Château De Bellevue
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The Château de Bellevue () was a small
château A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking re ...
built for
Madame de Pompadour Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (, ; 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rema ...
in 1750. It was constructed on a broad plateau in
Meudon Meudon () is a French Communes of France, commune located in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region, on the left bank of the Seine. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of P ...
, above a slope overlooking the
Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...
to the east, but was demolished in 1823 and little remains.


History

At the instigation of
Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...
,
Charles François Paul Le Normant de Tournehem Charles François Paul Le Normant de Tournehem (30 December 1684– 27 November 1751) was a French financier, a '' fermier-général'', or tax-farmer. He is best known for his connection with Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson (1721–1764), fut ...
, ''directeur général'' of the ''
Bâtiments du Roi The Bâtiments du Roi (, 'King's Buildings') was a division of the Maison du Roi ('King's Household') in France under the Ancien Régime. It was responsible for building works at the King's residences in and around Paris. History The Bâtiments ...
'', negotiated the purchase of the land from its various owners, located between the royal châteaux at
Meudon Meudon () is a French Communes of France, commune located in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region, on the left bank of the Seine. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of P ...
and
Saint-Cloud Saint-Cloud () is a French commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris. Like other communes of Hauts-de-Seine such as Marnes-la-Coquette, Neuilly-sur-Seine and Vaucresson, Saint-Cloud is one of France's wealthie ...
.
Ange-Jacques Gabriel Ange-Jacques Gabriel (; 23 October 1698 – 4 January 1782) was the principal architect of King Louis XV of France. His major works included the Place de la Concorde, the École Militaire, and the Petit Trianon and opera theater at the Palace of ...
, ''Premier architecte du Roi'', proposed the construction of a pleasure house to be named "Bellevue", referring to its views over the
Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...
. In 1749, Louis gave the land to Madame de Pompadour, who delegated the building to her architect, Jean Cailleteau (called "Lassurance the younger"), assisted in the gardens by Jean-Charles Garnier d'Isle. The work was quickly completed, despite the need for deep foundations. 800 workmen were employed, often with Louis in attendance, and the building was completed in 1750. Madame de Pompadour commissioned
François Boucher François Boucher ( , ; ; 29 September 1703 – 30 May 1770) was a French painter, draughtsman and etcher, who worked in the Rococo style. Boucher is known for his idyllic and voluptuous paintings on classical themes, decorative allegories ...
to paint ''La Toilette de Vénus'' for her dressing room at Bellevue. Pompadour was Boucher's patroness from 1747 until her death in 1764.The Toilette of Venus.
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
The Château de Bellevue is an important step in the evolution of the French
château A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking re ...
. It was a relatively modest building, more like a house of a rich nobleman than a royal château, reflecting its role as an intimate meeting place for King Louis and Madame de Pompadour. The building was almost square, with nine bays to the front and six on the sides. It had two storeys, in a form typical of the fashionable "country cottages", such as those at the
Petit Trianon The Petit Trianon (; French for 'small Trianon') is a Neoclassical architecture, Neoclassical style château located on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, France. It was built between 1762 and 1768 ...
. Each façade was surmounted by a simply triangular
pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...
, decorated in
high relief High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift t ...
. Busts were placed between the bays on the first floor, mostly of Roman emperors. Due to the small size of the main building, small buildings around a courtyard to the west contained the domestic services. A substantial formal
parterre A ''parterre'' is a part of a formal garden constructed on a level substrate, consisting of symmetrical patterns, made up by plant beds, plats, low hedges or coloured gravels, which are separated and connected by paths. Typically it was the ...
was laid out to the west, with walks down the slope to ''Brimborion'' on the banks of the Seine to the east. In 1750, Madame de Pompadour acquired a small building at the bottom of the slope, on the banks of the Seine, called ''Brimborion'' (
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
:
trinket A trinket may refer to: * A small showy piece of jewellery, such as a jewel or a ring. * Trinket Island, an island of the Nicobar Islands ** Trinket Bay, a village on the island * Trinket snake, common name for '' Elaphe helena'', a species of co ...
), which was linked to the new residence through its gardens. After the King and Madame de Pompadour grew apart, Louis repurchased it in 1757 and had it redesigned by
Ange-Jacques Gabriel Ange-Jacques Gabriel (; 23 October 1698 – 4 January 1782) was the principal architect of King Louis XV of France. His major works included the Place de la Concorde, the École Militaire, and the Petit Trianon and opera theater at the Palace of ...
, adding two wings linked to the main building. After the death of King Louis XV in 1774, the château was transferred to his daughters, Madame Marie Adélaïde,
Madame Victoire Victoire of France (Marie Louise Thérèse Victoire; 11 May 1733 – 7 June 1799) was a French princess, the daughter of King Louis XV and the popular Queen Marie Leszczyńska. She was named after her parents and Queen Maria Theresa, ...
and Madame Sophie. They redesigned the interior again, and created a ''jardin anglais orné'' at Brimborion, similar to
Chantilly Chantilly may refer to: Places France *Chantilly, Oise, a city ** US Chantilly, a football club *Château de Chantilly United States * Chantilly, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Chantilly (Charlotte neighborhood), North Carolina ...
or Trianon. The owners departed in 1791 during the French Revolution. The château was demolished in 1823 at the instigation of Achille Guillaume, and new buildings were built on the site. The last remains of the château disappeared in the 20th century, except the ice house and parts of the terrace.


References


Bibliography

* Christian Bisch, ''Meudon-Bellevue, 1750-2000 : du château de la marquise de Pompadour aux laboratoires du CNRS'', Presses du CNRS. * Paul Biver, ''Histoire du château de Bellevue'', Paris, Enault, 1933. * Jean-Marie Pérouse de Montclos (dir.), ''Guide du patrimoine Île-de-France'', Paris, Hachette, 1992. * F. and M.-J. Villadier, ''Bellevue, deux siècles d'histoire'', Meudon, s.d.


External links


Bellevue: le parc de Mesdames
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chateau De Bellevue, France 1750 establishments in France Houses completed in 1750 1823 disestablishments in France Buildings and structures demolished in 1823
Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. Bellevue or Belle Vue may refer to: Places Australia * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales Canada * Bellevue, Alberta * Bellevue, Newfoundlan ...
Chateau de Bellevue Madame de Pompadour Royal residences in France