Hôtel de Besenval: Difference between revisions
==== The Nymphaeum ====
==== The Nymphaeum ====
[[File:Nymphaeum Hotel de Besenval Paris.jpg|thumb|The remains of the [[nymphaeum]] in the basement of the Hôtel de Besenval. The slightly different colours of the floor plates still indicate the location of the former [[Swimming pool|pool]]]]
[[File:Nymphaeum Hotel de Besenval Paris.jpg|thumb|The remains of the [[nymphaeum]] in the basement of the Hôtel de Besenval. The slightly different colours of the floor plates still indicate the location of the former [[Swimming pool|pool]]]]
[[File:Besenval, baron de.jpg|thumb|Pierre Victor de Besenval in the ”Salon de compagnie” in the Hôtel de Besenval around 1791. The three individual [[ormolu|ormolu-mounted]] [[celadon]] porcelain vases which are visible on the right hand side of the mantelpiece each have an identical [[pendant]] on the left hand side of the mantelpiece. On 8 July 2021 these three pairs of vases were sold as pairs in three lots (lots 4, 5 and 6) by [[Christie’s]] in London in the ”The Exceptional Sale” for a total of GBP 1’620’000]]
At the beginning of the 1780s the art-loving Baron could already look back on an impressive military career. After being appointed military [[governor]] of [[Haguenau]] in 1766, he was made [[lieutenant-colonel]] of the [[Swiss Guards]] in 1767 and was promoted to [[commander-in-chief]] of the troops and [[garrison]]s of France in 1781. The Baron wished that his residence would reflect his achievements and his status. It was therefore only consequent that in 1782 he employed the celebrated architect [[Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart]] to enlarge and transform his residence at the rue de Grenelle. Among others Brongniart built him a gallery for his constantly growing art collection and a [[nymphaeum]] – a private bath with a pool in the [[Classical antiquity|antique style]].
At the beginning of the 1780s the art-loving Baron could already look back on an impressive military career. After being appointed military [[governor]] of [[Haguenau]] in 1766, he was made [[lieutenant-colonel]] of the [[Swiss Guards]] in 1767 and was promoted to [[commander-in-chief]] of the troops and [[garrison]]s of France in 1781. The Baron wished that his residence would reflect his achievements and his status. It was therefore only consequent that in 1782 he employed the celebrated architect [[Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart]] to enlarge and transform his residence at the rue de Grenelle. Among others Brongniart built him a gallery for his constantly growing art collection and a [[nymphaeum]] – a private bath with a pool in the [[Classical antiquity|antique style]].
==== The escape ====
==== The escape ====
[[File:Besenval, baron de.jpg|thumb|Pierre Victor de Besenval in the ”Salon de compagnie” in the Hôtel de Besenval around 1791. The three individual [[ormolu|ormolu-mounted]] [[celadon]] porcelain vases which are visible on the right hand side of the mantelpiece each have an identical [[pendant]] on the left hand side of the mantelpiece. On 8 July 2021 these three pairs of vases were sold as pairs in three lots (lots 4, 5 and 6) by [[Christie’s]] in London in the ”The Exceptional Sale” for a total of GBP 1’620’000]]
The Baron was not only hated by the revolutionary masses as a soldier, but also suspected as a close friend of Queen Marie Antoinette. When the revolutionary masses demanded his head, the Baron obtained permission from the king to leave for Switzerland, where he intended to retire to his country residence, Schloss Waldegg, near Solothurn. But the Baron was recognized, arrested and imprisoned on 10 August 1789 by revolutionary troops during his trip. It was only through the intervention of the Geneva banker and French finance minister, [[Jacques Necker]], that the Baron escaped death and was eventually released after winning his case. Weakened by his detention, the Baron died on the evening of 2 June 1791 at his residence in Paris.Jean-Jacques Fiechter / Benno Schubiger, ”L’Ambassade de Suisse à Paris”, Ambassade de Suisse, 2ème édition, août 1994, p. 19
The Baron was not only hated by the revolutionary masses as a soldier, but also suspected as a close friend of Queen Marie Antoinette. When the revolutionary masses demanded his head, the Baron obtained permission from the king to leave for Switzerland, where he intended to retire to his country residence, Schloss Waldegg, near Solothurn. But the Baron was recognized, arrested and imprisoned on 10 August 1789 by revolutionary troops during his trip. It was only through the intervention of the Geneva banker and French finance minister, [[Jacques Necker]], that the Baron escaped death and was eventually released after winning his case. Weakened by his detention, the Baron died on…