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The Château de Bellevue () was a small château built for
Madame de Pompadour commissioned
Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
The Château de Bellevue is an important step in the evolution of the French château. 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. Each facade was surmounted by a simply triangular pediment, decorated in high relief. 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 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'' (
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 Chateau de Bellevue Madame de Pompadour
The Château de Bellevue () was a small château 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, above a slope overlooking the Seine
)
, mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur
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, river_system = Seine basin
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, tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle
, tributarie ...
to the east, but was demolished in 1823 and little remains.
History
At the instigation of Louis XV, Charles François Paul Le Normant de Tournehem, ''directeur général'' of the '' Bâtiments du Roi'', negotiated the purchase of the land from its various owners, located between Louis' châteaux at Meudon and Saint-Cloud. Ange-Jacques Gabriel, ''Premier architecte du Roi'', proposed the construction of a pleasure house to be named "Bellevue", referring to its views over theSeine
)
, mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur
, mouth_coordinates =
, mouth_elevation =
, progression =
, river_system = Seine basin
, basin_size =
, tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle
, tributarie ...
.
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
Jean-Charles and Jean-Carles is a French masculine given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Jean Charles, Chevalier Folard (1669–1752), French soldier and military author
* Jean-Charles Adolphe Alphand (1817–1891), French engineer
...
. 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. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
The Château de Bellevue is an important step in the evolution of the French château. 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. Each facade was surmounted by a simply triangular pediment, decorated in high relief. 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 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 (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
: 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 (village), a village on the island
* Trinket snake, common name for ''Elaphe helena'', a species of ...
), 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, adding two wings linked to the main building. After the death of King Louis XV in 1774, the chateau was transferred to his daughters, Madame Marie Adélaïde, Madame Victoire Madame may refer to:
* Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French
* Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel
* ''Madame'' ( ...
and Madame Sophie. They redesigned the interior again, and created a ''jardin anglais orné'' at Brimborion, similar to Chantilly or Trianon.
The owners departed in 1791 during the French Revolution. The Château was demolished in 1823 at the instigation of Achille Guillaume
Achille is a French and Italian masculine given name, derived from the Greek mythological hero Achilles. It may refer to:
People Artists
* Achille Beltrame (1871–1945), Italian painter
* Achille Calici (c. 1565–?), Italian painter
* Achi ...
, 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 Chateau de Bellevue Madame de Pompadour