Petit Appartement Frais de l aile des marronniers c 1703 nbsp Cabinet of the Petit appartement frais circa 1703 1711Miniatures of the gardens of Versailles gouache by Jean II Cotelle nbsp Le bassin de Neptune Neptune s Basin Jean II Cotelle nbsp L arc de triomphe Jean II Cotelle nbsp L Encelade Jean II Cotelle nbsp L entree du labyrinthe The Entrance of the Labyrinth Jean II Cotelle nbsp La fontaine du dragon The Fountain of the Dragon Jean II Cotelle nbsp La colonnade Jean II Cotelle nbsp L interieur du labyrinthe The Interior of the Labyrinth Jean II Cotelle nbsp Le theatre d eau The Water Theatre Jean II CotelleGrotto of Meudon edit nbsp 3D rendition of the Grotto of Meudon c 1690 1700 Franck Devedjian and Herve Gregoire 2013 nbsp Grotte and parterre Israel Silvestre c 1685 The cave of Meudon is the twin sister of this House of the Theater begun for Henry II in 1556 by De l Orme and continued in 1559 by Primaticcio a beautiful belvedere which following additions towards the end of century became the Chateau Neuf of Saint Germain en Laye nbsp Interior of the Grotto The Primatice painted for the Cardinal of Lorraine for his Chateau de Meudon a cave made up of several rooms among others that of the pavilion where there were a number of frescoed figures in the ceiling We destroyed this cave by building the new Castle in the time of Monseigneur the Dauphin ayeul du Roy Giorgio Vasari speaks of the Grotto when he approaches Primaticius who is its architect and as it were the chief decorator There is also an interesting description of a traveler from the mid 17th century preserved in the manuscripts of the Saint Germain fonds no 944 as given by the Lettres ecrites de la Vendee At two leagues from Paris is Meudon where is seen in the wood an admirable and wonderful grotto enriched with supports and damping of cut stone small turrets turned and massed in the ass of a lamp paved with a pavement Of porphire bastard speckled with white red green gray spots and of a hundred different colors noughed by esgouts made with gargoyles and lyon muffles There are columns figures and statues of marble grotesque paintings compartimens and images of gold and azure and other couleurs The frontispiece has large fluted and roughened columns trimmed with bases Capital architrave friezes cornices and moldings of good grace And just proportion the vase and taillour sustained on the tests of virtues approaching the average proportion of the colossi enriched with leaves of acanthus and ursine branch to sustain the fullness of the stock Very well conducted and completed But the troubles have made there irreparable ruins and especially to the pipes which have been broken It was demolished in 1705 to build the Chateau Neuf in the same location nbsp Map of the Grotto de Meudon and its surroundings late 17th century Archives nationales nbsp Parterre of the Grotto seen from the central salon Israel Silvestre c 1685 nbsp Decor project for the Grotto c 1685 Not carried out Jules Hardouin Mansart nbsp Grotto of Meudon in an imaginairy landscape Harvard Art Museum 34 1991 The roofing of the central pavilion is fictive Chateau Neuf new castle edit nbsp 3D rendition of the Chateau Neuf at its apogee around 1709 Franck Devedjian and Herve Gregoire 2013 nbsp Facade of the Chateau Neuf 2013We owe the plans of the Chateau Neuf to the architect Jules Hardouin Mansart Philippe de Courcillon de Dangeau wrote May 21 1706 that being at Marly the king worked in the morning with Mansart who showed him the plans of the buildings that M M wants to make at Meudon at the place where the grotto is Monseigneur wished this building to house the courtiers he received at Meudon and the king aimed at the drawings made for Monseigneur The building was erected on the site of the grotto previously demolished in 1705 A long corridor serves all the apartments this was not unusual for the time What was much more so was the systematization of the typical dwelling of the courtier since the whole of the Chateau Neuf can be compared to a hotel in the modern sense of the word After nearly two hundred years a fire ravaged the building on January 31 1871 The ruins were left to the inclement weather and probably also looted until 1879 when a law enacted the choice of Meudon as an observatory Restoration of the ruins was then begun by the architect Constant Moyaux saving from destruction what remained of the castle especially the two lower floors less damaged by the fire nbsp Chateau Neuf from the parterre Mariette c 1715 nbsp Third level of the Chateau Neuf le bel etage by Mariette around 1715 img de, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
