Hôtel Chanac de Pompadour of the single-storey residence Hôtel Chanac de Pompadour,
later called Hôtel de Besenval,'' towards the courtyard, according to the plans of 1704 by
Pierre-Alexis Delamair (engraving published by
Jean Mariette in 1727). The origins of the Hôtel de Besenval go back to a single-storey residence, the
Hôtel Chanac de Pompadour, erected from 1704 for a man of the Church: Pierre Hélie Chanac de Pompadour, Baron de Treignac,
Abbé de Vigeois, Prieur de La Valette and Prévost d'Arnac (1623–1710). When the construction work began, the abbé was already in his eighties. It is believed that the abbé was a descendant of the family of
Guillaume V de Chanac and
Guillaume de Chanac, a supporter of the
Collège de Chanac Pompadour in Paris. '') and the building labeled
Les Carmelites (the proportions of the plan are not accurate). To build his new residence, the abbé purchased three plots of land on 10 May 1704 for a total of 14,872
livres and had them combined into a single large plot. On 9 December 1704, the abbé had the opportunity to buy two more plots of land for a total of 2,340 livres and add them to his property. For the design of his
hôtel particulier the abbé commissioned the celebrated architect
Pierre-Alexis Delamair. Delamair, in turn, commissioned the building contractor Guillaume Delavergne († 1710) on 4 June 1704, on behalf of the abbé, to carry out his plans for the new residence, with the total costs estimated at 31,000 livres. Additional costs of 11,953 livres and 7 sols were added later. This sum was set on 19 March 1710 by a commission of experts following a site visit, after relations among those involved in the construction had deteriorated due to financial disputes. At this time, the abbé had not yet taken up residence in his new house. Since he died six months later, it can be assumed that he never lived in his
hôtel particulier on the Rue de Grenelle, or he only lived there for a very short time. This and the abbé's old age suggest that he did not have the town house built primarily for himself, but for his heirs. This is also indicated by the donation agreement of 13 March 1705 with the heirs, who were to pay the abbé an annual pension of 2,400 livres. Pierre-Alexis Delamair was highly sought after at the time, and he was simultaneously involved in two other major building projects in Paris: The remodeling of the Hôtel de Clisson, also known as the Hôtel de Guise, for
François de Rohan, Prince de Soubise, which subsequently became the
Hôtel de Soubise, and the construction of the
Hôtel de Rohan for
Armand Gaston Maximilien, Prince de Rohan.
of the single-storey residence Hôtel Chanac de Pompadour
, later called Hôtel de Besenval'', towards the garden, according to the plans of 1704 by
Pierre-Alexis Delamair (engraving published by
Jean Mariette in 1727). The architectural arrangement with the free-standing statues and vases placed along the roof
cornice was criticised by
Germain Brice. Although
Jacques-François Blondel was not overly enthusiastic, he nevertheless found words of praise for the work of Pierre-Alexis Delamair in his 1752 publication on French architecture. In his widely acclaimed standard work
Architecture Françoise (French Architecture), Blondel points out that at the
Hôtel Chanac de Pompadour the kitchen is no longer housed in the
corps de logis but in a side wing to the left (west wing). An architectural arrangement that Blondel describes as an innovation. This architectural innovation had two pleasant side effects: On the one hand, it kept the kitchen odors away from the
state apartments and, on the other hand, it reduced the risk of fire in the
corps de logis. In addition to the kitchen, Delamair also combined the other utility rooms in the west wing, such as the servant's quarters. Furthermore, Blondel praises the generally clever room layout of the house, especially of the
corps de logis, which he says can be traced back to the cleverly arranged
enfilades. By this he means, on the one hand, the enfilade that connects the main entrance, the
vestibule and the
Sallon servant de Salle à manger and ultimately leads to the garden (south to north) and, on the other hand, the enfilade that connects the three state apartments, the
Sallon servant de Salle à manger, the
Chambre de parade, now called the
Salon de la tapisserie, and the
Grand cabinet, which was converted into a dining room in 1782, (west to east). The two enfilades intersect in the
Sallon servant de Salle à manger, which is now called the
Salon des perroquets. Around the
basse-cour – the service courtyard lying to the east of the ''
cour d'honneur'' – Delamair arranged the stables, the tack room, the coach houses and the hen house. Despite all the recognition for the architectural innovations, Blondel also expresses criticism. For him, the façade decorations are not coordinated well enough. As for the garden façade, he finds it inexplicable why Delamair chose not to create an
avant-corps with three arcade windows, just as he did when remodelling the
Hôtel de Soubise. Blondel criticises:
"The central trumeau is intolerable. The entire façade affords ample space for an avant-corps with three arcaded windows, which would have been more suitable than the two rounded French windows now in place." The inheritance dispute over the
Hôtel Chanac de Pompadour attracted considerable public attention at the time, as the heiress designated by the Marquise de Hautefort,
Augustine Françoise de Choiseul, was simultaneously involved in a prolonged legitimisation process to establish her biological parentage. This process concerned
César Auguste de Choiseul, Duc de Choiseul et Comte de Plessis-Praslin († 1705), and his family, as well as the powerful family on her mother's side, the family de La Baume Le Blanc de La Vallière, the Ducs de La Vallière. It was one of the biggest scandals of its time and the court case – which was called ''L'affaire de Mademoiselle de Choiseul
– was even brought before the Parlement de Paris. Augustine Françoise de Choiseul was the ward of the Marquise de Hautefort, who named her Mademoiselle de Saint-Cyr'', named after the marquise's possession of
Saint-Cyr-la-Roche. Finally, on 18 July 1726, she was declared daughter of Louise-Gabrielle, Duchesse de Choiseul, née de La Baume Le Blanc de La Vallière (1665–1698), and of the
Duc de Choiseul. Furthermore, two years later, on 7 June 1728, it was decided by an amicable settlement that the Marquise de Hautefort's niece Marie Anne Henriette, Marquise de Rochechouart, née d'Espinay Saint-Luc (1673–1731), would inherit the
Hôtel Chanac de Pompadour.
House of Diplomacy: The first ambassador moves in ,
Évêque de
Rennes. While serving as French ambassador in Madrid in 1745, he was made a
grandee by King
Philip V. The date 1749 that appears in his portrait corresponds to that of his election to the
Académie Française (
seat 23), replacing the deceased Évêque de
Strasbourg,
Armand-Gaston-Maximilien, Prince de Rohan. The Marquise de Rochechouart's heirs may have held the property until 1747, when they probably sold it to the widow
Madeleine Angélique, Duchesse de Boufflers, née de Neufville de Villeroy, whose husband had died the same year. After marrying
Charles II Frédéric de Montmorency, Duc de Piney-Luxembourg, on 29 June 1750, the Duchesse de Boufflers – now the Duchesse de Piney-Luxembourg – probably sold the
Hôtel Chanac de Pompadour later that year to
Louis-Guy de Guérapin, Baron de Vauréal et Comte de Belleval, the French ambassador in
Madrid (1741–1749) and
Évêque de
Rennes (1732–1759). . His rather creative interpretation of priestly life was a gift from heaven – at least for cartoonists. Naturally, his residence on the Rue de Grenelle earned a reputation – though perhaps not the kind usually associated with religious devotion. extending from the
Salon des perroquets, via the
vestibule, to the entrance gate of the Hôtel de Besenval. It was Louis-Guy de Guérapin de Vauréal who had the
vestibule enlarged to its current size. However, Louis-Guy de Guérapin de Vauréal also achieved prominence in another field. At the royal court, many gallant rumors were circulating about the évêque, dating back to his time as an
abbé. Especially his love affair with the widow Marie Geneviève Henriette Gertrude de Poitiers, Marquise de Comblans et de Coublans, née de Bourbon-Malause (1691–1778), who was the
Dame de compagnie (Lady companion) to
Françoise-Marie de Bourbon, Duchesse d'Orléans, and who was considered a prude, caused amusement at court. Their
amorous tête-à-tête in the spring of 1725 at the
Château de Marly became famous, as it was witnessed by
Louis-Armand de Bourbon, Prince de Conti, who relished spreading the story at court. Alfred Bardet reports, based on a report by
Mathieu Marais from 10 April 1725, about Louis-Guy de Guérapin de Vauréal's career in the
Catholic Church: The évêque lived in his residence on the Rue de Grenelle for ten years. During this time, he made several mostly minor modifications to the building. One of the more substantial and lasting changes he initiated was the enlargement of the
vestibule to the size still visible today. It was on 17 June 1760, on the return journey from
Vichy, in the village of
Magny-Cours, that Louis-Guy de Guérapin, Baron de Vauréal et Comte de Belleval, suddenly died. According to
Jaime Masones de Lima, the Spanish ambassador in Paris, the évèque died as a rich man. His legacy was estimated at over two million
livres, consisting mostly of real estate, dominions and lands. He bequeathed his fortune primarily to his servants and to a few individuals.
