Jean Simeon Rousseau de la Rottiere
Encyclopedia
Jean Simeon Rousseau de la Rottiere (1747–1820), the youngest son of Jules Antoine Rousseau (sculpteur du Roi), was a French
decorative painter. The territorial addition to his patronymic ("de la Rottiere") has never been explained, but it is known to have been in use when he was little more than a boy.
. There has been some controversy among the authorities as to the respective shares of father and son in these works, but many of the attributions are fairly determined by dates, Jules Antoine Rousseau having been at work at Versailles for years before the birth of his famous son.
The Bains du Roi, the Salon de la Méridienne, part of the bedchamber of Madame Adelaide, and the Garde-robe of Louis XVI
were among the achievements which there can be little doubt were shared in by Rousseau de la Rottire. His most individual and most famous undertaking was, however, the decoration of the lovely Boudoir de Madame de Sévilly, now at the Victoria and Albert Museum
. This little room, measuring 4 x 3 m almost 5 m high, was removed from the house in the Rue de Saint Louis, in the Marais
. The Seigneur de Sévilly, who was hereditary Trésorier Général de l'Extraordinaire des Guerres under Louis XVI, married his cousin Anne Marie Louise de Pange, a favorite maid-of-honor of Marie Antoinette
, and the story runs that his wife and the queen, desiring to give him a surprise, had the room decorated during his absence from Paris
. It was purchased for the museum for 60,000 franc
s in 1869. The wall paintings of this sumptuous room came from the hand of Rousseau de la Rottire; the overdoor and part of the ceiling were executed by Lagrene le jeune; the architect was Ledoux
; the grey marble
figures of aged men on either side of the fireplace were sculptured by Clodion; the mounts of the chimneypiece are apparently from the chisel of Gouthire.
The date of the room is assigned to 1781-82, and Rousseau's authorship of much of its decoration is rendered certain by his own still-existing sketch. The decoration was inspired to themes taken from the excavations of Pompeii
. The tall narrow panels are painted in medallions with amorini; festoons and bouquets of flowers fill every available space; the shutters are painted with doves and shepherdesses. Lagrene's pictures in the upper lunettes represent the elements; upon the ceiling is Jupiter
enthroned within a deep blue border. It is a melancholy reflection that M. de Sévilly, whom his wife and Marie Antoinette combined to surprise with this chefdoeuvre, was guillotine
d, and that his wife, whose sitting-room it was, was condemned to die with him and with Madame Élisabeth de France
, whom they had befriended, but was saved, against her will, by the princess, who made a false declaration as to her condition. She had two subsequent husbands, and lost them both in little more than two years. She herself lived less than five years after her delivery by the fall of Robespierre.
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...
decorative painter. The territorial addition to his patronymic ("de la Rottiere") has never been explained, but it is known to have been in use when he was little more than a boy.
Life and work
Jean Simeon Rousseau studied at the Academie Royale, where in September 1768 he won the medal given to the best painter of the quarter. Together with his brother Jules Hugues, he was employed from an early date by his father for the decorative work executed by the family at VersaillesVersailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
. There has been some controversy among the authorities as to the respective shares of father and son in these works, but many of the attributions are fairly determined by dates, Jules Antoine Rousseau having been at work at Versailles for years before the birth of his famous son.
The Bains du Roi, the Salon de la Méridienne, part of the bedchamber of Madame Adelaide, and the Garde-robe of Louis XVI
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
were among the achievements which there can be little doubt were shared in by Rousseau de la Rottire. His most individual and most famous undertaking was, however, the decoration of the lovely Boudoir de Madame de Sévilly, now at the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
. This little room, measuring 4 x 3 m almost 5 m high, was removed from the house in the Rue de Saint Louis, in the Marais
Le Marais
Le Marais is a historic district in Paris, France. Long the aristocratic district of Paris, it hosts many outstanding buildings of historic and architectural importance...
. The Seigneur de Sévilly, who was hereditary Trésorier Général de l'Extraordinaire des Guerres under Louis XVI, married his cousin Anne Marie Louise de Pange, a favorite maid-of-honor of Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
, and the story runs that his wife and the queen, desiring to give him a surprise, had the room decorated during his absence from 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...
. It was purchased for the museum for 60,000 franc
Franc
The franc is the name of several currency units, most notably the Swiss franc, still a major world currency today due to the prominence of Swiss financial institutions and the former currency of France, the French franc until the Euro was adopted in 1999...
s in 1869. The wall paintings of this sumptuous room came from the hand of Rousseau de la Rottire; the overdoor and part of the ceiling were executed by Lagrene le jeune; the architect was Ledoux
Claude Nicolas Ledoux
Claude-Nicolas Ledoux was one of the earliest exponents of French Neoclassical architecture. He used his knowledge of architectural theory to design not only in domestic architecture but town planning; as a consequence of his visionary plan for the Ideal City of Chaux, he became known as a utopian...
; the grey marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
figures of aged men on either side of the fireplace were sculptured by Clodion; the mounts of the chimneypiece are apparently from the chisel of Gouthire.
The date of the room is assigned to 1781-82, and Rousseau's authorship of much of its decoration is rendered certain by his own still-existing sketch. The decoration was inspired to themes taken from the excavations of Pompeii
Pompeii
The city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning...
. The tall narrow panels are painted in medallions with amorini; festoons and bouquets of flowers fill every available space; the shutters are painted with doves and shepherdesses. Lagrene's pictures in the upper lunettes represent the elements; upon the ceiling is Jupiter
Jupiter (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion and myth, Jupiter or Jove is the king of the gods, and the god of the sky and thunder. He is the equivalent of Zeus in the Greek pantheon....
enthroned within a deep blue border. It is a melancholy reflection that M. de Sévilly, whom his wife and Marie Antoinette combined to surprise with this chefdoeuvre, was guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
d, and that his wife, whose sitting-room it was, was condemned to die with him and with Madame Élisabeth de France
Élisabeth Philippine Marie Hélène of France
|align=left|Élisabeth of France , known as Madame Élisabeth, was a French princess and the youngest sister of King Louis XVI...
, whom they had befriended, but was saved, against her will, by the princess, who made a false declaration as to her condition. She had two subsequent husbands, and lost them both in little more than two years. She herself lived less than five years after her delivery by the fall of Robespierre.