5 September 2016 _ 2 January 2017
LE GRAND
CONDÉ
The Rival of the Sun King?
PRESS DOSSIER
JUNE 
Administrative Commission
Mathieu Deldicque, Curator of National Heritage at the Musée Condé,
With the assistance of Astrid Grange
Collaborators
Exhibition organized with the exceptional participation of the Musée de l’Armée (Museum of the Army)
The Musée de l’Armée offers one of the richest collections of military history in the world,
with more than 500,000 pieces ranging from the Bronze Age to the 21st Century. Created
in 1905, the museum is located at the heart of the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris and offers
a diverse range of culture programs for all, with exhibitions, concerts, screenings, conferences, events and theatrical displays. In 2015, it welcomed more than 1.4 million visitors,
which classes the museum as the 5th most visited museum in France.
Beançon, The Musée des Beaux-Arts and the Musée du Temps
Chaalis, Abbaye Royale, Musée Jacquemart-André
Chambord, Domaine National
Corsaint, Église Saint-Maurice
Dole, The Musée des Beaux-Arts
London, Victoria and Albert Museum
Modena, Archivo di Stato
Paris, Bibliothèque Mazarine
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Paris, The Musée Carnavalet-Histoire de Paris
Paris, Mobilier National
Paris, The Musée des Arts Décoratifs
Paris, The Musée d’Orsay
Paris, The Musée du Louvre
Versailles, The Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon
Patrons of the Exhibition
Set Arrangement Design
Translation of the Press Dossier
Pearce Denmark Groover
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LETTER TO THE PRESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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ORGANIZATION OF THE EXHIBIT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6
Setting
Part One: Heroism and Glory, Despite the Rest
Part Two: Intimacy and Apotheosis
Important Works of the Exhibition
BIOGRAPHY OF THE GRAND CONDÉ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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VISUAL REFERENCES AVAILABLE TO THE PRESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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ABOUT THE EXHIBIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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THE DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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PRACTICAL INFORMATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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LETTER TO THE PRESS
From 5 September 2016 to 2 January 2017, the Domaine de Chantilly will honour, in the Salle du Jeu de Paume,
one of the most flamboyant characters of French history: Louis II de Bourbon, prince de Condé (1621-1686), better
known as the Grand Condé.
Prince of War, Prince of Art
This exhibition— the first of its kind on the subject!— will allow for the discovery of the personality of the man who
was both the greatest warrior of his time and a veritable hero, as well as a rebel dissenter at the time of the Fronde.
The exhibit will invite visitors to ask themselves if the first ranking Prince of the Blood truly rivalled his cousin Louis
XIV in the domain of politics and military prowess, as well as in that of culture and the arts (by virtue of making
Chantilly an “anti-Versailles”, freer and more tolerant); but it will also demonstrate how much this royal cousin was,
after all, one of the king’s greatest admirers.
The Grand Condé was most certainly an amateur art lover. The exhibition will be the occasion to discover the gems
of his painting collection, where works of the old masters (Van Dyck) brushed shoulders with the greatest painters
under the reign of Louis XIV (Le Brun, Mignard). The Prince was equally enamoured of literature and of the theatre,
welcoming Molière, Racine, Boileau, and La Fontaine into his Château de Chantilly.
The Château de Chantilly under the Grand Condé
It was in fact the Grand Condé who transformed Chantilly in order to make of it a prestigious residence worthy of
a prince. He called upon the gardener André Le Nôtre, to create the sumptuous park that has come down to us
today, and upon the famous maître d’hôtel Vatel to organize remarkable parties that made Chantilly’s reputation.
The public will be able to rediscover the considerable history of a Vatel who at the time was still grand master of the
Prince’s entertainments, though disgraced by the tardy arrival of seafood to be consumed on a Friday amidst the
festivities organized by the Grand Condé in honour of the king in 1671. His tragic end—he committed suicide by
driving a sword through his body, contributed to the forging of his legend, and a document from the period never
before exhibited will be displayed in order to illustrate this story.
A Ground-breaking Exhibition
The exhibit will form a diptych, honouring first the clash of arms, the portraits of state and the paintings tracing
the bellicose epic of the Grand Condé, followed by a presentation of the little known and lavish private life of the
prince, where in his private domain of Chantilly, he received the greatest minds of his time and cultivated his artistic
passions. It terminate with the funerary preparations and pomp of the Prince, in full Baroque style, which were the
most magnificent that one had ever known, according to Madame de Sévigné.
