Château de Bellevue
The Château de Bellevue (French: [ʃɑto də bɛlvy]) was a small château built for Madame de Pompadour in 1750. It was constructed on a broad plateau in Meudon, above a slope overlooking the Seine to the east, but was demolished in 1823 and little remains.
History
At the instigation of
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 to paint La Toilette de Vénus for her dressing room at Bellevue. Pompadour was Boucher's patroness from 1747 until her death in 1764.[1]
The Château de Bellevue is an important step in the evolution of the French
In 1750, Madame de Pompadour acquired a small building at the bottom of the slope, on the banks of the Seine, called Brimborion (French: trinket), 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
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
- ^ The Toilette of Venus. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
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
Media related to Château de Bellevue at Wikimedia Commons
- Bellevue: le parc de Mesdames (in French)