Laughter, the Graces and the Games: The Soul of the Hôtel de Besenval When Pierre Victor de Besenval's friend Jean-Baptiste du Tertre, Marquis de Sancé (* 1730), learned that the baron had moved from the nearby Rue de Bourgogne to the infamous residence of the notorious womaniser Louis-Guy de Guérapin, Baron de Vauréal et Comte de Belleval – who had become the
Évêque de
Rennes in 1732 – he was amused and sent him the following satirical poem, pointing out the baron's equally well-known reputation as a womaniser and seducer, as well as that of his new residence as a former love nest of a
prélat. This is the only poem ever written about Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval, and his residence, the Hôtel de Besenval:
From tenant to owner – or from the Hôtel Chanac de Pompadour to the Hôtel de Besenval It was on 5 December 1767, that Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval de Brunstatt, bought the
Hôtel Chanac de Pompadour at auction from the many heirs of Louis-Guy de Guérapin, Baron de Vauréal et Comte de Belleval, for 170,100 livres, of which 6,000 livres for the furniture. The baron, who mainly grew up in France and who was very close to King
Louis XV, and later to King
Louis XVI and especially Queen
Marie-Antoinette, was a descendant of one of the richest and most powerful
patrician families of
Solothurn. Among other holdings, the family called the
Palais Besenval and the
Schloss Waldegg their own; the latter was also the birthplace of Pierre Victor de Besenval on 14 October 1721. The
Hôtel Chanac de Pompadour has seen many changes of ownership over its more than 300-year history. And the building has changed its name just as often. However, the residence is still best known today by the names of its commissioner, Abbé Pierre Hélie Chanac de Pompadour, and its most illustrious owner, Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval de Brunstatt.
House of Besenval: A Swiss family, well connected – the French and the Polish connections , a Swiss military officer, politician and diplomate in French service. He served as French
envoy to the northern courts, with a primary focus on
Saxony–Poland and broader diplomatic responsibilities across northern and eastern Europe during the
Great Northern War – a notable role for a Swiss-born diplomat in French service. He enjoyed the confidence of both King
Louis XIV and
Philippe II de Bourbon, Duc d'Orléans et
Régent de France (1715–1723). Portrayed by
Nicolas de Largillière in 1720. The family de Besenval, or
von Besenval as they were called in their hometown of
Solothurn, had long and close ties to the French royal family, the
House of Bourbon, also thanks to their family ties to the highest circles in
Poland. The family became rich through the salt trade and the
mercenary business with France. Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval de Brunstatt, was the son of
Jean Victor, Baron de Besenval de Brunstatt, who was a colonel in the Regiment of
Swiss Guards of France. Jean Victor de Besenval was a descendant of a family originally from
Torgnon in the
Aosta Valley, which had risen socially in the service of King
Louis XIV and had received the title of
baron (Reichsfreiherr) of the
Holy Roman Empire from Emperor
Leopold I in 1695. Furthermore, already in February 1655, Martin de Besenval (1600–1660), Jean Victor's grandfather, was ennobled by King
Louis XIV and raised to
knighthood in 1658 in recognition of his service to the French Crown. The
letters of nobility also extended to his descendants. Pierre Victor's mother was Katarzyna Bielińska (1684–1761). She was the daughter of
Kazimierz Ludwik Bieliński, a Polish noble, politician and diplomat. She was also the sister of
Franciszek Bieliński. Both, her father and her brother, were
Grand Marshals of The Crown in Poland under the reign of King
Stanisław Leszczyński, where Pierre Victor's father had served twice as French
envoy. First under King
Stanisław Leszczyński, from 1707 to 1709, and then under King
Augustus II the Strong, from 1713 to 1721. Jean Victor de Besenval's closest ally at the court of King Augustus II the Strong was
Maria Magdalena Bielińska, div. Gräfin von Dönhoff, the king's
Maîtresse-en-titre, who became his sister-in-law and thus the aunt of Pierre Victor de Besenval. Katarzyna Bielińska's first marriage was to Jakub
Potocki, a Polish noble, who died in 1715. On 18 September 1716, she married Jean Victor, Baron de Besenval, whereupon she became the Baronne de Besenval. A marriage warmly welcomed by
Philippe II de Bourbon, Duc d'Orléans, who served as
Régent de France between 1715 and 1723. Katarzyna, Baronne de Besenval, née Bielińska, became almost overnight an important figure at the royal court of France when, on 15 August 1725, King
Louis XV married
Marie Leszczyńska, her cousin, at least that's the rumour that's been spread. A rumour that the Baronne de Besenval never denied. However, in September 1725,
Voltaire wrote from the
Château de Versailles to Madame La Présidente de Bernières, Marguerite-Madeleine du Maignart, Marquise de Bernières, née du Moustier (1698–1767), Châtelaine of the
Château de la Rivière-Bourdet:
"All here pay their court to Madame de Besenval, who is in some manner related to the queen. This lady, possessed of spirit, receives with the utmost modesty the homage lavished upon her. I saw her yesterday in the company of the Maréchal de Villars. When asked in what manner she was related to the queen, she replied with wit that queens have no relatives." Although there was obviously no direct blood kinship with the family of the Queen of France, relations between the families Bieliński and Leszczyński were nonetheless excellent. Following the royal wedding in 1725, the influence of the family de Besenval at the royal court grew considerably. A striking illustration of this is the elevation of the family de Besenval's
Alsatian possession of
Brunstatt to a French
barony by the King of France on 11 August 1726, from which the family derived the title Baron de Besenval de Brunstatt.
Following in his father's footsteps As a child, Pierre Victor de Besenval lived with his two uncles and further family members in Solothurn in the
Palais Besenval and the family's country estate, the
Schloss Waldegg. In 1726, when he was five years old, his mother brought him to France, where his parents already lived. The family lived in a
hôtel particulier on the Rue de Varenne in Paris. But they also had an apartment near the Château de Versailles. A few years later, on 4 April 1731, at the age of nine, Pierre Victor joined, as a
cadet, the Regiment of Swiss Guards, of which his father had become a colonel. After his father's death in 1736, the fifteen-year-old Pierre Victor de Besenval inherited the
Company de Besenval of the Swiss Guards Regiment, of which he became the
Commandant in 1738.
Extravagance on a grand scale: The nymphaeum as it appeared at the end of the 19th century (the visible door is not original). The original double-leaf entrance door was on the opposite side (east side, not visible). All decorative elements were removed in 1822. The symmetry of the rectangular room was emphasised by the four niches in the corners with vases by
Claude Michel. In addition, there was also a
relief by Claude Michel on either side of the pool, the north and south walls (in this drawing already replaced by the baron's relocated commemorative plaque). Two original by Claude Michel signed rectangular
terracotta preparatory reliefs for the decoration of the baron's nymphaeum were rediscovered and sold by
Christie's in New York on 20 October 2022 as lot 35 in the sale
The Ann & Gordon Getty Collection for US$ 252,000. One depicting
Venus and Cupid, (Salmacis and Hermaphroditus) and
Leda and the Swan, the other depicting the
Bath of Venus (the latter was eventually replaced by a different design; alternatively, this third relief may never have been executed or may have been lost over time). The lot was bought by
Daniel Katz Ltd of London. Pierre Victor de Besenval wished that his residence would reflect his achievements and his status. It was therefore only consequent that, in 1782, he employed the celebrated architect
Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart to enlarge and transform his residence on the Rue de Grenelle. Among Brongniart's additions were a long,
skylit gallery for the baron's constantly growing art collection and a dining room. He also replaced the small annexe on the east side of the garden façade – dating from the time of
Louis-Guy de Guérapin, Baron de Vauréal et Comte de Belleval,
Évêque de
Rennes, (whose former Chinese cabinet it housed) – with a larger annexe, which now contains the ambassador's library. Brongniart also introduced a unique extravagance: A
nymphaeum – a private bath with an
elliptical pool in the
antique style. , called
La Source, on her oval-shaped pedestal, showing the gargoyle in the form of a bronze
mascaron. It was also thanks to his contacts with the academy – established long before his appointment as an
Honoraire Amateur – and to the support of Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart that the baron managed to persuade the celebrated sculptor
Claude Michel to decorate his nymphaeum. Brongniart knew Michel very well, as the two had worked together previously. Amongst others, Claude Michel created four vases with relief decoration, each measuring 1.07 m and showing dancing
satyrs, and two large
reliefs with erotic scenes, each measuring 3.23 m x 1.03 m. All these decorative elements later formed part of the interior decoration of the entrance hall of the
Château de Digoine in
Palinges. The vases and the reliefs have been part of the collections of the
Louvre since 1986 and 1987, respectively (today, plaster replicas of the reliefs can be seen in the entrance hall of the Château de Digoine). The staircase of the nymphaeum was also decorated with a relief, described by
Luc-Vincent Thiéry in 1787 as
Women in the bath. This relief almost certainly corresponds to the relief still kept at the Château de Digoine, known as the
Toilette of Venus. However, this relief is not attributed to Claude Michel. It is also not shown on Brogniart's very detailed design drawings. The Château de Digoine and the Hôtel de Besenval were simultaneously owned by the family de Moreton de Chabrillan and their descendants for over 100 years.
