Abel-François Poisson, marquis de Marigny
Encyclopedia
Abel-François Poisson de Vandières, marquis de Marigny and marquis de Menars (1727 – 12 May 1781), often referred to simply as marquis de Marigny, was a French
nobleman who served as the director general of the King's Buildings
. He was the brother of King Louis XV's influential mistress Madame de Pompadour
.
became, in 1745, the official mistress of Louis XV and was given the title "marquise de Pompadour", she had him follow her to the court, where the young man attracted the favours of the king. When Philibert Orry
retired, the king arranged for Abel-François Poisson de Vandières - then aged 18 - to inherit the direction of the Bâtiments du Roi
("direction générale des Bâtiments, Arts, Jardins et Manufactures"), while Charles François Paul Le Normant de Tournehem
, believed to be the marquise de Pompadour's biological father, was named as Orry's immediate successor.
Charles Antoine Coypel, first painter to the king, was given the responsibility of training and educating the young Abel-François Poisson de Vandières. With Coypel's help, Poisson de Vandières chose paintings from the royal collection for exhibition at the Palais du Luxembourg, thus creating the first museum in France.
Between December 1749 and September 1751, he spent twenty-five months in Italy, staying first at the Académie de France à Rome, and then travelling (the so-called "Grand Tour
") across the country with the engraver Charles Nicolas Cochin, the architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot
and the abbé Leblanc. This trip would have important repercussions on the development of arts and artistic taste in France.
At the death of Le Normant de Tournehem in 1751, Poisson de Vandières was called back from Italy and took over his functions as "directeur général des Bâtiments du Roi" (director general of the King's Buildings). He kept this position until his retirement in 1773, thereby setting a record for the longest administrative service in the 18th century in France.
Irritable, boastful, easily angered, insecure about his humble origins, Marigny was nevertheless an intelligent and energetic administrator concerned with the importance of his work. He encouraged history painting
and, in architecture, the return to classical sources, which would become French neoclassicism
. He sponsored the architect Soufflot, whom he chose for the construction of the new Église Sainte-Geneviève
(today the "Panthéon"), a major work in the neoclassical style. He gave oversight of the construction of the new Théâtre-Français (today the Théâtre de l'Odéon
) to Charles De Wailly
and Marie-Joseph Peyre
. He directed construction of thePlace Louis XV (today the Place de la Concorde
), the planting of the gardens of the Champs-Élysées
, and supervised construction of the École Militaire
. He gave numerous commissions to François Boucher
, Charles-Amédée-Philippe van Loo
, Jean-Baptiste Pierre and named Charles-Joseph Natoire
as director of the Académie de France à Rome.
Having inherited from his father in 1754 the château of Marigny-en-Orxois
, near Château-Thierry
, he became the same year marquis de Marigny. In 1767, he married Julie Marie Françoise Filleul (1751-1822), the illegitimate daughter of Louis XV and Irène du Buisson de Longpré.
The marquis de Marigny amassed an important collection of artwork at his various residences.
Although he suffered severely from gout
, the marquis de Marigny died unexpectedly in 1781 at Paris, leaving no will.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
nobleman who served as the director general of the King's Buildings
Bâtiments du Roi
The Bâtiments du Roi was a division of Department of the household of the Kings of France in France under the Ancien Régime. It was responsible for building works at the King's residences in and around Paris.-History:...
. He was the brother of King Louis XV's influential mistress Madame de Pompadour
Madame de Pompadour
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour, also known as Madame de Pompadour was a member of the French court, and was the official chief mistress of Louis XV from 1745 to her death.-Biography:...
.
Life
Of non-noble birth, Abel-François Poisson de Vandières was raised in a family of Parisian financiers. When his elder sister, Jeanne-Antoinette PoissonMadame de Pompadour
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour, also known as Madame de Pompadour was a member of the French court, and was the official chief mistress of Louis XV from 1745 to her death.-Biography:...
became, in 1745, the official mistress of Louis XV and was given the title "marquise de Pompadour", she had him follow her to the court, where the young man attracted the favours of the king. When Philibert Orry
Philibert Orry
Philibert Orry, count of Vignory and lord of La Chapelle-Godefroy, was a French statesman born in Troyes on the 22 January 1689 and who died at La Chapelle-Godefroy on 9 November 1747.-Life:...
retired, the king arranged for Abel-François Poisson de Vandières - then aged 18 - to inherit the direction of the Bâtiments du Roi
Bâtiments du Roi
The Bâtiments du Roi was a division of Department of the household of the Kings of France in France under the Ancien Régime. It was responsible for building works at the King's residences in and around Paris.-History:...
