Hôtel de Lauzun
Encyclopedia
The Hôtel de Lauzun on the quai d'Anjou, Île Saint-Louis
, Paris
, is the rival of the Hôtel Lambert
among the few hôtels particuliers
that retain their rich carved, painted, mirrored and gilded interiors from the time of Louis XIV
.
The hôtel particulier was not built by the Duc de Lauzun
, whose name it bears, but by a rich financier, Charles Gruyn des Bordes, the son of an inn-keeper grown rich from his trade and richer still, according to a pamphleteer, through speculations enabled by his title as general commissioner of cavalry during the civil disorders of the Fronde
.
Gruyn des Bordes had purchased the lot in 1641, but by the time he was prepared to build, he had new neighbours in the Île Saint-Louis to emulate, namely, the Hôtel Lambert
de Thorigny. His new wife, Geneviève de Mony, hastened the completion of the house, completed in 1657 from designs by Louis Le Vau
. Gruyn's initial 'G' is interlaced with her 'M' on chimneybreasts and throughout the decor. Gruyn, however, had Nicolas Fouquet
as a patron
and shared in Fouquet's disastrous fall. An inquest into his financial dealings found him guilty of fraud; he was thrown into prison and died there. His widow, having kept her financial affairs separate from his, survived his ruin and left the hotel to her son.
In the meantime, Antoine Nompar de Caumont
, Duc de Lauzun, had fallen from Louis XIV
's favour and had spent a decade in prison. Once he had clandestinely wed his lover, La Grande Mademoiselle, she had ransomed him from the King and he immediately purchased the estate from de Mony's son. Lauzun enriched many of the interiors. The Hôtel de Lauzun passed on to the great-niece of Cardinal Mazarin, who fled from the convent of Chaillot with the Marquis de Richelieu and eloped him in London
. In 1709 the Marquis de Richelieu sold the house to Pierre-François Ogier, receveur du clergé who further enriched its interiors.
In the eighteenth century, as fashionable new districts drew aristocrats to the west of Paris, the Île Saint-Louis, in the heart of medieval Paris, became a backwater, then declassé. The Hôtel de Lauzun retained its aristocratic owners (now the Marquis de Pimôdan) until the French Revolution
. With that event, the estate, like many of its once-grand neighbours, had its upstairs chambers and attics divided into apartments and rented by successful artisan
s. In the 1840s, when the estate (now known as Hôtel Pimodan) belonged to the bibliophile
and collector, baron Jérôme Pichon, auditeur au Conseil d’Etat, the upstairs apartments were rented to Charles Baudelaire
and Théophile Gautier
. These two residents formed their Club des Hashischins
, where they experimented with hashish
. While residing there, Baudelaire wrote the first poems of Les Fleurs du Mal
.
The Hôtel de Lauzun, presently owned by the City of Paris, is closed for the public since January 2011.
Île Saint-Louis
The Île Saint-Louis is one of two natural islands in the Seine river, in Paris, France . The island is named after King Louis IX of France ....
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, is the rival of the Hôtel Lambert
Hôtel Lambert
Hôtel Lambert is a hôtel particulier, a grand mansion townhouse, on the Quai Anjou on the eastern tip of the Île Saint-Louis, Paris IVème; the name, Hôtel Lambert, was a sobriquet that designated a 19th-century political faction of Polish exiles, who gathered there.-Architectural history:The house...
among the few hôtels particuliers
Hôtel particulier
In French contexts an hôtel particulier is an urban "private house" of a grand sort. Whereas an ordinary maison was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side and directly fronting on a street, an hôtel particulier was often free-standing, and by the 18th century it...
that retain their rich carved, painted, mirrored and gilded interiors from the time of Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
.
The hôtel particulier was not built by the Duc de Lauzun
Antoine Nompar de Caumont
Antoine Nompar de Caumont, marquis de Puyguilhem, duc de Lauzun was a French courtier and soldier. He was the only love interest of the "greatest heiress in Europe", Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans, cousin of Louis XIV.-Biography:...
, whose name it bears, but by a rich financier, Charles Gruyn des Bordes, the son of an inn-keeper grown rich from his trade and richer still, according to a pamphleteer, through speculations enabled by his title as general commissioner of cavalry during the civil disorders of the Fronde
Fronde
The Fronde was a civil war in France, occurring in the midst of the Franco-Spanish War, which had begun in 1635. The word fronde means sling, which Parisian mobs used to smash the windows of supporters of Cardinal Mazarin....
