| Abstrakt: |
After having devoted great enthusiasm to the transformation and enlargement of Louvois's old castle in Meudon, the Grand Dauphin had the Château Neuf built between 1706 and 1709. This new construction marked a break in style, mainly in its layout and decoration. It would have displeased Louis XIV, but fascinated the Electors of Cologne and Baveria and was found interesting by the Swedish architect. Thanks to the surveys of the gallery made by Carl Hårleman, we are familiar with the decoration of this room, in the spacious quarters first intended for the king, but eventually taken back by the Dauphin for his own use. It is a mixture of the Trianon spirit (painting by Noël Coypel), reminiscences (mirror pilasters), novelties in the overall concepts of interior decorating (gradual abandon of picture galleries on the window side), and changes in the ornamental elements (cornices, fireplaces and consoles). The final state of the bedroom is, for unknown reasons, more difficult to ascertain. This may be due to a change of mind between project and execution, and perhaps because it remained unfinished. The relevant surveys are only partial, although they do identify several drawings from Robert de Cotte's shop as being a project for this room. These drawings offer the advantage of revealing that it was already planned to use the Grotesque Months tapestry in panel, woven at the Gobelins on a cartoon by Claude Audran III. However, a study of the dimension of the tapestry, compared with the drawings, leaves some doubt as to the final aspect. The connection between the ornamental parts of the Audran tapestry and the wainscoting design is, nevertheless, clearly pointed out. These two rooms enable us to understand to what extent Meudon was a turning point between two eras, with the progressive abandon of the picture gallery concept and the new contribution brought by Audran's grotesques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
