Charles François Paul Le Normant de Tournehem
Encyclopedia
Charles François Paul Le Normant de Tournehem (1684–1751) was a French
financier
, a fermier-général
, or tax-farmer.
He is best known for his connection with Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson
(1721–1764), future marquise de Pompadour. Her legal guardian from 1725, after her official father was forced to leave the country, he may have been her natural father. He raised her and educated her with care, and he married her in 1741 to his nephew, Charles-Guillaume Le Normant d'Étiolles
, from whom she was separated in 1745 at the request of Louis XV
.
Thanks to the influence of Madame de Pompadour, Le Normant de Tournehem was made directeur général of the Bâtiments du Roi
in December 1745, succeeding Philibert Orry
. He held this post, overseeing royal building works, until his death. “Without artistic prejudices,” Fiske Kimball observed, “he was a man of ability, honesty and simplicity, who devoted himself to efficient administration.” Le Normant de Tournehem reinstated the post of premier peintre du Roi which had been allowed to lapse, in favour of Charles Coypel, upon whose artistic advice he wisely depended. Coypel’s own advisors were the comte de Caylus, the brilliant and tireless antiquary and founder of archaeology, who had been an advisor to Orry and was a close friend of the connoisseur Pierre-Jean Mariette
, and Abbé Leblanc, an early critic of the excesses of the Rococo
and an advocate of a chastened simplicity in the arts of design.
In his role of director of the Bâtiments du Roi, Le Normant de Tournehem oversaw the design and construction of the Château de Bellevue
, which served as a discreet meeting ground for Madame de Pompadour and the King.
At his death, his successor at the Bâtiments du Roi was Pompadour’s capable and carefully prepared brother, Abel-François Poisson, marquis de Vandières, soon to be awarded the title by which posterity knows him, the Marquis de Marigny.
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...
financier
Financier
Financier is a term for a person who handles typically large sums of money, usually involving money lending, financing projects, large-scale investing, or large-scale money management. The term is French, and derives from finance or payment...
, a fermier-général
Ferme générale
The Ferme générale was, in ancien régime France, essentially an outsourced customs and excise operation which collected duties on behalf of the king, under six-year contracts...
, or tax-farmer.
He is best known for his connection with Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson
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:...
(1721–1764), future marquise de Pompadour. Her legal guardian from 1725, after her official father was forced to leave the country, he may have been her natural father. He raised her and educated her with care, and he married her in 1741 to his nephew, Charles-Guillaume Le Normant d'Étiolles
Charles-Guillaume Le Normant d'Étiolles
Charles-Guillaume Le Normant d'Étiolles is best known as being the husband of Madame de Pompadour or Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, the illustrious mistress of King Louis XV of France....
, from whom she was separated in 1745 at the request of Louis XV
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
.
Thanks to the influence of Madame de Pompadour, Le Normant de Tournehem was made directeur général 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:...
in December 1745, succeeding 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:...
. He held this post, overseeing royal building works, until his death. “Without artistic prejudices,” Fiske Kimball observed, “he was a man of ability, honesty and simplicity, who devoted himself to efficient administration.” Le Normant de Tournehem reinstated the post of premier peintre du Roi which had been allowed to lapse, in favour of Charles Coypel, upon whose artistic advice he wisely depended. Coypel’s own advisors were the comte de Caylus, the brilliant and tireless antiquary and founder of archaeology, who had been an advisor to Orry and was a close friend of the connoisseur Pierre-Jean Mariette
Pierre-Jean Mariette
Pierre-Jean Mariette was a collector of and dealer in old master prints, a renowned connoisseur, especially of prints and drawings, and a chronicler of the careers of French Italian and Flemish artists...
, and Abbé Leblanc, an early critic of the excesses of the Rococo
Rococo
Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
and an advocate of a chastened simplicity in the arts of design.
In his role of director of the Bâtiments du Roi, Le Normant de Tournehem oversaw the design and construction of the Château de Bellevue
Château de Bellevue
The Château de Bellevue 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....
, which served as a discreet meeting ground for Madame de Pompadour and the King.
At his death, his successor at the Bâtiments du Roi was Pompadour’s capable and carefully prepared brother, Abel-François Poisson, marquis de Vandières, soon to be awarded the title by which posterity knows him, the Marquis de Marigny.