There will be assembled 120 artistic works and historical documents of the finest quality, buttressed by prestigious
loans coming from the greatest museums, French and foreign alike (the Musée de l’Armée, the Château de Versailles, the Musée du Louvre, the Victoria and Albert Museum, etc.).
Exceptional portraits of state, weapons and spoils of war (of which the oldest flag conserved in France, taken in
1643 at the Battle of Rocroi), magisterial paintings of war, original and first editions of the most famous authors
and playwrights of the Grand Siècle, drawings and paintings by the hands of the masters of the period, sculptures,
painted silk of more than 6 meters in length and 4 meters in width, engravings and battle plans will permit the public
to embrace all aspects of this rich personality. Among the works, some will return to Chantilly for the first time since
the Revolution!
In addition to being a history exhibit, this display will aim to be equally an aesthetic array of the most beautiful creations of the French 17th Century: majestic portraits by Juste d’Egmont or by Pierre Mignard, large battle scenes by
Adam-Frans Van der Meulen, busts by Antoine Coysevox, drawings by Jean Berain will define an elegant style and
an opulent era.
The bold set arrangement, trusted to the agency Jung Architectures, will allow entry into the very battlefields of the
Grand Condé and to experience the lavishness of the interiors and of the park of Chantilly, all while exploring the
cultivated life filled with art and literature that the prince lead there.
A richly illustrated catalogue edited by Snoeck and coming from the most recent sources on the subject, will unite
contributions of specialists and presenting completely unknown aspects of the prince’s personality.
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DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY / EXPOSITION 5 SEPTEMBRE 2016 - 2 JANVIER 2017
The Rival of the Sun King?
This subtitle will invite visitors to reflect upon the manner in which the Grand Condé was able to emulate, read rival,
his cousin the Sun-King.
This rivalry manifested itself in different forms: on the political and military planes of course, with the progressive opposition of the Grand Condé who lead his Fronde against the Cardinal Mazarin and, indirectly, against the Queen-Regent
Anne of Austria and her son the king, Louis XIV. This antagonism saw its apogee with the “treason” of the prince who
departed to seek refuge in the Spanish Netherlands in 1652: he even put his sword to use in the services of the King
of Spain and fought against the French in 1652 and 1659. This was never before seen in the history of France!
But, let us not forget, the onetime impertinent rebel was equally the greatest supporter of the king. As of 1643,
at Rocroi, it is the Grand Condé who saved the crown of his 4-year-old royal cousin. In the same manner, Condé
occupied the role of military leader for Mazarin and the king at the beginning of the Fronde in order to combat and
reduce the rebellion. Finally, after 1659 and with the return of the exiled prince to France, he progressively became
once again one of the king’s greatest generals, placing his military genius at the service of Louis XIV’s wars.
This emulation, or rivalry, translated itself to the visual arts. Condé was considered to be a young hero from the start
of his first victories. His myth was supported by a veritable enterprise of propaganda lead by the House of BourbonCondé. It was thus that he became one of the most well represented figures of the 17th Century: a large number of
these impressive portraits will be therefore displayed in the exhibition. This strict control of the construction of one’s
image—which echoes very relevant practices!—was notably established in relation to that of the image of the King.
In terms of patron of the arts, the opposition between the two figures was not apparent. At Chantilly, the Grand
Condé did not seek to rival Versailles, but established another Versailles, one that was different and tolerant, where
free thinking minds were welcome to express themselves (let us think of Molière, placed in a delicate position
because of his play Tartuffe). There, Condé assembled the great artists active at the construction sites of his cousin
the king: André Le Nôtre and Jules Hardouin-Mansart, as well as Charles Le Brun and Pierre Mignard, were active
at Chantilly and put all of their talents at the service of a Prince whose chief concern was expressing the nobility of
his rank. Vatel’s suicide, upon the occasion of the festivities that were to reconcile definitively Condé and Louis XIV,
can be considered, in a way, as the tragic result of the emulation between the two men: the stakes were so high—
to make of Chantilly the most beautiful host of noble divertissement—and the pressure so strong that the maître
d’hôtel of the Grand Condé did not survive it…
The answer to the question that the subtitle asks is therefore not so binary and permits, whatever the answer might
be, to bring to the forefront and illuminate one of the most fascinating struggles of the Grand Siècle.