A masterpiece on everyone's lips: The top topic of conversation at the Société de la Reine on the double-leaf entrance door of the nymphaeum, as described by
Luc-Vincent Thiéry in 1787. Photographed around 1910. This door had already been removed when the Swiss Confederation bought the Hôtel de Besenval in 1938. As part of the restoration work in 2024, a double-leaf door was reinstalled. The nymphaeum with its suggestive decoration became very popular with the Parisian
high society. Almost immediately, rumors of scandalous behavior in the nymphaeum spread throughout the
salons and this only confirmed the baron's reputation as a lover and seducer. His contemporaries described the baron as extremely handsome, cheerful and witty. As a personality who is very popular with the ladies, loves life and always sees things positively. Qualities that ultimately enabled him to be accepted into the private circle of the ''Société de la
Reine (the Queen's Society).
In her memoirs Caroline-Stéphanie-Félicité du Crest, Comtesse de Genlis, recalls: "Le Baron de Besenval avait encore une figure charmante et de grands succès auprès les dames" (the Baron de Besenval retained a most charming air, and met with great success among the ladies).'' The
Société de la Reine, a very influential circle in the royal court, was also called the
Société de Trianon, named after its meeting place, the
Petit Trianon, Queen
Marie-Antoinette's retreat. In addition to the queen, the following three gentlemen were considered the most influential members of this society:
Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval de Brunstatt;
Joseph Hyacinthe François de Paule de Rigaud, Comte de Vaudreuil; and
Jean-Balthazar d'Adhémar de Montfalcon, Comte d'Adhémar. After his visit to the Hôtel de Besenval in 1786,
Luc-Vincent Thiéry commented approvingly on the works of Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart and Claude Michel. In his guide on the city of Paris, he enthusiastically points out the baron's extravagance:
"A bath, decorated in the antique fashion and suffused with a mystical light." Thiéry refers to Brongniart's
vestibule, which Brongniart designed as an anteroom to the nymphaeum and illuminated it with a
skylight. Thiéry's enthusiasm for this innovation is expressed in his commentary:
"It attests, beyond all doubt, to the genius of the architect." Then he goes on: ''"In the niches stand vases by
M. Clodion, the king's sculptor, adorned with delicate reliefs; and the two large reliefs which grace the centre of this magnificent bathing apartment are likewise the noble work of that celebrated artist."''
The legend, La Source and the remains of the nymphaeum in the basement of the Hôtel de Besenval as seen in 2018 (measurements of the surface area: 13.00 m x 6.00 m). The slightly different colours of the floor plates still indicate the location of the former
pool. The
elliptical pool was 3.50 meters in diameter and was surrounded by 12 columns in the
Tuscan order, four of which were free-standing. The wall and ceiling panelling, the columns, the sculptures and the furniture were all made from
Pierre de Tonnerre. In 1787,
Luc-Vincent Thiéry confirmed in his guide on the city of Paris that there was running hot water and thus a heating system in the nymphaeum. He reports:
"A larger-than-life naiad, reclining upon her urn, is placed between the free-standing columns upon an oval pedestal; a large bronze mascaron, fitted to it, supplies the pool with both hot and cold water." The naiad, called
La Source, was also made by
Claude Michel and was apparently signed and dated 1783. The sculpture, made
from Pierre de Tonnerre – a
Kimmeridgian limestone quarried in the
Armançon valley east of the town of
Tonnerre – later became part of the collection of
Edmond James, Baron de Rothschild, who had purchased it before
World War I from a Paris-based art dealer named Monsieur Guiraud. The Baron de Rothschild had the sculpture brought to his château, the
Château d'Armainvilliers. In the early 1920s, the baron gave the sculpture to his son
Maurice Edmond, Baron de Rothschild. There is evidence that
La Source was brought to another family estate, the
Château Rothschild, shortly before the outbreak of
World War II. However, the Château Rothschild was looted during the war, and all trace of the sculpture has since vanished. To this day, persistent rumors persist that the
Nazis seized it and carried it off to Germany. It is unusual and perhaps unique that Claude Michel worked with
Pierre de Tonnerre, which was likely at Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart's request. Claude Michel preferred to create his works in
stucco or
terracotta. The popularity of the sculpture led Claude Michel to produce scaled-down reproductions of
La Source. Even after his death, further reduced versions were created – especially in marble and bronze – by various artists. Today, only the basic architectural structure of the nymphaeum remains visible, as the pool was filled in long ago. The mobile decorations, mostly made by Claude Michel, such as the reliefs, the vases and the statues, were all taken from the Hôtel de Besenval in the first half of the 19th century and installed in the Château de Digoine and finally sold at the beginning of the 20th century when the Château de Digoine was sold in 1908 by the descendants of the family de Moreton de Chabrillan to Anne Marie Christine Antoinette, Marquise de Croix d'Heuchin (1860–1927). The Marquise de Croix d'Heuchin bought the château for her son, Pierre Guy Marie François de Croix (1886–1930). Since 2012,
Jean-Louis Remilleux has been the owner of the Château de Digoine. In interviews he repeatedly points out the connection to the Hôtel de Besenval.
Revolutionary years , the king's brother and
Colonel Général of the Swiss Guards and the Grisons Troops in the uniform of the Swiss Guards. Although he formally held the office of Colonel Général, this position was essentially honorary; effective command and administration were exercised by
Louis-Auguste Augustin, Comte d'Affry. After his
duel in the
Bois de Boulogne on the morning of 16 March 1778 with the
Duc de Bourbon over an
Incident at the Opera Ball on Mardi Gras, the Comte d'Artois dined later that day with the
Duc de Polignac, the
Chevalier de Crussol and the Baron de Besenval at the Hôtel de Besenval and thanked all of them for having helped to prevent a real duel with the Duc de Bourbon. By 1789, at the dawn of the
French Revolution, Pierre Victor de Besenval had accumulated the following prestigious and influential positions:
Lieutenant-Général of the King's Armies,
Lieutenant-Colonel of the
Swiss Guards Regiment as well as
Commandant en chef of the troops and garrisons in the interior of France with the exception of the city of Paris. In addition, he was also a recipient of the prestigious
Order of Saint Louis, which he had received on 1 January 1766 for the reorganisation of the Swiss Regiments and the
Grisons Troops, of which he was
Inspecteur Général between 1762 and 1770. It was the baron's wish to hand over the office of Inspecteur Général to his compatriot Anton de Salis de
Marschlins (1732–1812). In 1787,
Jean-Baptiste-Denis Després, the secretary of Pierre Victor de Besenval, aptly summarised the baron's continued success in a letter to Maria Anna, Baronne von Roll von Emmenholz, née de Diesbach de Torny, wife of
Franz Joseph, Baron von Roll von Emmenholz, a relative of the baron from
Solothurn:
"Le Baron de Besenval fut un de ces hommes à qui tout réussit" (the Baron de Besenval was one of those men to whom all things prospered). A dark cloud loomed over the Ancien Régime , a friend of Pierre Victor de Besenval and a welcome guest at the Hôtel de Besenval. When the
French Revolution began, he was sidelined by illness. At the end of April 1789,
Louis-Auguste Augustin, Comte d'Affry, suffered a serious accident. At the time, he was
Commandant of the Swiss Guards of the city of Paris and, with the rank of colonel, served as the
de facto Colonel Général of all Swiss Regiments and
Grisons Troops in the service of the King of France (both
line regiments and the
Guards). In this capacity, he also acted as administrator for
Charles-Philippe de France, Comte d'Artois. As a result of his illness, Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval, assumed the role of deputy. The Commandant of the French Guards of the city of Paris at this time was
Louis Marie Florent de Lomont d'Haraucourt, Duc du Châtelet, the Baron de Besenval's neighbour on the Rue de Grenelle, living opposite in the
Hôtel du Châtelet. Anything but good conditions for the coming events. The Duc de Châtelet was considered inexperienced and the Baron de Besenval was already overworked. Towards the end of the 1780s, a dark cloud loomed over the
Ancien Régime. The French kingdom had fallen into financial difficulties and was even threatened with national bankruptcy. France's involvement in the
War of the Austrian Succession, the
Seven Years' War and the
American Revolutionary War as well as the expensive royal household had severely weakened the country financially. The inflation rose and the people protested in the streets because of the sharp rise in bread prices. The price of bread had risen to its highest level in a century.
