rhyssain – Page 17 – French Travel Boutique

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Majorelle

Louis Majorelle studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. In 1879 his father died in Nancy and he was obliged to return home to take over the family’s cabinet making business. Originally he made furniture in the style of the “ebenistes” during the reign of Louis XV. The marquetry decoration is characteristic of his work. He used naturalist elements with plant stalks providing the structure. As in the 18th century, the furniture was embellished with gilt bronze. After his success at the Universal Exhibition of 1900 his forms became simpler and he turned to industrial production. He was one of the leading lights of the Art Nouveau movement. A set of his bedroom furniture can be seen at Musée d’Orsay. Another bed can be seen at Arts Decoratifs. This oak bed features a variety of different wood in the mouldings, panels and inlays including walnut, rosewood, elm, hornbeam and sycamore.

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Nélie Jacquemart

Nélie (Cornelia) Jacquemart’s father worked for the Baron de Vatry, owner of the domain of Chaalis, 40 kilometers from Paris. The Baron’s wife was fond of Nélie as a child and she organised for her to have a good education. Nélie was one of the first women of her time to study painting at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. She became well known as a high society portraitist, which was how she met her future husband Edouard André. Their marriage in 1881 appears to have been organised by Edouard’s cousin who saw the toll that his play boy lifestyle and ill health had taken on Edouard. Edouard was 48 and Nélie was 40. It was not the marriage that high society had expected for the super wealthy banker. However the relationship appears to have worked well, with their common interest in art. They travelled together extensively, collecting works of art, particularly from Italy. Nélie’s bedroom at Jacquemart André is decorated in the Louis XV style her husband favoured. When Edouard died in 1894 he left everything to Nélie. She continued to travel and was in India on a planned around the world trip when she learnt that part of the estate at Chaalis where she had spent her childhood was for sale. She returned to France immediately and bought the estate. She took half of the art and furniture collection there and continued to buy at an astonishing rate – money was no object. She died there in 1912 and all her original furniture and art works are all still in place. Her final resting place is on the estate in the 16th century chapel of Chaalis, with its walls decorated by frescoes by Primaticcio.

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Édouard André

Edouard André’s family were wealthy bankers. At 18 he entered military school and later served in an elite regiment in the direct service of Napoleon III where the handsome young man caught the eye of the Empress Eugenie. At 30 he entered politics, taking over his father’s position as a Deputy. At the same time he began his collection of paintings, furniture and objets d’art. Aged 35 he had a mansion built in the newly created Boulevard Haussmann. When France became a republic again, he retired from politics and turned his interest full time to the decorative arts. Like many of his contemporaries, he became interested in 18th century styles. His inherited fortune allowed him to furnish his home with original pieces from the period. During the construction of the mansion in Boulevard Haussmann, Edouard’s cousin arranged for him to have his portrait painted by an artist named Nélie Jacquemart. They married some years later. Edouard suffered from ill health and Nélie moved to a bedroom next to his to care for him. They had breakfast together each morning in the adjoining antechamber. After Edouard’s death Nélie redecorated his bedroom with the furniture which can be seen today at the Jacquemart André museum.

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Duke and Duchess of Aumale

The Duke d’Aumale was the second youngest son of King Louis-Philippe. At the age of eight he inherited a fortune from his godfather, the last Prince of Condé. After attending the Henri IV college in Paris (where he was always top of the class), he followed the tradition of the younger sons of the aristocracy and became a military officer at 17. He distinguished himself with his bravery during the war in Algeria, becoming a Chevalier in the Legion of Honour. The Duke d’Aumale inherited a number of famous properties from Condé including the Chateau of Chantilly. At 22 he married his first cousin, Princess Marie-Caroline of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. He had a new private apartment prepared for them on the ground floor of the Chateau of Chantilly overlooking the lake. Two years after they moved into Chantilly, they left for Algeria where the Duke d’Aumale had been appointed Governor-General. They were there less than a year when the 1848 Revolution ousted the Duke’s father Louis-Philippe. They moved with the family to London, where Queen Victoria gave the family a large mansion in Twickenham. (Queen Victoria had stayed with them at Chantilly and formed a friendship with the Duchess which lasted until the Duchess’ death in London.) The furniture from Chantilly went with them and the chateau of Chantilly was “purchased” by the Duke’s bankers in London. The bankers held functions there and “sold” it back to the Duke when he was able to return to France over twenty years later. During the exile in London the Duchess gave birth to the couple’s second surviving son, the Duke de Guise; The Duke’s friends Monsieur and Madame Vatry had bought the Abbaye de Chaalis not far from the Chateau at Chantilly and they kept in touch during the exile. It was Madame Vatry who gave them this cradle as a gift. The cradle came back to Chantilly with the rest of the furniture. It now takes pride of place in his mother’s bedroom. When the Duke d’Aumale finally returned to France, he was a widower. His wife had given birth to eight children, all but two of whom were stillborn or died in infancy.* Their eldest son was on a round the world trip when he died in Australia at the age of 20. The only remaining son returned to France with his father but died a year later at the age of 18. The Duke decided to rebuild the former grand chateau of Chantilly (his residence was in the adjacent Petit Chateau), turning it into a museum to house his fabulous collection of artworks. He bequeathed the chateau to the Institute of France, on the condition it was open to the public. *The issue of inbreeding was not recognised at the time. The Duchess’ mother was her father’s niece and they were also cousins multiple ways The Duchess was the only one of their frour children to survive. She was also her husband’s first cousin.