Attributed to Louis Ferdinand Elle II,
Portrait of Louis XIV in Armour
Metz, musées de Metz Métropole - La Cour d’Or,
Inv. 11442
© Laurianne Kieffer – Musée de La Cour d’Or –
Metz Métropole
Juste d’Egmont,
Louis II de Bourbon, called le Grand Condé,
before an evocation of the Battle of Rocroi
Versailles, musée national des châteaux
de Versailles et de Trianon, Inv. MV 3478
© RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles) /
Gérard Blot
LE GRAND CONDÉ. THE RIVAL OF THE SUN KING?
5
ORGANIZATION OF THE EXHIBIT
Framework for the Setting of the Exhibit
To highlight the duality of the figure of the Grand Condé (the public man/the private man, the war hero/the princely
aesthete, exterior/interior), the Jung Architectures Agency conceived of the exhibit as a giant diptych, articulated
around a major, central feature of the setting: a great, axial, display case, the “table of the prince.” First, one will
experience the “table of operations”, where the visitor will encounter battle plans presented flat on the table. Next,
the visitor will be invited to discover the “table of terrestrial and spiritual nourishment” of the prince de Condé, where
the art de vivre of the period will be discovered.
As if separated by a blow of the warrior prince’s own sword, the exhibition room is divided long ways by the display
case. A first panel elaborates the rise in power of the figure up until his “zenith,” his epic political and military career.
In the second half, the setting develops into a more intimate register of the prince’s life, organized in lattice joists in
reference to the beamed ceilings of the period, à la française. Presented is the life of the man in his dominion, his
art patronage, his tastes and his passions.
The simultaneous vision of the two worlds that the diptych presents is possible by virtue of sliding changes and
evolutions along the display cases that generate different perspectives and points of view.
An ambiance composed of discrete sounds (struggles in arms, sounds of festivity, music…) will revive for the visitor
the glories of the Grand Condé and the resplendence of his time.
2. THE PRIVATE MAN,
THE PRINCE AT HIS CHÂTEAU,
INTERIOR
1. THE PUBLIC MAN,
WAR HERO,
EXTERIOR
© Jung Architectures
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DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY / EXHIBITION 5 SEPTEMBER 2016 - 2 JANUARY 2017
Part One:
Heroism and Glory, Against the Odds
- 19 May 1643. Rocroi. The Legend is Born
The visitor finds himself directly at the heart of the battlefield of Rocroi, which sees the triumph of the young duc
d’Enghien, the future Grand Condé, against the Spanish who threaten the kingdom of a young Louis XIV of only 4
years of age. Battle plans, weapons, suits of armour, imposing spoils of war, and magnificent commemorative portraits evoke the battle that forges his legend.
French School of the end of the 17th Century (?),
The Battle of Rocroi,
oil on canvas
Chantilly, musée Condé, PE 653 (restauré avec le soutien des Amis du musée Condé)
- Under the Auspices of Hercules
and of Alexander: Duc d’Enghien’s
Glorious Début
After Rocroi, the duc d’Enghien does not stop after such success
and multiplies his victories against the Hapsburgs. These battles
are analysed and explained in this section. The prince is at that
time compared to Alexander the Great and to Hercules; the myth
surrounding him is broadcasted through the iconography here
presented.
Jacques Stella (Lyon, 1596-Paris, 1657)
Louis II de Bourbon, duc d’Enghien
oil on panel
Chantilly, musée Condé, PE 307
LE GRAND CONDÉ. THE RIVAL OF THE SUN KING?
7
- The Governorship of Burgundy
Condé can regularly rely upon his Burgundian rule, there where his supporters render homage to him with the help
of impressive allegorical paintings, of which one has never before been publicly displayed.
- The Condé Clan
A veritable family portrait gallery, hung and arranged as during the period, permits a better acquaintance with the
line of the foremost Princes of the Blood and inspires an admiration for the glory of the House of Condé.
- From the Fronde to the Services of the King of Spain (1648-1659)
La Fronde, which sees the insurrection of a part of the French nobility and of the people of Paris against the Cardinal Mazarin, prime minister of a monarchy rendered fragile, is a veritable break in the history of France and in the
career of the Grand Condé. First utilized as en effort to reduce the struggle, he then takes the head of the frondeur
party before seeking refuge in the Spanish Netherlands where he offers his sword to the services of the King of
Spain. This key moment, indicated as thus in the exhibit space, is illustrated by several mazarinades (pieces of satiric or burlesque poetry, pamphlets or defamatory slander in prose, published during the Fronde against Mazarin),
as well as representations of certain battles and other protagonists.