King Louis XVI, who had ruled in an
absolutist manner until then, had to act.
A misjudgement with historic consequences ,
Bernard-René Jourdan, Marquis de Launay,
Ludwig von Flüe, the commanding officer of the
Swiss Guards in the defense of the
Bastille, handed over the letter of capitulation with the governor's demands to
Stanislas-Marie Maillard through one of the two holes the Swiss Guards had made in the drawbridge of the Bastille, which were intended to serve as
gunholes. On the other side of the drawbridge Stanislas-Marie Maillard climbed onto a plank above the dry moat to fetch the document. However, Bernard-René Jourdan de Launay's demands were not met by the revolutionaries. At 5.30 p.m. the
Bastille was stormed and Bernard-René Jourdan de Launay lost his head. On 5 May 1789,
Les États Généraux were convened in a temporary room set up at the
Hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs in
Versailles. The Baron de Besenval, who attended the opening ceremony, remarked that the royal court was underestimating the seriousness of the situation. On 1 July, the baron received a letter from the
Secretary of State, Minister of War,
Louis Pierre de Chastenet, Comte de Puységur, informing him that the king had decided to regroup all his troops under a single command and entrusted them to
Maréchal Victor-François, Duc de Broglie. Clearly, the baron was deprived of supreme command over his troops in
Île-de-France and the city of Paris. He was now reduced to simply awaiting and obeying orders. However, under the supreme command of the Maréchal de Broglie, the Baron de Besenval was appointed
Commandant en chef of the troops concentrated in Paris to suppress the riots which had been going on for some time. In this capacity he was responsible for order and security in Paris as well as the territories around the capital. The maréchal and the baron were old friends. The baron had served as
aide-de-camp to the maréchal during the
War of the Austrian Succession. And as far as the troops in Paris were concerned, the Maréchal de Broglie left the Baron de Besenval largely in command. The maréchal had assured the baron that he would not interfere in details within the baron's sphere of authority, nor would he give direct orders to the baron's troops. The Maréchal de Broglie kept his word. A fact that would become decisive in the next few days. On 6 July,
Ludwig von Flüe, an officer of the
Swiss Guards, received orders from Pierre Victor de Besenval to go to the Bastille with a
detachment of the
Regiment de Salis-Samade to reinforce the guards and to ensure the defence of the prison-fortress. The next day, Ludwig von Flüe arrived at the Bastille with 32 soldiers and a sergeant. On 11 July, King
Louis XVI forced the resignation of the only non-noble minister, the
Finance Minister Jacques Necker. The king advised Necker to leave the country immediately. Necker followed the king's advice and left France via
Brussels and
Frankfurt, heading towards
Basel. From Basel, Necker and his family planned to travel to his country estate, the
Château de Coppet. However, with this decision the king went a step too far. A step that led to major riots among the population when the news broke on 12 July, as the
Genevan banker was extremely popular with the people. His popularity certainly had something to do with the fact that on 19 February 1781, Jacques Necker made the state finances public for the first time in the history of France in his report: The
Compte rendu au Roi. The report also revealed the enormous costs to the royal household
(Dépenses de la maison du Roi). Accordingly, the people trusted Necker. In the days that followed, the events came thick and fast.
The baron's fatal decision and the beginning of the French Revolution on 14 July 1789, at around 10:00 am, after the Baron de Besenval had withdrawn his troops on the night of 12 to 13 July from central Paris. These weapons were used later that day in the
Taking of the Bastille by revolutionary insurgents. The dismissal of the popular Finance Minister Jacques Necker was the final straw. The population of Paris protested in large numbers in the streets. The number of protesters was far too large for the Baron de Besenval's troops to be able to oppose them. While the baron had taken drastic measures to restore order in Paris in May, he opted for a different strategy in July. On the night of 12 to 13 July 1789, the Baron de Besenval withdrew the troops from the centre of Paris via the left bank of the
Seine to the
Champ de Mars in the hope of calming the situation and avoiding a bloodbath. However, many contemporaries were convinced that this decision enabled the looting of the weapons at
Les Invalides on the morning of
14 July and the
Taking of the Bastille later that same day by revolutionary insurgents, using the looted weapons for the Storming of the Bastille. The baron was convinced that his actions had prevented a
civil war. However, not everyone saw it that way. On the part of the aristocrats, the baron was heavily criticised for his behavior.
François-Emmanuel Guignard, Comte de Saint-Priest, was furious and accused the baron of incompetence. In his memoirs he wrote contemptuously:
"A dozen battalions of foreign troops, stationed upon the Champ de Mars, together with several regiments of cavalry, were at the disposal of the Baron de Besenval, Swiss Lieutenant-Général and Commandant en chef of Paris. Besenval, however, neither appeared nor issued any orders; instead, he shut himself up in his house, from an apprehension lest it should be attacked and pillaged." And
Antoine de Rivarol wrote similarly sarcastically:
"The Baron de Besenval, Swiss Lieutenant-Général, kept himself shut up in his house and suffered Les Invalides to be seized, through fear that, should the disorder become general, his own dwelling, situated close at hand, might be pillaged. He had but lately caused an entire apartment to be refitted there [the new dining room], together with a bathing apartment of much elegance [the nymphaeum]. Such were the men by whom the king was served!" on the
Champ de Mars, consisting of the Swiss Regiments
de Diesbach, de Châteauvieux and
de Salis-Samade, the latter was the regiment in which
Victor von Gibelin and
Ludwig von Flüe served at that time, as well as the French
Hussar Regiments
de Berchény and
de Chamborant. After the looting of
Les Invalides and the
Taking of the Bastille on 14 July 1789 by the revolutionaries, the baron's troops hastily withdrew on the night of 14 to 15 July, as the revolutionary
Michel Mandar had emphatically recommended to the baron in conversation a few hours earlier. This incident has since been considered the beginning of the
French Revolution. King
Louis XVI first learned of the Taking of the Bastille only the next morning from the
Duc de la Rochefoucauld-Liancourt.
"Is it a revolt?" asked the king.
"No Sire," returned the duc;
"this is no revolt – it is a revolution." to
Jacques Necker, dated 16 July 1789, asking him to resume his duties as Finance Minister. This letter was attached to the
king's personal letter and ended:
La Nation, son Roi & ses Représentants vous attendent, signed by:
Jean Georges Lefranc de Pompignan,
Archevêque de Vienne,
Président, Trophime-Gérard, Comte de Lally et Baron de Tollendal,
Secrétaire, Jean Joseph Mounier,
Secrétaire. In his memoirs, which were only published after his death, the Baron de Besenval says that during the critical phase between 12 and 14 July he waited a long time in vain for orders from the
Maréchal de Broglie. In distant Versailles, they were apparently unaware of the seriousness of the situation. However, the baron also confirms that on 14 July, when he withdrew the troops from the
Champ de Mars to
Sèvres, he had acted on the orders of the Maréchal de Broglie: The baron, accused of high treason by the aristocrats and of the crime of
lèse-nation by the
revolutionaries, had no choice but to flee to Switzerland, his home country.
''L'affaire de Monsieur de Besenval:'' Besenval's escape, arrest and release for imprisonment. The baron always referred to it as the
"horrible cachot" (horrible dungeon). Pierre Victor de Besenval was not only hated by the revolutionary masses as a soldier, but he was also distrusted as a close friend of Queen Marie-Antoinette. When the revolutionary masses demanded his head, the baron obtained permission from the king to leave for Switzerland, after having spoken to him on 19 July 1789 at the Château de Versailles. In his memoirs the baron recalls: à la prison du
Châtelet,
by Hubert Robert (1789). The inscription on the briefcase under the window reads Le Baron de Bezenval.'' But just one day after his departure from Paris, the baron was recognised by revolutionary troops during his trip on 26 July at the
Auberge in
Villegruis near
Provins. He was immediately arrested. First, the baron was taken to nearby
Villenauxe-la-Grande, where he was placed under
house arrest at the
Hôtel du Cheval Bardé. He was eventually imprisoned at the
Château de Brie-Comte-Robert before being charged with the crime of
lèse-nation in mid-October and transferred to the prison
Grand Châtelet in Paris on 7 November. In his prison cell, which was quite comfortable since it was actually the prison chaplain's room, the baron was allowed to be served by his valet, who ordered the baron's meals from the best caterers in town. In addition, he was allowed to receive visitors, who came in large numbers. Amongst others, he received members of the influential family de Ségur, with whom the baron was very close, and
Gouverneur Morris, the future
Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Court of Versailles, on 17 November. To Morris, the baron reported that he was convinced a counter-revolution would soon take place. Another visitor was the painter
Hubert Robert, whose painting ''Vue de la cellule du Baron de Besenval à la prison du Châtelet (View from the Baron de Besenval's cell in the Châtelet prison)'' bears witness to his visit to this day. The painting has been part of the collections of the Louvre since 2012. .'' The public took a keen interest in the trial against the Swiss baron. . During his imprisonment, evidence was collected against Pierre Victor de Besenval. On 1 August 1789, a house search was carried out on the orders of the municipal council of Paris.
