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Lot Essay
THE PAVILLON COLOMBE
On 4th September 1769, André Vassal bought Carmeaux, at Saint Brice and demolished the house. With the help of the architect, Joseph Bélanger (1751-1830), Vassal constructed in its place a 'folie' - the Pavillon Colombe - for his mistress Madamoiselle Marie-Catherine Rombocoli Riggieri, called Marie-Catherine Colombe (1751-1830). Sparing no expense on its sumptuous interiors, he commissioned the greatest artists of the period to embellish the interior in a manner that would personalize the property to Marie-Catherine - in particular employing her initials 'M.C', cooing doves emblematic of love and Italian furniture that recalled her Venetian upbringing.
Marie-Catherine and her two sisters, Marie-Thérèse (1754-1837) and Marie-Madeleine (1760-1841), were among the more celebrated demi-mondaines of their era. Appearing under the stage name 'Colombe' (French for Dove), the beautiful (and notorious) Venetian born actresses of the Comédie italienne made a sensation in late eighteenth century Paris. Fragonard painted portraits of the sisters, one of which titled 'Girl Holding a Dove', believed to be a portrait of Marie-Catherine, was encased in the boiserie above the fireplace at Pavillon Colombe. Marie-Catherine later abandoned the theatre for 'galanterie' and was once arrested finding herself in the same prison as her seducer, Lord Massereene. Marie-Catherine inhabited the pavillon until the death of Vassal.
The pavillon was restored after the war by the American romancière Edith Wharton (1862-1937) who purchased the property in 1919. Edith affectionally described the Pavillon as 'my little châteaulet' . On visiting the pavillon one of her friends wrote 'Here was such a high goal of perfection in food and wine, in talk, books, furniture, pictures, and the art of living, that to savour it truly exerted one's highest mental faculties'.
The Paint Analysis
A Paint Analysis carried out reveals that the decoration is the original scheme and that the same gesso and paints that were used on the pair of Pavillon Colombe Console Tables (lot 44) were used on this lot as well.
Nathan Wildenstein appears to have acquired much of the contents of the Pavillon Colombe en Bloc including the Fragonard portrait L'amour and lots 44, 55, 333 and 339.
On 4th September 1769, André Vassal bought Carmeaux, at Saint Brice and demolished the house. With the help of the architect, Joseph Bélanger (1751-1830), Vassal constructed in its place a 'folie' - the Pavillon Colombe - for his mistress Madamoiselle Marie-Catherine Rombocoli Riggieri, called Marie-Catherine Colombe (1751-1830). Sparing no expense on its sumptuous interiors, he commissioned the greatest artists of the period to embellish the interior in a manner that would personalize the property to Marie-Catherine - in particular employing her initials 'M.C', cooing doves emblematic of love and Italian furniture that recalled her Venetian upbringing.
Marie-Catherine and her two sisters, Marie-Thérèse (1754-1837) and Marie-Madeleine (1760-1841), were among the more celebrated demi-mondaines of their era. Appearing under the stage name 'Colombe' (French for Dove), the beautiful (and notorious) Venetian born actresses of the Comédie italienne made a sensation in late eighteenth century Paris. Fragonard painted portraits of the sisters, one of which titled 'Girl Holding a Dove', believed to be a portrait of Marie-Catherine, was encased in the boiserie above the fireplace at Pavillon Colombe. Marie-Catherine later abandoned the theatre for 'galanterie' and was once arrested finding herself in the same prison as her seducer, Lord Massereene. Marie-Catherine inhabited the pavillon until the death of Vassal.
The pavillon was restored after the war by the American romancière Edith Wharton (1862-1937) who purchased the property in 1919. Edith affectionally described the Pavillon as 'my little châteaulet' . On visiting the pavillon one of her friends wrote 'Here was such a high goal of perfection in food and wine, in talk, books, furniture, pictures, and the art of living, that to savour it truly exerted one's highest mental faculties'.
The Paint Analysis
A Paint Analysis carried out reveals that the decoration is the original scheme and that the same gesso and paints that were used on the pair of Pavillon Colombe Console Tables (lot 44) were used on this lot as well.
Nathan Wildenstein appears to have acquired much of the contents of the Pavillon Colombe en Bloc including the Fragonard portrait L'amour and lots 44, 55, 333 and 339.