Michel Amelot de Gournay
Encyclopedia
Michel-Jean Amelot, baron de Brunelles, marquis de Gournay (1655—Paris
1724), was a French diplomat, conseiller d'état to Louis XIV of France
from 1698, and connoisseur. He was the son of Charles Amelot, the President of the king's Grand Conseil, and the nephew of the elder Michel Amelot de Gournay (1612—1687), Archbishop of Tours.
In 1682 he was appointed ambassador to Venice
, in which post he took with him as secretary his tutor, the connoisseur Roger de Piles
. His success in this embassy was followed by further commissions, to Portugal (1685), Switzerland (1688-1698) and to Spain (1705-1709), where he played a prominent role during the War of the Spanish Succession
and reorganized the Spanish army along the lines of the army of France.
He presided over the seances that adjusted the differences between Victor Amadeus II, duke of Savoy
, who was the new King of Sicily, and the Prince of Monaco
, following the Treaty of Utrecht
; the agreement was signed in Paris, 21 June 1714. The envoy representing Great Britain on that occasion was the poet-diplomat Matthew Prior
.
He was named président du Conseil de Commerce in 1716. Jacques Savary des Brûlons
' encyclopedic summing-up of the contemporary state of commercial economics, Dictionnnaire universel de commerce (1723), was dedicated to him.
His purchase in 1713 of a Paris house in rue Saint-Dominique, faubourg Saint-Germain, the Hôtel Amelot de Gournay, which had been begun as a speculation the previous year by the architect Germain Boffrand
and was in course of construction, revealed the daring of the architect and the courage of the patron. The hôtel had numerous features that set it apart from the conventional Parisian hôtel particulier of the epoch: its cour d'honneur was completely enclosed from the street by a low range with a central door in an Ionic triumphal arch
motif; its facade was concave, with a giant order of Corinthian pilasters
, and with its wings it embraced an oval forecourt. The house featured an oval salon, soon to become de rigueur in Parisian house planning.
On 3 March 1712 he married his daughter Marie-Anne to Henri-Charles comte de Tavannes and marquis de Suilly and d'Arc-sur-Thil.
and his daughter Catherine to Joseph-Antoine Crozat, marquis de Tugny, the nephew and eventual heir of Watteau's patron, the immensely rich collector and connoisseur, Pierre Crozat
.
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...
1724), was a French diplomat, conseiller d'état to Louis XIV of France
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...
from 1698, and connoisseur. He was the son of Charles Amelot, the President of the king's Grand Conseil, and the nephew of the elder Michel Amelot de Gournay (1612—1687), Archbishop of Tours.
In 1682 he was appointed ambassador to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, in which post he took with him as secretary his tutor, the connoisseur Roger de Piles
Roger de Piles
Roger de Piles was a French painter, engraver, art critic and diplomat.-Life:Born in Clamecy, Roger de Piles started his career in art as a pupil of Claude François....
. His success in this embassy was followed by further commissions, to Portugal (1685), Switzerland (1688-1698) and to Spain (1705-1709), where he played a prominent role during the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
and reorganized the Spanish army along the lines of the army of France.
He presided over the seances that adjusted the differences between Victor Amadeus II, duke of Savoy
Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia
Victor Amadeus II was Duke of Savoy from 1675 to 1730. He also held the titles of marquis of Saluzzo, duke of Montferrat, prince of Piedmont, count of Aosta, Moriana and Nizza. Louis XIV organised his marriage in order to maintain French influence in the Duchy but Victor Amadeus soon broke away...
, who was the new King of Sicily, and the Prince of Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
, following the Treaty of Utrecht
Treaty of Utrecht
The Treaty of Utrecht, which established the Peace of Utrecht, comprises a series of individual peace treaties, rather than a single document, signed by the belligerents in the War of Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht in March and April 1713...
; the agreement was signed in Paris, 21 June 1714. The envoy representing Great Britain on that occasion was the poet-diplomat Matthew Prior
Matthew Prior
Matthew Prior was an English poet and diplomat.Prior was the son of a Nonconformist joiner at Wimborne Minster, East Dorset. His father moved to London, and sent him to Westminster School, under Dr. Busby. On his father's death, he left school, and was cared for by his uncle, a vintner in Channel...
.
He was named président du Conseil de Commerce in 1716. Jacques Savary des Brûlons
Jacques Savary des Brûlons
Jacques Savary des Brûlons was the French Inspector General of the Manufactures for the King at the Paris Customs in the 18th century, and a lexicographer who wrote the Dictionnaire universel de commerce....
' encyclopedic summing-up of the contemporary state of commercial economics, Dictionnnaire universel de commerce (1723), was dedicated to him.
His purchase in 1713 of a Paris house in rue Saint-Dominique, faubourg Saint-Germain, the Hôtel Amelot de Gournay, which had been begun as a speculation the previous year by the architect Germain Boffrand
Germain Boffrand
Germain Boffrand was one of the most gifted French architects of his generation. A pupil of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Germain Boffrand was one of the main creators of the precursor to Rococo called the style Régence, and in his interiors, of the Rococo itself...
and was in course of construction, revealed the daring of the architect and the courage of the patron. The hôtel had numerous features that set it apart from the conventional Parisian hôtel particulier of the epoch: its cour d'honneur was completely enclosed from the street by a low range with a central door in an Ionic triumphal arch
Triumphal arch
A triumphal arch is a monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crowned with a flat entablature or attic on which a statue might be...
motif; its facade was concave, with a giant order of Corinthian pilasters
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
, and with its wings it embraced an oval forecourt. The house featured an oval salon, soon to become de rigueur in Parisian house planning.
On 3 March 1712 he married his daughter Marie-Anne to Henri-Charles comte de Tavannes and marquis de Suilly and d'Arc-sur-Thil.
and his daughter Catherine to Joseph-Antoine Crozat, marquis de Tugny, the nephew and eventual heir of Watteau's patron, the immensely rich collector and connoisseur, Pierre Crozat
Pierre Crozat
thumb|265px|[[Rembrandt]]'s painting [[Danaë |Danae]] from Crozat's collection.Pierre Crozat was a French art collector at the center of a broad circle of cognoscenti; he was the brother of Antoine Crozat....
.