Maître Jean-Jacques Grandin, commissioner of the prison court of the
Grand Châtelet from 1782 to 1791, accompanied by two witnesses, went to the Hôtel de Besenval to seal all the baron's filing cabinets and his
bureau plat in order to secure evidence. In addition, he also interrogated the baron's staff. The aristocratic society was alarmed. This incident caused many nobles to prepare their escape from France. The baron's trial began on 21 November with the first judicial questioning. Pierre Victor de Besenval's life hung by a thread. Only through the intervention of his compatriot, the Genevan banker and French Finance Minister
Jacques Necker, did Pierre Victor de Besenval escape being
lynched after his arrest in Villegruis. It was on his return journey from
Basel to Versailles, at the end of July 1789, that Jacques Necker learned, at a stopover in
Nogent-sur-Seine, of the arrest of the Baron de Besenval. The baron was eventually released on 1 March 1790, having won his case before the court of the Grand Châtelet, thanks to the indefatigable support of his soldiers and friends, such as the
Duc de la Rochefoucauld-Liancourt, the
Duc de Luynes and the
Comte de Mirabeau, who testified in his favour. But also thanks to the
closing argument of his lawyer
Raymond Desèze and thanks to Jacques Necker, who had held his protective hand over him. Saved from the
guillotine and released from prison, the baron returned that same day to his residence on the Rue de Grenelle, protected by the Swiss Guards and escorted by a crowd of friends. Due to the fame of Pierre Victor de Besenval and his prominent friends, some of whom also enjoyed respect among the revolutionaries and had campaigned for the baron's release, the
Besenval Case had soon developed into a test case of fair justice in revolutionary France. In addition to the popular Jacques Necker, the much-respected
Marquis de Lafayette had also demanded the release of Pierre Victor de Besenval. Furthermore, the Swiss cantons had also protested against the baron's arrest, especially his compatriots from the
Canton of Solothurn. One of the less pleased about the baron's release was
François-René, Vicomte de Chateaubriand. In his ''
Mémoires d'Outre-Tombe,'' published in 1849 and 1850, he commented cynically on Pierre Victor de Besenval's acquittal:
"This incriminated baron, compromised in the Bastille affair and saved by M. Necker and by Mirabeau solely for being Swiss – what a misfortune!" Death after dinner: Le Suisse le plus français qui ait jamais été around 1780,
etching by
Louis Carrogis Carmontelle. After his release, Pierre Victor de Besenval resumed his work in the king's service. But soon he was no longer able to hold office, as the seven-month imprisonment and the ongoing danger to his life had severely affected his health. His condition worsened day by day. After having already had his portrait painted by some of the most famous French painters, such as
Jean-Marc Nattier,
Jean-Baptiste Greuze and
Louis Carrogis Carmontelle, the baron commissioned his last portrait from
Henri-Pierre Danloux in spring 1791. Shortly after this most famous portrait of his was completed, his strength failed him at length. The baron died on 2 June 1791 after dinner in the bedroom of his residence in Paris, surrounded by twenty five friends and relatives, including his mistress Catherine-Louise, Marquise de Courcelles et de La Suze, née de Santo-Domingo (1757–1826), wife of
Louis-François de Chamillart, Marquis de Courcelles et de La Suze, his compatriot from Solothurn, the Swiss Guard
Victor von Gibelin, also known as
Beau Gibelin, and his son
Joseph-Alexandre Pierre, Vicomte de Ségur. The autopsy found the cause of death to be a
polyp in the heart. In his will dated 20 December 1784, Pierre Victor de Besenval, who was never married, bequeathed the
usufruct of his residence on the Rue de Grenelle to his lifelong friend
Maréchal Philippe Henri, Marquis de Ségur, Baron de
Romainville, Seigneur de
Ponchapt et de
Fougueyrolles, whose second son
Joseph-Alexandre Pierre, Vicomte de Ségur, was in fact the baron's illegitimate son, which was no secret within the family. The baron's relationship with his best friend's wife Louise-Anne-Madeleine, Marquise de Ségur, née de Vernon (1729–1778), which lasted until her death, and the illegitimate son did not cloud the relationship between the spouses or between Besenval and his best friend. But on the contrary. The three enjoyed being together. The baron spent a lot of time at the château of the Marquis de Ségur in
Romainville, where he could pursue another passion: The art of horticulture (the last remains of the Château de Ségur were demolished in 2017). Furthermore, it was the intention of both the Baron de Besenval and the Marquis de Ségur that the baron's son would one day inherit the Hôtel de Besenval. Consequently, the baron bequeathed the bare ownership of the property to his biological son, Joseph-Alexandre Pierre, Vicomte de Ségur. The physical resemblance between Pierre Victor de Besenval and his son was noticed and discussed by contemporaries, including
Gouverneur Morris, who wrote in his diary after a visit to the Hôtel de Besenval on 27 March 1789:
"I then went to the Baron de Besenval. The company was but scanty, and there was the Vicomte de Ségur, reputed to be the son of the baron; it must be confessed that he truly is, should one take their likeness of person and mutual tenderness as proof. This young man is the Lovelace [Robert Lovelace in Clarissa] of the day, scarcely less remarkable than his father in the arts of seduction." and the cartonnier
(filing cabinet) with the pendule'' on top, signed by the master clockmaker
Michel Stollenwerck, together with sculptures by
Alberto Giacometti in a private apartment in the 1950s. It is an irony of history that the entire contents of the Hôtel de Besenval were sold at auction, as Pierre Victor de Besenval rarely bought at auctions. He preferred to buy his furniture and artworks either directly from the artists or from established dealers such as
Lazare Duvaux or
Jean-Baptiste-Pierre Lebrun. The proceeds of the main auction on 10 August 1795 amounted to almost two million livres (1,732,233 livres and 12 sols), a considerable sum that contributed to the financial recovery of the family de Ségur. The considerable auction proceeds show what treasures the baron had amassed in the Hôtel de Besenval over the course of his life. His contemporaries already reported that the Hôtel de Besenval was a real treasure house. The prestige of his collection was such that one might almost take at face value the scathing accusations of
François-Emmanuel Guignard, Comte de Saint-Priest, and
Antoine de Rivarol. They claimed that the Baron de Besenval had selfishly allowed the looting of
Les Invalides on 14 July 1789 – when rioters seized the cannons and muskets stored in its cellars for use against the
Bastille – out of fear that his nearby residence, the Hôtel de Besenval, might otherwise have been targeted. Some of the baron's treasures are also visible in the portrait titled:
Le Baron de Besenval dans son salon de compagnie, painted by
Henri-Pierre Danloux in 1791 and now hanging in the
National Gallery in London.
The baron's Last Sitting – Danloux's iconic portrait dans son salon de compagnie'' at the Hôtel de Besenval, the iconic portrait of Pierre Victor de Besenval by
Henri-Pierre Danloux from 1791 (the year of the baron's death). The baron, seated in a wingback armchair, appears lost in thought. A preparatory drawing of this portrait shows the baron seated with his face and upper body turned toward the viewer instead of the profile view. By changing the pose from frontal to profile, Danloux focuses the attention less on the sitter himself and more on the objects in the room, putting not Besenval himself in the limelight but his passion as a collector. On 27 May 2004, this portrait of the baron was sold by
Sotheby's in New York as lot 35 for US$ 2,472,000. Today, the portrait is part of the collections of the
National Gallery, which acquired the painting from the London art market in 2004 for GBP 1,600,434.63 (from
Daniel Katz Ltd and
Simon Dickinson Ltd). This room, the
Salon de compagnie, was probably lost over time during the various structural alteration works. However, there is speculation as to whether this room could be identical to the
Salon de la tapisserie. If this is the case, the
fireplace mantel would have been replaced as they are not identical. It was to be one last for both, Besenval and Danloux: Besenval died shortly after the portrait was completed in 1791 and for Danloux it was his last major portrait commission before he left France because of the turmoil of the
French Revolution and emigrated to the United Kingdom. Furthermore, some pieces of Japanese porcelain are visible on an ''armoire à hauteur d'appui
, made in the style of André-Charles Boulle (one of a pair, made in contre-parti'' and almost certainly lots 186 and 187 in the baron's 1795 collection sale catalogue). Among the Japanese porcelain pieces on the ''armoire à hauteur d'appui
are an Arita carp vase and a Kakiemon bottle. The beautifully crafted pair of ormolu chenets'' to the baron's feet (only one of the pair is visible) and the ormolu
wall lights on either side of the mirror (only the lower part of the one on the right hand side is visible, showing a ram's mask on the back-plate) can be attributed to
Philippe Caffieri and were probably made
en suite to form a visual ensemble (two pairs of these wall lights are known: One at the
Royal Palace of Stockholm and the other in a private collection). , almost certainly once commissioned by
Dominique Daguerre. The first private owner of this commode was the Parisian opera singer Marie-Joséphine Laguerre (1755–1783). Some of the reused, probably once royal, 17th century
pietra dura panels are signed by the Florentine lapidary Gian Ambrogio Giachetti. Pieces like this would fetch over a million
euros at auction today. Photographed in the 1920s in the Green Drawing Room at
Buckingham Palace. The relations between the families de Besenval and Caffieri were close. Already the baron's father, Jean Victor de Besenval de Brunstatt (1671–1736), was a client of Philippe Caffieri's father,
Jacques Caffieri. Jacques Caffieri had cast Jean Victor's bust in 1737, the same year that he had also created Jean Victor's funerary monument in the church of
Saint-Sulpice. Both works were commissioned by Pierre Victor de Besenval. Two years earlier, in 1735, Jacques Caffieri had also cast the bust of Jean Victor's late father, Jean Victor P. Joseph de Besenval (1638–1713). The two busts were both shown at the exhibition ''L'Art Français sous Louis XIV et sous Louis XV'' which was held in Paris in 1888. At least one of these busts was part of the baron's collection. According to Louis Abel de Bonafous, Abbé de
Fontenay (1737–1806), it was the bust that showed the baron's father and which he kept in his
cabinet at the Hôtel de Besenval.