("direction générale des Bâtiments, Arts, Jardins et Manufactures"), while Charles François Paul Le Normant de Tournehem
Charles François Paul Le Normant de Tournehem
Charles François Paul Le Normant de Tournehem was a French financier, a fermier-général, or tax-farmer.He is best known for his connection with Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson , future marquise de Pompadour. Her legal guardian from 1725, after her official father was forced to leave the country, he may...
, believed to be the marquise de Pompadour's biological father, was named as Orry's immediate successor.
Charles Antoine Coypel, first painter to the king, was given the responsibility of training and educating the young Abel-François Poisson de Vandières. With Coypel's help, Poisson de Vandières chose paintings from the royal collection for exhibition at the Palais du Luxembourg, thus creating the first museum in France.
Between December 1749 and September 1751, he spent twenty-five months in Italy, staying first at the Académie de France à Rome, and then travelling (the so-called "Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
") across the country with the engraver Charles Nicolas Cochin, the architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot
Jacques-Germain Soufflot
Jacques Germain Soufflot was a French architect in the international circle that introduced Neoclassicism. His most famous work is the Panthéon, Paris, built from 1755 onwards, originally as a church dedicated to Sainte Genevieve.- Biography :Soufflot was born in Irancy, near Auxerre.In the 1730s...
and the abbé Leblanc. This trip would have important repercussions on the development of arts and artistic taste in France.
At the death of Le Normant de Tournehem in 1751, Poisson de Vandières was called back from Italy and took over his functions as "directeur général des Bâtiments du Roi" (director general of the King's Buildings). He kept this position until his retirement in 1773, thereby setting a record for the longest administrative service in the 18th century in France.
Irritable, boastful, easily angered, insecure about his humble origins, Marigny was nevertheless an intelligent and energetic administrator concerned with the importance of his work. He encouraged history painting
History painting
History painting is a genre in painting defined by subject matter rather than an artistic style, depicting a moment in a narrative story, rather than a static subject such as a portrait...
and, in architecture, the return to classical sources, which would become French neoclassicism
French Rococo and Neoclassicism
18th-century French art was dominated by the Rococo and neoclassical movements. In France, the death of Louis XIV lead to a period of licentious freedom commonly called the Régence. The heir to Louis XIV, his great grandson Louis XV of France, was only 5 years old; for the next seven years France...
. He sponsored the architect Soufflot, whom he chose for the construction of the new Église Sainte-Geneviève
Panthéon, Paris
The Panthéon is a building in the Latin Quarter in Paris. It was originally built as a church dedicated to St. Genevieve and to house the reliquary châsse containing her relics but, after many changes, now functions as a secular mausoleum containing the remains of distinguished French citizens...
(today the "Panthéon"), a major work in the neoclassical style. He gave oversight of the construction of the new Théâtre-Français (today the Théâtre de l'Odéon
Odéon
The Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe is one of France's six national theatres.It is located at 2 rue Corneille in the 6th arrondissement of Paris on the left bank of the Seine, next to the Luxembourg Garden...
) to Charles De Wailly
Charles De Wailly
Charles De Wailly was a French architect and urbanist, and furniture designer, one of the principals in the Neoclassical revival of the Antique. His major work was the Théâtre de l'Odéon for the Comédie-Française...
and Marie-Joseph Peyre
Marie-Joseph Peyre
Marie-Joseph Peyre was a French architect who designed in the neoclassical style.- Biography :He began his training in Paris with Jacques-François Blondel at l'École des Arts, where he met Giovanni Niccolo Servandoni and formed a life-long friendship with Charles De Wailly...
. He directed construction of thePlace Louis XV (today the Place de la Concorde
Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.- History :...
), the planting of the gardens of the Champs-Élysées
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets and one of the most expensive strip of real estate in the world. The name is...
, and supervised construction of the École Militaire
École Militaire
The École Militaire is a vast complex of buildings housing various military training facilities located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, southeast of the Champ de Mars....