French School of the 17th Century
(after Adam-Frans van der Meulen?),
An Episode of the Fronde: Fighting Beneath the Walls of the Bastille, 1652,
oil on canvas
Versailles, musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon, MV 6818
- In the Service of the Sun King
The return of the Grand Condé to France after the Peace of the Pyrenees (La Paix des Pyrénées—1659) allows
for his progressive return onto the battlefields under the service of his cousin Louis XIV. Enormous compositions
produced by the studio of Adam-Frans van der Meulen and an impressive wall-hanging of painted silk illustrating
the Crossing of the Rhine show a prince at the height of his glory. The most beautiful portraits of the Grand Condé,
painted by Juste d’Egmont and widely distributed, are presented here.
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DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY / EXHIBITION 5 SEPTEMBER 2016 - 2 JANUARY 2017
Attributed to Juste d’Egmont (Leiden, 1601-Anvers, 1674) and to Pierre Mignard (Troyes, 1612-Paris, 1695)?,
The Grand Condé and His Son,
oil on panel, around 1666
Versailles, musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon, MV 8449
LE GRAND CONDÉ. THE RIVAL OF THE SUN KING?
9
Part Two:
Intimacy and Apotheosis
- Of Dominions and of Fêtes
By virtue of his rank, the Grand Condé has at his disposal an entire network of residences. The Hôtel de Condé in
Paris is the central nervous system of this network, before the prince moves the centre to Chantilly, a dominion that
he renders magnificent and in which the fête plays a fundamental role. There, he can give himself to his passions
and cultivate a court more liberal and more tolerant as a sort of anti-Versailles.
At the heart of this section, one will largely recall the brilliant festivities that accompany the sojourn of the king and
of the court at Chantilly in 1671. Despite their splendour, the maître d’hôtel of the Grand Condé, François Vatel,
commits suicide, disgraced by the delay of the arrival of the fish destined for the Friday festivities. A rare and unpublished letter narrating this tragic episode is presented for the first time, with several works and documents that help
rediscover the grandeur of the Prince de Condé.
- Chantilly and André Le Nôtre
After his return to France following 1659, Condé, condemned to a temporary inactivity at his retreat of Chantilly,
devotes himself to the embellishment of his dominion, which takes more than 20 years. André Le Nôtre, gardener
who at the time is in the service of the king at Versailles, displays at Chantilly all of his genius and is able to harness
the difficulties of the topography. The ensemble of works undertaken is studied in this section with the help of engravings from the period that revive the gardens and fountains no longer extant.
Adam-Frans Van der Meulen (Brussels, 1632-Paris, 1690),
View of the Château de Chantilly,
charcoal and watercolour
Chantilly, musée Condé, Inv. 2007.1.1
(Acquired within the framework of the law on patronage of 2003 with the support of the Foundations of Édouard Leclerc de La Chapelle-en-Serval)
© RMN-Grand Palais (domaine de Chantilly) / Michel Urtado
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DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY / EXHIBITION 5 SEPTEMBER 2016 - 2 JANUARY 2017
- A Patron-Prince of the Belles Lettres
The Grand Condé loves and offers his protection to dissident thinkers, gifted poets, and rebel spirits, but also to
literati of a more courtly nature. Extremely cultivated, intrigued by all, a man of conversation, and a great reader, he
fixates on procuring the most novel pieces of literature. He appreciates the theatre. All of the great authors under the
reign of Louis XIV are read to him, Molière, of course, but also Corneille, Racine, Boileau and La Fontaine. They are
represented through rare editions of their works, of which certain come from the library of the Grand Condé himself.
- The Collector-Prince
Few know that behind the Grand Condé’s warrior façade there was an aesthete and art collector. The exhibit seeks
to reconstitute a part of his collection, which includes as many old masters, notably Flemish and Dutch (such as
Antoon Van Dyck) as contemporary artists (Charles Le Brun, Pierre Mignard).
Pierre Mignard (Troyes, 1612-Paris, 1695),
The King Sisyphus and the Queen Cassiopeia Thanking Perseus For Rescuing Their Daughter Andromeda, also called The Deliverance of
Andromeda,
oil on canvas.
