A 17th-century masterpiece, the magnificent chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte was commissioned by Nicolas Fouquet, the young King Louis XIV’s Superintendent of Finances.
To bring his vision to life, Fouquet brought in three of the finest artists in the world – the architect Louis Le Vau, the painter Charles Le Brun and the garden designer André le Nôtre – to collaborate on the architecture, interior and landscape. Six years later, the King would ask the same three artists to develop the world-famous Palace of Versailles.
Today, the chateau is privately owned by Patrice and Cristina de Vogüé, the Count and Countess de Vogüé, whose family has owned it for five generations. Located 50 minutes from Paris, Vaux-le-Vicomte welcomes around 300, 000 visitors per year and relies on the generosity of donors to preserve and protect its grandeur.
Le Grand Salon is a 17th-century architectural treasure, an enormous, breathtaking dome that was designed to house the largest painted ceiling in France. The cosmography represented by the sculpture and the gnomon engraved in the floor is a unique work. The decoration is a beautiful representation of all that the Grand Siècle could then produce in arts and sciences.
According to the architecture historian Jean-Marie Perouse de Montclos, the Grand Salon decoration represents “one of the most important of French art (...) in its size and profusion."
Cross section of the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte by Cyril Bordier
The artist Charles Le Brun designed the layout of the Grand Salon’s furniture, statutes, tapestries and installations. He was also the visionary for the enormous “Palace of the Sun” painting, an unprecedented artistic endeavour created for the chateaux’s domed ceiling.
Unfortunately, the painting was never even begun because, in 1661, Fouquet was arrested and all work came to a halt. Fortunately, some preparatory drawings, including the composition and detail, were preserved, and are stored in the Department of Graphic Arts of the Louvre Museum.
As the original drawings illustrate, Le Brun designed an exceptional fresco (the largest in France at the time) on the dome of the Grand Salon by combining architecture, sculpture and painting, as well as astronomy, astrology, history and geography. The dome is illustrated by 16 figures, representing the 12 signs of the Zodiac and the four seasons. It was done by Jacques Houzeau, and François Girardon for "Winter," and inspired by Le Brun's drawings.
For the last three and a half centuries, the Grand Salon has not received any major restorations. Now is the time to provide the Grand Salon with the care it deserves.
This critical restoration project will allow the Grand Salon to restore its former magnificence, and recover its well-deserved name of "Palace of the Sun"
The restoration project will be led by the chief architect of historical monuments, Mr. Didier Repellin. Before starting the work, specialists in painting, sculpture and architecture will regularly meet with a scientific team composed of the best specialists of the 17th century in order to look at the restoration hypotheses and make appropriate decisions.
The donations will help to restore the tympanums and dome.
Step 1: 50,000 euros to restore the 16 tympanums
Step 2: 100,000 euros to finance the restoration of the dome
The Restoration Process:
1. Restoration of the stucco:
· 16 figures representing the four seasons
· 12 signs of the Zodiac
· window tympanums representing the Roman divinities symbolized by their attributes
· Stucco cleaning and check-up
· Fixing damaged ornaments
- Damaged ornaments and, plastering, cracking
2. Restoration of the dome:
· Cleaning the ceiling
· Mending the cracks
· Rehabilitating the painted sky (done by Charles Séchant, in the middle of the 19th century)
You can give money :
- by an online donation by credit card sur dartagnans.fr
- by a bankwire sur dartagnans.fr
- by sending a check (to the order of: Demeure Historique), specifying your email, to the following address:
Dartagnans
Projet Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte
1 rue de Chateaudun
75009 Paris
Lottery : All donors whatever your amount is, are automatically entered in the draw. Every week, you may win again and even get, a night in the "Vaux-le-Vicomte" Suite, in the most spectacular 5-star "Alfred Sommier" hotel (https://www.alfredsommier.com/...), so stay in line!
The draws will take place :
- September 17th
- September 24th
- October 1st
- October 8th
- October 15th
- October 22nd
- October 30th
Find the rules of the game here.
Thank you !
The whole team at Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte warmly thank you for your precious support.
- The Demeure Historique supports the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte (member of the Association de la Demeure Historique) and joins their restoration project.
- The 5-star hotel "Alfred Sommier", in the heart of the Madeleine district in Paris