The Baron de Besenval's Salon de compagnie – reimagined after 230 years . The comtesse was portrayed by
Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun in 1782. Unlike the property and the fortune of the family de Ségur, the Hôtel de Besenval was exempt from expropriation by the revolutionary government since the former property of the Baron de Besenval was still considered Swiss-owned. In this context, it paid off for
Joseph-Alexandre Pierre, Vicomte de Ségur, to ensure that, during the worst phase of the revolutionary turmoil, he was only perceived as executor of Pierre Victor de Besenval's will and not as his heir. as it appeared at the end of the 19th century. Visible are the following works of art by
Claude Michel which he produced for the nymphaeum of the Hôtel de Besenval: The relief showing
Pan pursuing Syrinx under de gaze of Cupid (embedded in the wall on the left), one of the four vases (on a pedestal column at the top of the stairs) and the masterpiece: The now considered lost larger-than-life
naiad, called
La Source, on her original oval-shaped pedestal (the pedestal has apparently been rotated 180 degrees so that the bronze gargoyle cannot be seen in this photo). The benches with paw feet were also part of the nymphaeum's furnishings, along with a pair of matching console tables with paw feet (the console tables are not visible in the photo, but like the benches they are still in the entrance hall of the Château de Digoine). Already in 1780, the Baron de Besenval had bought a
hôtel particulier on 6
Rue Chantereine for his son, the Vicomte de Ségur, or at least the baron financed his son's living there. The house was built by the architect François-Victor Perrard de Montreuil (1742–1821). This was the house where the Vicomte de Ségur lived with his then
mistress Louise Julie Careau and which later became famous as the
Hôtel Bonaparte.
Philippe Henri, Marquis de Ségur, lived in the Hôtel de Ségur on 9
Rue Saint-Florentin. And when the Marquis de Ségur's house in Paris and his château in Romainville were later confiscated during the French Revolution, he withdrew to his country house, the
Château de la Petite Roseraie in
Châtenay-Malabry. Therefore, neither the Marquis de Ségur nor the Vicomte de Ségur had any intention of moving permanently to the Hôtel de Besenval. However, shortly after his father's death and the end of his relationship with Louise Julie Careau, the Vicomte de Ségur lived at the Hôtel de Besenval until his arrest on 13 October 1793, using it as the editorial headquarters for the monarchist newspaper
Feuille du Jour, which he published together with the journalist
Pierre-Germain Parisau and
Jean-Baptiste-Denis Després, his father's former secretary. On 28 July 1794, the charges of counter-revolutionary pamphleteering against the Vicomte de Ségur were dropped, and he was subsequently released from
Port-Libre prison. After his release, the Vicomte de Ségur resided in various properties of his partner, Reine Claude de Mesmes d'Avaux, Comtesse d'Avaux, née Chartraire de Bourbonne, Dame de
Bourbonne-les-Bains (1764–1810), until his death in 1805. On 30 October 1795, the Marquis de Ségur and the Vicomte de Ségur decided to let the Hôtel de Besenval to Francesco-Saverio, Conte di Carletti (1740–1803), the
Minister of the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany in Paris. But just two years later, on 5 May 1797, the Marquis de Ségur and the Vicomte de Ségur sold the Hôtel de Besenval to Marie-Elisabeth-Olive Guigues, Comtesse de Moreton de Chabrillan, née Frotier de La Coste-Messelière (1761–1807), widow of
Jacques Henri Sébastien César Guigues, Comte de Moreton de Chabrillan, for
FRF 35,000. The family of the comtesse also owned the Château de Digoine in
Palinges. The comtesse's grandfather was Claude Léonor de Reclesne, Marquis de Digoine (1698–1765). , made for the nymphaeum of the Hôtel de Besenval:
Pan pursuing Syrinx under de gaze of Cupid. The family de Moreton de Chabrillan and their descendants kept the Hôtel de Besenval in their possession until 1925. In later years they also rented it out, including to members of the family
Bonaparte. , who saved Besenval's neck, and his wife
Suzanne Curchod. The wood panelling was originally painted. This construction work massively changed the external appearance of the single-storey residence. Whereas the
corps de logis previously had the appearance and the architectural lightness of a
maison de plaisance, the Hôtel de Besenval now changed its appearance to become a house with a certain severity and seriousness, a residence suitable for a family. The family de Montholon was very close to the French imperial family, the
House of Bonaparte.
Charles Tristan, Marquis de Montholon, was a general under Emperor
Napoleon and followed him into exile on 8 August 1815 on
Saint Helena. Therefore, it doesn't come as a surprise that between 1855 and 1870 the Princes
Lucien and
Joseph Lucien Bonaparte, sons of
Charles Lucien Bonaparte and therefore descdendants of
Lucien Bonaparte, younger brother of Emperor
Napoleon, resided at the Hôtel de Besenval. It was also at the request of the family Bonaparte that the family de Montholon-Sémonville commissioned the extension of the building and the construction of the new suites of rooms on the first floor so that also other members of the family Bonaparte could temporarily stay at the Hôtel de Besenval, such as the Princesses Charlotte Honorine Joséphine Bonaparte (1832–1901) and
Augusta Amélie Bonaparte. Today, the ambassador's office and other offices and meeting rooms are located on the first floor. Part of the first floor also houses the ambassador's private quarters. The layout and the decoration of these rooms are rather simple compared to the
state apartments on the ground floor. When, after the death of Clifton K. Baumann in 1936, the Hôtel de Besenval was put up for sale in 1937, the Swiss Government did not hesitate. With its prime location, ideal size and storied Franco-Swiss past reflected in the life of Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval, it seemed the perfect choice. In the same year, negotiations began between the
Société immobilière Pompadour and the Swiss Confederation. Finally, on 19 May 1938, following the notarial certification of the purchase of shares, the Swiss Confederation acquired the Hôtel de Besenval for
FRF 3,440,000 and relocated the Swiss Legation from its previous premises at 51 Avenue Hoche to 142 Rue de Grenelle. However, as the seller of the Hôtel de Besenval was a public company with multiple shareholders, the purchase was an ongoing process. The Swiss Confederation began acquiring shares as early as 1937. By May 1938, it had acquired all but two shares. Accordingly, the relocation of the Swiss Legation also took place in stages, beginning around March 1938. A month earlier, in December 1938, Walter Stucki and his wife Gertrud were able to move into the envoy's residence. However, the envoy couple were not able to enjoy the stately residence for long. A few months later, on 1 September 1939,
World War II broke out. s likely date to the 18th century. Shortly afterwards, Philippe Pétain took action. With a single sentence, he created a new executive power that effectively ended the
Third Republic and founded the
État français. He declared: ''"We, Philippe Pétain, Maréchal de France, declare, in accordance with the constitutional law of 10 July 1940, that we exercise the functions of Head of State of the État français (Chef de l'État français)."'' On 11 and 12 July, Pétain promulgated the first four constitutional acts, which granted him unlimited powers as head of state, with the exception of declaring war. These acts undermined the republican principle of
separation of powers and replaced
popular sovereignty with the personal authority of Maréchal Philippe Pétain. Walter Stucki recognised the seriousness of the situation and sought contact with Pétain. In the course of time, Stucki gained Pétain's trust. And on 20 August 1944, Pétain took Stucki to his private apartment at the