Paris, musée du Louvre, R.F. 1989-8
- The Foremost Prince of the Blood Is Dead
The exhibit ends with an apotheosis. The prince dies on 11 December 1686. On 10 March 1687, a funeral ceremony, the most grandiose under the reign of Louis XIV, is held in his honour at Notre-Dame de Paris. Bossuet delivers his famous eulogy of the prince, vibrating the Baroque décor of the cathedral from the floor to the vaults. The
ensemble of drawings and engravings hearken back to this event, in a provocative setting, which permits the revival
of ornaments and objects created for the occasion.
LE GRAND CONDÉ. THE RIVAL OF THE SUN KING?
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A Few Highlights of the Exhibit
The So-Called Flag of Rocroi,
painted silk
Chantilly, musée Condé, OA 3622 (Restored thanks to the support of an anonymous donor)
This flag, restored for the occasion, is one of the oldest conserved in France. It represents the double-headed eagle
of the Holy Roman Empire and the pinecone of the city of Augsburg (Bavaria). One does not know with certainty the
battle during which the flag was taken: Rocroi, Fribourg, Nördlingen? It is likely that it was taken during the Battle
of Rocroi, in 1643, where some of the German regiments were present, and therefore to constitute a rare witness of
the most brilliant military victory of the future Grand Condé. Like any standard taken from an enemy, it was taken to
Notre-Dame de Paris but was offered afterwards to Condé.
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DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY / EXHIBITION 5 SEPTEMBER 2016 - 2 JANUARY 2017
Juste d’Egmont (Leiden, 1601-Anvers, 1674),
Portrait of Louis II de Bourbon, the Prince de Condé, Called the Grand Condé, In Turkish Dress,
oil on canvas
Chantilly, musée Condé, PE 132
Coming from the same prototype as the portrait of the prince dressed in armour, this rare and extravagant portrait by
Juste d’Egmont was commissioned on a particular demand linked to the Carrousel of 1662 that marks the submission of Condé to Louis XIV. The prince is dressed as Emperor of the Turks. He dons the same embroidered overcoat
and sash on which hangs his sword as during the ceremony of the Carrousel. He presents himself here as the worth
heir of Hannibal, whose terrifying elephants can be seen in the background. It is one of the most provocative and
interesting portraits of the prince: apart from the quality of its execution, it corresponds exactly to the thematic of this
exhibit. The warrior-prince, a veritable antique hero, presents himself here in all of his majesty and courtly trappings.
LE GRAND CONDÉ. THE RIVAL OF THE SUN KING?
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DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY / EXHIBITION 5 SEPTEMBER 2016 - 2 JANUARY 2017
Gobelins Tapestry Manufactories, workshop of François Bonnemer (Falaise, 1638-Paris 1689),
after Adam-Frans Van der Meulen, Charles Le Brun and François Verdier,
The March of the Calvary, Commanded by Condé, piece of the Wall-Hanging of Painted Silk depicting the
Crossing of the Rhine,
painting on fluted fabric of silk thread and linen supports
Paris, Mobilier national, GMTT 104/1
The Crossing of the Rhine is one of the most glorious episodes of the reign of Louis XIV. On 12 June 1672, the
Grand Condé, once again at the head of the royal armies, crosses the Rhine at the watch of French troupes
in order to invade Holland, enemy of Louis XIV at that time. This show of strength merits a great deal of propaganda: an imposing tenture was ordered at the Gobelins manufactories by the king, after sketches painted
by Van der Meulen. François Bonnemer transcribed them onto painted silk, an Italian technique that is very
rare in France. One of three pieces of enormous dimensions (4.10 m x 6.42 m), honours a Condé who has
found all of his magnificence, before being wounded during combat and losing his nephew.
LE GRAND CONDÉ. THE RIVAL OF THE SUN KING?
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Pierre Mignard
(Troyes, 1612-Paris, 1695)
Portrait of Molière,
oil on canvas
Chantilly, musée Condé,
PE 313
The Grand Condé was one of Molière’s patron protectors, notably during the period of the scandal surrounding his
play Tartuffe. This satire concerning deceitful loyalty scandalized the more conservative members of the court. In
the long dispute over the play, since its censorship in 1664 until its approbation in 1669, Condé—well known for his
irreverence and his free thinking ways, publicly took Molière’s side, closely following the developments of the scandal and asking for private productions of the play, such as at Raincy at the home of Madame the Princess Palatine
of the Rhine, sister-in-law to the king and Condé’s close friend. Molière made homage to Condé in several of his
plays. This portrait painted by Pierre Mignard is one of the most well known of the playwright. The tight perspective
of the composition and framework, and the naturalism of the pose contribute to the liveliness that the figure exudes.