. He gave numerous commissions to François Boucher
François Boucher
François Boucher was a French painter, a proponent of Rococo taste, known for his idyllic and voluptuous paintings on classical themes, decorative allegories representing the arts or pastoral occupations, intended as a sort of two-dimensional furniture...
, Charles-Amédée-Philippe van Loo
Charles-Amédée-Philippe van Loo
Charles-Amédée-Philippe van Loo was a French painter of allegorical scenes and portraits.He studied under his father, the painter Jean-Baptiste van Loo, at Turin and Rome, where in 1738 he won the Prix de Rome, then at Aix-en-Provence, before returning to Paris in 1745...
, Jean-Baptiste Pierre and named Charles-Joseph Natoire
Charles-Joseph Natoire
Charles-Joseph Natoire was a French painter in the Rococo manner, a pupil of François Lemoyne and director of the French Academy in Rome, 1751-1775...
as director of the Académie de France à Rome.
Having inherited from his father in 1754 the château of Marigny-en-Orxois
Marigny-en-Orxois
Marigny-en-Orxois is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-Population:-References:*...
, near Château-Thierry
Château-Thierry
Château-Thierry is a commune in northern France about east-northeast of Paris. It is a sub-prefecture of the Aisne department in Picardy.-History:...
, he became the same year marquis de Marigny. In 1767, he married Julie Marie Françoise Filleul (1751-1822), the illegitimate daughter of Louis XV and Irène du Buisson de Longpré.
The marquis de Marigny amassed an important collection of artwork at his various residences.
Although he suffered severely from gout
Gout
Gout is a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis—a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is the most commonly affected . However, it may also present as tophi, kidney stones, or urate...
, the marquis de Marigny died unexpectedly in 1781 at Paris, leaving no will.
Residences
- 1752-1778: Hôtel de Marigny, built in 1640, rue Saint-Thomas-du-Louvre (demolished, the site today is the corner of the Richelieu wing of the LouvreLouvreThe Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
and the north-east corner of the "pyramide du Louvre"). The Direction générale des Bâtiments was located there until 1773. - 1778-1781: Hôtel de Massiac, Place des Victoires, built in 1635.
- 1754-1781: Château of Marigny-en-OrxoisMarigny-en-OrxoisMarigny-en-Orxois is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-Population:-References:*...
, a renovated medieval castle. - 1759-1773: Hôtel de Marigny, faubourg du Roule, Paris. Bought from Louis Philippe I, Duke of OrléansLouis Philippe I, Duke of OrléansLouis Philippe d'Orléans known as le Gros , was a French nobleman, a member of a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, the dynasty then ruling France. The First Prince of the Blood after 1752, he was the most senior male at the French court after the immediate royal family. He was the father of...
. Redesigned in 1768-1771 by Jacques-Germain SoufflotJacques-Germain SoufflotJacques Germain Soufflot was a French architect in the international circle that introduced Neoclassicism. His most famous work is the Panthéon, Paris, built from 1755 onwards, originally as a church dedicated to Sainte Genevieve.- Biography :Soufflot was born in Irancy, near Auxerre.In the 1730s...
who constructed the western façade in a Palladian style. - 1764-1781: Château de MenarsChâteau de MenarsThe Château de Menars is a château associated with Madame de Pompadour situated on the bank of the Loire at Menars in France.-History:...
in MenarsMenarsMenars is a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department of central France. The Château de Menars, formerly owned by Madame de Pompadour is located here....
(Loir-et-CherLoir-et-CherLoir-et-Cher is a département in north-central France named after the rivers Loir and Cher.-History:Loir-et-Cher is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Orléanais and...
), inherited from his sister, the marquise de Pompadour. - Pavillon Le Pâté in BercyBercyBercy is a neighborhood in the 12th arrondissement of Paris. It is the city's 47th administrative neighborhood. -History:Some of the oldest vestiges of human occupation in Paris were found on the territory of Bercy, dating from the late Neolithic . The name of Bercy, or Bercix, appeared for the...
, south-east of Paris, built in 1720. - 1781: Hôtel Delpech de Chaumot, n° 8 Place VendômePlace VendômePlace Vendôme is a square in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France, located to the north of the Tuileries Gardens and east of the Église de la Madeleine. It is the starting point of the Rue de la Paix. Its regular architecture by Jules Hardouin-Mansart and pedimented screens canted across the...
in Paris.