Bagatelle: A Princely Residence in Paris

(Hardback)

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An unprecedented look into the history, art, and gardens of Chteau de Bagatelle, the Parisian getaway villa of kings and royal family members.

In 1775, the Comte d'Artois, brother of Louis XVI and future King Charles X, purchased the Bagatelle estate in the Bois de Boulogne on the outskirts of Paris. The sumptuous chteau he constructed there-designed by Franois-Joseph Blanger and modeled on a neo-Palladian villa-along with its picturesque gardens were lauded by prestigious European and American visitors, including Thomas Jefferson.

Spared by the Revolution, Bagatelle became the setting for many important moments in European history and was acquired by the city of Paris in 1905. While the park with its magnificent rose garden remained open, the Mansart Foundation, with a team of experts, oversaw an extensive renovation of the chteau to restore the architectural jewel to its former glory.

This beautifully illustrated volume recounts the fabulous history of Chteau de Bagatelle and its various owners, with spectacular new photography, unpublished archival documents, and insightful text.

Author Bio

Nicolas Cattelain is a collector, writer, and philanthropist. After a career in capital development in London, he now dedicates his time to his passion for the arts, particularly the decorative arts of the eighteenth century. He regularly supports publications in this field and is involved with several museums in Europe and the United States. He is President of the Fondation du Chteau de Bagatelle, which, under the aegis of the Fondation Mansart, is carrying out the renovation and reopening of the estate to the public.

Bruno Ehrs is an award-winning Swedish photographer whose work has been published in Jacques Garcia: A Sicilian Dream, Villa Elena; Vaux-le-Vicomte: A Private Invitation; Chteau de Villette; Villa Balbiano; A Day at Chteau de Vaux-le-Vicomte; and Chaumet: Parisian Jeweler since 1780, all published by Flammarion.

Charlotte Vignon is a specialist in European decorative arts. After holding positions at The Cleveland Museum of Art and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, she was curator of decorative arts at The Frick Collection in New York for more than ten years, and then director of the Cit de la cramique (the French national museum of ceramics) in Svres. Vignon has organized numerous exhibitions and is the author of many publications, including Pierre Gouthire: Virtuoso Gilder at the French Court (2016), and Duveen Brothers and the Market for Decorative Arts, 1880-1940 (2019).