38 DIGS.NET
| 10.29.2021
L E G E N D S | V A U X L E V I C O M T E
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Architecturally, the chateau marked a new horizon for the
French. "At Vaux-le-Vicomte, Le Vau created a composite
architecture mixing materials and styles," Picon writes. A faithful
servant of Louis XIII style, the architect departed from tradition,
not least with his mix of Classicism and Baroque styles. And
never more strikingly than with his then highly unconventional
arrangement of the rooms on the chateau's ground floor, which
he organized so that the vestibule led into the grand oval salon,
which granted access to the state apartments: that of the king's
to the left and Fouquet's to the right.
These spaces were laboratories for Le Brun's decorative gifts.
His painterly treatment of the interior is a masterstroke. With
the palazzi of Rome in mind, Le Brun introduced mythological
and allegorical paintings and opulent ceiling moldings to
staterooms. Featuring robust Italian influences, the decoration
in the King's Bedchamber marks what Picon describes as "a new
stage in the French art of monumental décor." It is a suitably
decadent space for a monarch, with a gilded cove and white
and gold stuccowork meant to mirror the décor in the salons
of Florence's Palazzo Pitti. "The ceiling and mise-en-scène here
are, as Picon puts it, "a model of the genre." While not fit for a
king, Fouquet's apartment nonetheless benefits from Le Brun's
royal treatment, with a stately office refurnished with an elegant
inlaid Mazarine desk and a rush of richly rendered Olympian
scenes on the ceiling believed to be the work of ornamentalist
painter Jean Cotelle. The original tapestries here did not survive,
nor did the mirrors on the walls in Madam Fouquet's apartment,
"which would seem to have been a fashion of the times rather
than a precursor to the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles," notes Picon.
Although, one can't help but make the comparison.
Many would argue that there simply is no comparison,
that Versailles has nothing on Vaux. Both are imperial, both
heritage treasures. But Vaux has the de Vogüé family, and their
commitment to preserving its role as a cultural ambassador. As
was the chateau's visionary founder. Though Fouquet's fall was
swift and his trial a tragedy, history judges him by his legacy—a
lasting tribute to art and beauty. vaux-le-vicomte.com
Architecturally, the chateau marked a new
horizon for the French. "At Vaux-le-Vicomte, Le
Vau created a composite architecture mixing
materials and styles," Picon writes.
FROM LEFT: ONE OF THE MANY SPLENDID
STATUES AND ART PIECES THAT LEND VAUX ITS
ENVIED OLD-WORLD GRACE; AN EARLY DAWN
SHROUD THE GROUNDS IN A GAUZY, ETHEREAL
CAST, ADDING TO ITS MYSTIQUE.