Hôtel du Parc as a witness to prove that he was evacuated by the Germans against his will to
Belfort. Stucki mediated between the advancing
Allies, the withdrawing Germans and the
French Resistance fighters and saved Vichy from destruction. The grateful city government of Vichy made Stucki an honorary citizen and named a street after him, the Avenue Walter Stucki. (left) and Cultural Attaché
Bernard Barbey in the garden of the Hôtel de Besenval, surrounded by
Alberto Giacometti's sculptures during the exhibition in 1963. In the back in the doorway the ambassador's wife Marguerite Daisy Soldati-Thome, Comtesse de Contades (1907–2001). Her wealth and influence benefited her husband's work. She was friends with
Charles de Gaulle,
Alain Poher and
René Pleven. From 1961, with the arrival of Ambassador
Agostino Giorgio Soldati and his rich and influential wife Marguerite Daisy Soldati-Thome, Comtesse de Contades (1907–2001), daughter of
André Thome and sister of
Jacqueline Thome-Patenôtre, the Hôtel de Besenval became the centre of the international Parisian diplomatic society. The ambassador and his wife hosted lavish parties and entertained on a grand scale: In Paris at the Hôtel de Besenval, in Switzerland at their country estate in
Aubonne, the Château de Trévelin. Marguerite Daisy Soldati-Thome had purchased the Château de Trévelin in 1958 from the banker Édouard Bordier (1874–1957), partner of
Bordier & Cie, and, after his death during the transaction, from his heirs, respectively. In his later years, Alberto Giacometti's works were shown in a number of large exhibitions throughout Europe. The popularity was such that it was decided to show the exhibition also at the
Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1965. Alberto Giacometti attended the exhibition personally, despite his declining health. High Commissioner for the
Free City of Danzig, Minister
Carl J. Burckhardt,
Envoy of the Swiss Confederation to France from 1945 to 1949, at his desk in the
Salon de la tapisserie at the Hôtel de Besenval in 1945. He simultaneously served as the President of the
ICRC. In 1954 he was awarded the
Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels. The post-war years up until the 1980s were the last years of the
gentlemen diplomats. They were a generation of mainly pre-war diplomats with privileged backgrounds who, because of their financial independence, viewed their profession as an appointment rather than a job. Two of the most outstanding
heads of mission of this era who left their mark on the Hôtel de Besenval were Carl J. Burckhardt and Agostino Giorgio Soldati. The importance of the Hôtel de Besenval as a place for Franco-Swiss encounters has become apparent again and again throughout history. On 20 December 1966,
Gaston Palewski,
Président du Conseil constitutionnel, delivered the funeral eulogy for Ambassador Agostino Giorgio Soldati. He recalled, in particular, Soldati's elegance, excellent taste, diplomatic skill and legendary hospitality – qualities that led
Charles de Gaulle,
Président de la République Française, to call him ''"le grand ambassadeur et l'ami de la France":''
The Hôtel de Besenval: In the service of Franco-Swiss diplomacy – already in Besenval's time on 10 August 1792. It is estimated that up to 700 Swiss Guards were killed. The Swiss Guards were assigned to the direct protection of the
sovereign and his residences and were also custodians of the
King's Seals and the
French Crown Jewels. After the conflict surrounding the Storming of the Palais des Tuileries, the revolutionary government lost trust in the royalist Swiss Regiments and dissolved them as of 20 August 1792. The first permanent diplomatic representation of the then
Helvetic Republic in France was opened in April 1798. Head of this worldwide first ever official permanent Swiss diplomatic representation was the Envoy
Peter Josef Zeltner from
Solothurn. This was the beginning of a long line of
Swiss ambassadors to France. However, long before this, individual Swiss cantons of the
Old Swiss Confederacy were well aware of the need to have their interests represented at the powerful French royal court. Under the
Ancien Régime, such tasks were either entrusted to special envoys or carried out through established networks by trusted individuals already on site, such as officers of the
Swiss Guards, including Pierre Victor de Besenval, and for good reason: The officers of the Swiss Guards wielded considerable influence at court. Alain-Jacques Tornare (* 1957) describes their status as follows:
"Swiss soldiers in France were not mercenaries, but effectively an army within the army. In a broader sense, the Swiss community in France formed a state within the state. The kings showered the Swiss with privileges such as tax exemptions, legal rights and freedom of religion, so that they enjoyed greater privileges than the French themselves." The Swiss expressed their gratitude to the kings by affirming their steadfastness and loyalty to The Crown. In summary, Tornare says about the importance of the Swiss Guards: ''"A pillar of France's Ancien Régime and a symbol of Swiss know-how."''
State apartments: Representation and film location transformed the
Grand cabinet at the Hôtel de Besenval into what was then a novelty: A dining room in the
neoclassical style, painted in mint green and decorated with
overdoor reliefs imitating the decorative style of
Pompei and
Herculaneum. One showing the
Dance of The Bacchae, the other the
Toilette of Venus. The Baron de Besenval can be regarded as a pioneer of what is now known as
gastrodiplomacy. Like his contemporary
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, Prince de
Benevento et de
Talleyrand, the baron believed that the way to successful diplomacy is through the stomach. The layout and the decoration of the
vestibule and the four
state apartments, the
Salon de la tapisserie, the
Salon des perroquets, the
Salon des ministres (Chambre du maître) and the dining room, have changed little since the time of the Baron de Besenval, when he received
tout-Paris – including royalty – at the Hôtel de Besenval. The designs of the architects Pierre-Alexis Delamair and Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart are still predominant, especially when it comes to wood panelling, although later revisions and additions were made in the corresponding styles. During the time of the Baron de Besenval, wood panelling was less dominant in some of the state apartments, except in the dining room. The wall sections between the wainscoting,
trumeau mirrors and
overdoors were covered in
damask. Even today, the rooms are still decorated in the styles of their time:
Régence,
Louis XV,
Louis XVI and
Neoclassicism.
, also called Le Boudoir,
at the Hôtel de Besenval. A richly decorated room in white and gold, showing four medallion paintings in the style of François Boucher. The painting La Gimblette'' hung in this room. It was also in this room where the Baron de Besenval kept his collection of gold snuffboxes. The bookshelves now serve as display cases. The state apartments and the ''
cour d'honneur of the Hôtel de Besenval were used several times as film locations. Amongst others, for the films Beaumarchais, l'insolent in 1996 and Le Comte de Monte-Cristo in 1998. In the latter, the Hôtel de Besenval served as the headquarters of the Banque Danglars.'' Furthermore, on 30 November 2016, the Hôtel de Besenval was the subject of a documentary film by
Stéphane Bern and his guest
Jean-Christophe Rufin as part of Stéphan Bern's television format
Visites privées, entitled ''Les réceptions de l'ambassadeur.
In addition, France Télévisions produced the documentary Les Trésors des Ambassades Parisiennes'' in 2024, which also featured the Hôtel de Besenval. In this documentary, Dr. Guillaume Poisson of the University of Lausanne explains that there is evidence that King
Louis XVI and Queen
Marie-Antoinette were among the illustrious guests at the Baron de Besenval's regular
soirées at the Hôtel de Besenval.