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DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY / EXHIBITION 5 SEPTEMBER 2016 - 2 JANUARY 2017
French School from the end of the 17th Century,
View of the Château de Chantilly and of its Parterre Gardens From Vertugadin,
gouache on vellum
Chantilly, musée Condé, PE 350
This gouache image might represent one of the most sumptuous fêtes organized at Chantilly by Condé, notably
those from 1671 that brought about the suicide of Vatel. In addition to hunting excursions, promenades in the
gardens, dinners, ballets and firework shows, the guests were quite used to amusing themselves by riding in gondolas on the Grand Canal. Behind the embankments of the canal extend the resplendent and blooming parterres
created by André Le Nôtre on behalf of the Grand Condé.
LE GRAND CONDÉ. THE RIVAL OF THE SUN KING?
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Jean-Léon Gérôme (Vesoul, 1824-Paris, 1904)
Louis XIV Receiving the Grand Condé at Versailles In 1674,
oil on canvas, 1878
Paris, musée d’Orsay, RF 2004-15
The Grand Condé is at the centre of a rich heritage of iconographic representation during the 19th Century, due to
the popularity of the creation of the Museum of the History of France (Musée de l’histoire de France) at Versailles,
and the activities of the Duc d’Aumale, its historian, at Chantilly. The most famous of these representations is by the
artist Gérôme, who painted the glorious reception of the Grand Condé by Louis XIV, awaiting him at the top of the
Ambassadors’ Staircase (Escalier des Ambassadeurs) surrounded by all of the court, after his last victory in 1674
at the battle of Seneffe. Condé, suffering from gout, excused his slow walk up the staircase. The king answered with
the following, albeit apocryphal, statement: “My cousin, hurry not, for when one is burdened as you with so many
laurel wreaths, one cannot walk quickly.” Gérôme employs an ingenious upward looking perspective, evoking the
drama of cinematography. Contrary to popular opinion, it was not painted for the Duc d’Aumale, who nevertheless
regretted it.
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DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY / EXHIBITION 5 SEPTEMBER 2016 - 2 JANUARY 2017
Antoine Coysevox (Paris, 1640-1720)
Bust of Louis II de Bourbon, the Prince de Condé,
In an Antique Breastplate, 1688,
bronze
Paris, musée du Louvre, département des Sculptures, MR 3343
Coysevox received 1,600 pounds in 1688 for the execution of a model bust in bronze representing the Grand Condé, to be placed in the
Parisian mansion (hôtel) of François-Louis de Bourbon, Prince de
Conti, the Grand Condé’s favourite nephew. This posthumous bust,
slightly idealized, represents Condé wearing a breastplate, or cuirass,
à l’antique, with long, natural hair, and with an august demeanour.
The Prince’s hawk-like profile, here perfectly rendered, underlines
the keen, wary and determined character of the prince.
LE GRAND CONDÉ. THE RIVAL OF THE SUN KING?
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BIOGRAPHY OF THE GRAND CONDÉ
8 September 1621: birth of the Duc 1641: A political agreement
d’Enghien, Louis de Bourbon, the
between his father and Cardinal
future Grand Condé, in Paris.
Richelieu forces him to marry the
niece of the latter, Clair-Clémence
1640: The Duc d’Enghien joins the de Maillé-Brézé.
French Army and participates in the
siege of Arras.
14 May 1643: Death of Louis XIII,
beginning of the reign of Louis XIV.
19 May 1643: Remarkable victory
at the Battle of Rocroi, won by the
Duc d’Enghien against the Spanish.
26 December 1646: Death of his
father, Henri II de Bourbon-Condé;
Louis, Duc d’Enghien, becomes the
Prince de Condé.
17 November 1652: Condé seeks
refuge in the Spanish Netherlands
following the failure of the Condé
headed Fronde and is named
Généralissime of the Spanish
troupes.
14 June 1658: Battle of the Dunes.
Defeat of the Spanish Army near
Dunkerque, commanded by Don
Juan of Austria and the Grand
Condé against Henri de la Tour
d’Auvergne, Viscount of Turenne.
27 March 1654: Loss of privileges,
political fall and death sentence of
the prince, proclaimed the judgment
of the Parliament of Paris.