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Prince Imperial

When Napoleon III came to power, like his uncle Napoleon, he was conscious of the need for an heir. He married Eugenie, a Spanish countess who had been educated in Paris. The 33 year old bride quickly became pregnant but suffered a miscarriage. Three years later she gave birth to a son – Napoleon Eugène Louis Jean Joseph, known as the Prince Imperial. Queen Victoria was his godmother. As they had done before for Napoleon’s son, the City of Paris presented the Imperial couple with an elaborate cradle. It was designed, made and decorated by all of the most important names of the period. When Napoleon III was forced to abdicate the family moved to England. He died there two years later. In 1872 at the age of 16 the Prince Imperial he passed the entry exam for the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. Like Napoleon Bonaparte, he graduated as an artillery officer. He was very conscious of his military heritage and insisted on joining his class mates from Woolwich in the British combat against the Zulus in South Africa. He was killed there at the age of 23. Paying homage to his courage, the Zulus returned his uniform and other personal items they had taken from his body. He was finally buried with his father in England.

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Valtesse de la Bigne

From 1850 until the early twentieth century, the great courtesans played a major role in society. They were called “lionesses”. One of the most interesting was Valtesse de la Bigne. She was the daughter of a washerwoman who made ends meet by prostitution. Louise (as she was then known) followed suit. She aimed much higher than her mother. One of her lovers was the composer Jacques Offenbach. He gave her minor acting roles at the Bouffes-Parisiens. In his company, she dined in all the fashionable Parisian restaurants with the in-crowd, including writers Flaubert, Maupassant and Zola (who based his novel “Nana” on her). Offenbach was succeeded by a series of princes, all of whom set her up in luxury accommodation and literally spent all their money on her. The Prince de Sagan built her a magnificent mansion. Valtesse commissioned a bed for the new mansion. It was in the royal style of a “lit de parade”, reflecting the manner kings such as Louis XIV received honoured guests in their bedroom. Instead of having the balustrade to separate the guests from the bed, the designer placed the balustrade around the edge of the bed. As Zola described it in his book, it is more of a throne or an altar. Having met the artist Corot as a child, she was later the friend and model of artists such as Manet and Gervex. When she died in 1910 she bequeathed her bed to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

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Le Petit Trianon

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Le Grand Trianon

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Chateau de Compiegne

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Napoleon III

Napoleon’s nephew became President of France following the revolution in 1848 which ousted King Louis-Philippe. Ineligible to stand for a second term, he staged the coup d’état which made him Emperor Napoleon III. He was a notorious playboy and had never married. As Emperor he decided he wanted to found a dynasty and needed a suitable Empress. He married Eugenie, a Paris educated Spanish noblewoman who was considered one of the most beautiful women of her time. The 33 year old bride quickly became pregnant but suffered a miscarriage. Three years later she gave birth to a son – Napoleon Eugène Louis Jean Joseph, known as the Prince Imperial. Queen Victoria was his godmother. As they had done before for Napoleon’s son, the City of Paris presented the Imperial couple with an elaborate cradle. It was designed, made and decorated by all of the most important names of the period. Eugenie was fascinated by Marie-Antoinette and she furnished her private apartments with items from that era stored in the national furniture storage. Her bed is displayed at Compiegne, the royal chateau where Napoleon III and Eugenie hosted the “series” every autumn – a six week party with individual guests being invited for a week. When Napoleon III was forced to abdicate the family moved to England. He died there two years later.