The Solothurn – Paris Axis: The return of the furniture and the families de Besenval and de Broglie at the Hôtel de Besenval, from the dining room through the
Salon de la tapisserie to the
Salon des perroquets. In the window niche is one of the six chairs of the baron's original furniture ensemble visible. It was Ambassador
Agostino Giorgio Soldati, called Tino, and his wife Marguerite Daisy Soldati-Thome, Comtesse de Contades (1907–2001), called Daisy, who began to furnish the Hôtel de Besenval with antiques on a large scale in the early 1960s, amongst others with the help of the
Galerie Kraemer of Paris. These acquisitions were largely paid for by Swiss industrialists. A few years after the baron's death in 1791, the baron's furniture, works of art and further belongings from the Hôtel de Besenval were sold at auction in Paris on 10 August 1795. However, already during the baron's lifetime some pieces of furniture as well as paintings and further works of art from the Hôtel de Besenval were sent to his country estate in Switzerland, the
Schloss Waldegg. According to oral tradition, shortly before the French Revolution, the baron sent a furniture ensemble to Switzerland comprising a sofa and six chairs. The chairs are painted in
gris Trianon – a colour named after the
Petit Trianon – and upholstered in beige fabric embroidered with scenes from the fables of
Jean de La Fontaine, whereas the sofa features a pattern of flowers and birds. The sofa looks slightly different from the chairs. However, since the provenance is the same, it may already have been added to the ensemble by the Baron de Besenval. of Théodora Élisabeth Catherine, Marquise de Broglie, née de Besenval de
Brunstatt (1718–1777). The descendants of this extended branch of the family de Besenval, the family de Broglie–Cabot de Dampmartin, also had the extensive family archive in their possession until 1980 with many original documents, also from the possession of Pierre Victor de Besenval and therefore with relevance for the history of the Hôtel de Besenval (75 boxes of documents, mostly dating from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries). For many years the family archive was located on the estate of the family de Broglie, the
Château de Broglie. Béatrix Marie Nadine, Princesse de Broglie, née de Faucigny Lucinge et Coligny (1902–1990), wife of Eugène Marie Amédée, Prince de Broglie (1891–1957), who was the son of François, Prince de Broglie (1851–1939), handed over the family archive to the ''Fondation pour l'histoire des Suisses dans le Monde
in 1980 to exhibit it in their museum at the Château de Penthes. After the bankruptcy and dissolution of the Fondation pour l'histoire des Suisses dans le Monde
in 2021, the archive of the family de Besenval was transferred to the state archive of the Canton of Solothurn, the hometown of the family de Besenval. However, by far the largest part of the collection of the dissolved Fondation pour l'histoire des Suisses dans le Monde
was auctioned off on 20 and 21 September 2022 by the auction house Piguet'' in Geneva, including other heirlooms from the family de Besenval. In 1938, after over 150 years, the sofa and the six chairs were returned to the Hôtel de Besenval, where they once again form part of the furnishings of the
Salon de la tapisserie. The tapestry shows the historic moment of the festivities on 18 November 1663 in the
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris on the occasion of the renewal of the mercenary alliance of 1521, also called the
Soldallianz von Luzern, between France and the Swiss, which was negotiated by the two parties in the aftermath of the
Battle of Marignano and the peace treaty of 1516, known as
Traité de Fribourg or
Paix Perpétuelle (Perpetual Peace). It depicts the moment when King
Louis XIV, the only non-clergyman allowed to wear a hat, and the
envoys of the
Confederation of the XIII cantons take an oath together on the Bible in the presence of Cardinal
Antonio Barberini and several hundred dignitaries. And so one by one took the oath, which ended with the words of King Louis XIV:
"Et moi aussi, je jure et promets" (and me too, I swear and promise). This defensive alliance of 1521 had to be renewed with each French king. The renewals prior to 1663 took place in the years 1549, 1564, 1582 and 1602. The renewal of the alliance of 1663 on the French side was negotiated by Jean de La Barde (1602–1692), the French ambassador to the Swiss cantons based in
Solothurn. The alliance gave King Louis XIV, amongst others, the right to recruit up to 16,000
Swiss mercenaries. In return, the Swiss received certain trading privileges in France and a lot of money, which made some Swiss patrician families very rich, those families who put their regiments at the disposal of the king, such as the family de Besenval. , head of the Swiss delegation, bows to King
Louis XIV. This oil sketch on canvas, created in 1664 by
Adam Frans van der Meulen, depicts the reception the king gave to the Swiss delegation at the
Louvre prior to the celebrations on 18 November 1663 at the
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, as depicted in the
Alliance Tapestry. The first draft of the tapestry, which was later discarded in favour of the scene in the cathedral, was this scene in the Louvre. Today, this painting is part of the collections of the Château de Versailles. The concept of portraying the key events in King Louis XIV's life in tapestry can be traced back to
Jean Chapelain, an adviser to
Jean-Baptiste Colbert. The production of the fourteen-episode sequel to the
Histoire du Roi – to which three more episodes were later added – began in 1665. The aim was to present the greatest achievements of King Louis XIV in the military, civil and diplomatic spheres. Since the royal court had a great interest in ensuring that as many people as possible knew about these key events,
engravings of the individual tapestries were later made, which were widely distributed and glorified and shaped the image of the king in France as well as abroad. The renewal of the mercenary alliance with the Swiss represented a significant achievement for French diplomacy. This is further supported by the very inclusion of this episode in the
Histoire du Roi. Furthermore, ceiling painting
№ 27 in the
Hall of Mirrors at the Château de Versailles, presumably by
François Bonnemer, is dedicated to this historic event. The tapestry, made from wool, silk and precious metal threads, bears the following inscription in the lower center (written in old French and capital letters): «RENOWELLEMENT DE L'ALLIANCE ENTRE LA FRANCE ET LES SVISSES FAIT DANS L'EGLISE DE NOSTRE DAME DE PARIS PAR LE ROY LOVIS XIV ET LES AMBASSADEVRS DES XIII. CANTONS ET DE LEVRS ALLIEZ LE XVIII. NOVEMBRE M.DC.LXIII»
Entre cour et jardin '' of the Hôtel de Besenval. On 13 July 1972, approximately 30 activists from the
Béliers – a militant youth group of
Jura separatists founded in 1962 and led by Jean-Claude Montavon (1944–2014) – forcibly entered the Hôtel de Besenval and occupied parts of it as part of the campaign for the independence of the
Jura from the
Canton of Bern. After negotiations with Ambassador Pierre Dupont (1912–1993) and Minister
François de Ziegler, as well as assurances that the French police would not intervene, the occupiers left the building after six hours. In Switzerland, Jean-Claude Montavon was sentenced to 20 days in prison for unlawful entry into premises. The last major construction work on the Hôtel de Besenval, a classic example of a residence
entre cour et jardin (between courtyard and garden), dates back to the late 1990s. This work primarily affected the office spaces in the non-historic side wings of the building, their attics and the attic of the corps de logis. In broad terms, it concerned all interior areas of the building that are not listed. The renovation work, planned and carried out by the architects Herbert Furrer and Marc Zimmermann, focused on bringing the infrastructure up to date (electricity and security), making the previously unused attics usable as workspaces and creating contemporary workplaces within the existing office space. To ensure that these renovations could be carried out efficiently and that embassy operations continued to run smoothly, some offices were relocated to a temporary facility at 26 Rue Villiot for 18 months starting in April 1998.
Renovation of the state apartments and the preservation of the historic cobblestones reliefs in the dining room, depicting the
Toilette of Venus, with the room's colour scheme as it appeared before 2019. The door leads to the library. A private room of the ambassador with little historical significance, both in terms of its furnishings and its fittings. The historic building structure of the
corps de logis was only slightly affected by renovation and construction work in the 1990s. It was not until 2017 and the following three years that the historic interiors of the Hôtel de Besenval were renovated again as part of a major refurbishment. On this occasion, the antique furniture was also restored, and some pieces were reupholstered with fabric from
Tassinari & Chatel, a manufacturer founded in 1680. A few additional antique pieces were acquired to complement the collection, and most of the curtains were replaced. The dining room underwent the most significant colour change of all the
state apartments, having been repainted from mint green to grey-blue in 2019. Furthermore, the work included the renovation of the façades and roof, the redesign of the commercial kitchen, the repair of the sanitary facilities and heating, as well as the adaptation of the general electrical installations to today's standards. The ''
cour d'honneur has resisted all modern fashion trends and renovations for centuries. It is still paved with the historic cobblestones à la Versailles'' on which already Pierre Victor de Besenval left his mark. of the Baron de Besenval: It was Pierre Victor de Besenval who commissioned the new garden design for the Château de Romainville, based on his designs for his own gardens, in particular the garden of the Hôtel de Besenval. Pierre Victor de Besenval designed not only his own gardens, in particular the garden of the Hôtel de Besenval and the garden of this country estate in Switzerland, the
Schloss Waldegg, he also helped design his friends' gardens. These included both the garden of the Petit Trianon of Queen
Marie-Antoinette and the garden of the Château de
Romainville of his military comrade
Philippe Henri, Marquis de Ségur, husband of the baron's mistress Louise-Anne-Madeleine, Marquise de Ségur, née de Vernon (1729–1778), and therefore mother of Pierre Victor de Besenval's illegitimate son
Joseph-Alexandre Pierre, Vicomte de Ségur. It was also Pierre Victor de Besenval who managed to inspire Queen Marie-Antoinette with his passion for rare plants. At his suggestion, the queen had various precious plant species planted in the garden of the Petit Trianon.
Renovation of the nymphaeum and its use in the service of diplomacy and
gastrodiplomacy: Ambassador
Roberto Balzaretti welcomes
Jackie Chan on 30 October 2024 to the
House of Switzerland in the garden of the Hôtel de Besenval. In the run-up to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and the decision to erect a temporary House of Switzerland in the garden of the Hôtel de Besenval, the unique nymphaeum – commissioned in 1782 by Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval, from the architect
Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart and decorated by the artist
Claude Michel – was also comprehensively renovated. As part of the renovation, the Paris-based atelier
La Remanufacture created contemporary wooden replicas inspired by Claude Michel's original decoration, including a relief-decorated vase for one of the four niches. Today, the nymphaeum serves, on the one hand, as a wine cellar for the Embassy of the Swiss Confederation and, on the other hand, as a reception or dining room for the Swiss ambassador on special occasions. ==References==