.
Gruyn des Bordes had purchased the lot in 1641, but by the time he was prepared to build, he had new neighbours in the Île Saint-Louis to emulate, namely, the Hôtel Lambert
Hôtel Lambert
Hôtel Lambert is a hôtel particulier, a grand mansion townhouse, on the Quai Anjou on the eastern tip of the Île Saint-Louis, Paris IVème; the name, Hôtel Lambert, was a sobriquet that designated a 19th-century political faction of Polish exiles, who gathered there.-Architectural history:The house...
de Thorigny. His new wife, Geneviève de Mony, hastened the completion of the house, completed in 1657 from designs by Louis Le Vau
Louis Le Vau
Louis Le Vau was a French Classical architect who worked for Louis XIV of France. He was born and died in Paris.He was responsible, with André Le Nôtre and Charles Le Brun, for the redesign of the château of Vaux-le-Vicomte. His later works included the Palace of Versailles and his collaboration...
. Gruyn's initial 'G' is interlaced with her 'M' on chimneybreasts and throughout the decor. Gruyn, however, had Nicolas Fouquet
Nicolas Fouquet
Nicolas Fouquet, marquis de Belle-Île, vicomte de Melun et Vaux was the Superintendent of Finances in France from 1653 until 1661 under King Louis XIV...
as a patron
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
and shared in Fouquet's disastrous fall. An inquest into his financial dealings found him guilty of fraud; he was thrown into prison and died there. His widow, having kept her financial affairs separate from his, survived his ruin and left the hotel to her son.
In the meantime, Antoine Nompar de Caumont
Antoine Nompar de Caumont
Antoine Nompar de Caumont, marquis de Puyguilhem, duc de Lauzun was a French courtier and soldier. He was the only love interest of the "greatest heiress in Europe", Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans, cousin of Louis XIV.-Biography:...
, Duc de Lauzun, had fallen from Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
's favour and had spent a decade in prison. Once he had clandestinely wed his lover, La Grande Mademoiselle, she had ransomed him from the King and he immediately purchased the estate from de Mony's son. Lauzun enriched many of the interiors. The Hôtel de Lauzun passed on to the great-niece of Cardinal Mazarin, who fled from the convent of Chaillot with the Marquis de Richelieu and eloped him in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In 1709 the Marquis de Richelieu sold the house to Pierre-François Ogier, receveur du clergé who further enriched its interiors.
In the eighteenth century, as fashionable new districts drew aristocrats to the west of Paris, the Île Saint-Louis, in the heart of medieval Paris, became a backwater, then declassé. The Hôtel de Lauzun retained its aristocratic owners (now the Marquis de Pimôdan) until the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. With that event, the estate, like many of its once-grand neighbours, had its upstairs chambers and attics divided into apartments and rented by successful artisan
Artisan
An artisan is a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewellery, household items, and tools...
s. In the 1840s, when the estate (now known as Hôtel Pimodan) belonged to the bibliophile
Bibliophilia
Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. Accordingly a bibliophile is an individual who loves books. A bookworm is someone who loves books for their content, or who otherwise loves reading. The -ia-suffixed form "bibliophilia" is sometimes considered to be an incorrect usage; the older...
and collector, baron Jérôme Pichon, auditeur au Conseil d’Etat, the upstairs apartments were rented to Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire was a French poet who produced notable work as an essayist, art critic, and pioneering translator of Edgar Allan Poe. His most famous work, Les Fleurs du mal expresses the changing nature of beauty in modern, industrializing Paris during the nineteenth century...
and Théophile Gautier
Théophile Gautier
Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, art critic and literary critic....
. These two residents formed their Club des Hashischins
Club des Hashischins
The Club des Hashischins , was a Parisian group dedicated to the exploration of drug-induced experiences, notably with hashish....
, where they experimented with hashish
Hashish
Hashish is a cannabis preparation composed of compressed stalked resin glands, called trichomes, collected from the unfertilized buds of the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than unsifted buds or leaves...
. While residing there, Baudelaire wrote the first poems of Les Fleurs du Mal
Les Fleurs du mal
Les Fleurs du mal is a volume of French poetry by Charles Baudelaire. First published in 1857 , it was important in the symbolist and modernist movements...
.
The Hôtel de Lauzun, presently owned by the City of Paris, is closed for the public since January 2011.