7 November 1659: Signing of the
Treaty of the Pyrenees between
France and Spain that allows for the
return of Condé in France.
Circa 1677- After 1682:
painting commission extended to
Charles Le Brun.
1684: Beginnings of work on the
Petit Château at Chantilly under the
direction of Jules Hardouin-Mansart
(preparations for the apartments of
the Grand Condé and of the Hall
of Battles, highlighting his military
victories and exploits).
1678: Commission of
The Deliverance of Andromeda
to Pierre Mignard.
20
9 March 1661: Death of Mazarin
and dawn of the independent reign
of Louis XIV.
June 1662: The ceremony of the
Grand Carrousel in the Tuileries
Gardens that marks the definitive reentry of the Grand Condé at the court
and initiation into the system of
government under Louis XIV, where
complete submission of the French
nobility to the king was promoted.
11 December 1686: Death of the
Grand Condé at Fontainebleau..
23 December 1686: Funeral
obsequies for the body of the Grand
Condé at Vallery.
DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY / EXHIBITION 5 SEPTEMBER 2016 - 2 JANUARY 2017
6 March 1648: Triumphal Entry
into the city of Dijon
January 1650-February 1651:
Imprisonment of the Grand Condé,
of his brother and of his brother-inlaw under the orders of Mazarin and
the Queen-Regent Anne of Austria.
February 1651: Beginning of the
Condé headed Fronde.
1662-1663: Beginnings of work in
the park of the Château de Chantilly
under the direction of André Le
Nôtre; the work would last for 20
years.
1667-1668: The War of Devolution
(Guerre de Dévolution) that sees the
return of Condé to the battlefield
under the service of his cousin
Louis XIV.
1672-1675: The war in Holland;
Condé sees his final battles, notably
at the Crossing of the Rhine
(12 June 1672) and at Seneffe
(1674).
1664-1669: Scandal of the play
Tartuffe by Molière, who found
support under the protection of the
Grand Condé.
23-26 April 1671: The magnificent 1675: Retirement from the
activities at Chantilly on the
battlefield and beginning of his
occasion of the visit of Louis XIV
“retreat” at Chantilly.
and the court to the château; suicide
of François Vatel the morning of 24
April.
10 March 1687: Funerary
ceremony and pomp at Notre-Dame
de Paris, where Bossuet delivers his
famous Bossuet.
26 April 1687: Funerary ceremony
for the heart of the Prince de Condé
at the Church of the Jesuites of Paris
(Église des Jésuites de Paris).
1648-1653: The Fronde.
January-March 1649: Blockade of
the city of Paris, fallen under during
the Fronde, led by Condé.
2 July 1652: Combat in the
Faubourg Saint-Antoine at the
gates of the city of Paris; Condé
is saved by his cousin the Grande
Mademoiselle, daughter of Gaston
d’Orléans, frondeur and uncle of
Louis XIV.
1687-1694: Deliveries of the
painted cycle to be mounted in
the Hall of Battles of Chantilly by
Sauveur le Conte.
LE GRAND CONDÉ. THE RIVAL OF THE SUN KING?
21
VISUAL REFERENCES
AVAILABLE TO THE PRESS
The ensemble of images is available for download on the website www.heymann-renoult.com.
1. French School of the
end of the 17th Century,
The Battle of Rocroi,
oil on canvas
Chantilly, musée Condé, PE 653
(Restored thanks to the support of
the Friends of the Musée Condé)
© RMN-Grand Palais
(domaine de Chantilly) /
Michel Urtado
2. Jacques Stella
(Lyon, 1596-Paris, 1657)
Louis II de Bourbon, the
Duc d’Enghien,
oil on canvas,
Chantilly, musée Condé, PE 307
© RMN-Grand Palais
(domaine de Chantilly) /
Thierry Ollivier
3. Attributed to Juste
d’Egmont (Leiden,
1601-Anvers, 1674) and
to Pierre Mignard (Troyes,
1612-Paris, 1695),
The Grand Condé
and His Son,
4. French School of the
17th Century (after AdamFrans Van der Meulen?),
An Episode of the Fronde:
Fighting Beneath the Walls
of the Bastille, 1652,
5. Juste d’Egmont (Leiden,
1601-Anvers, 1674),
Portrait of Louis Ii de
Bourbon, the Prince de
Condé, Called the Grand
Condé, in Armour,
6. Adam-Frans Van
der Meulen (Brussels,
1632-Paris, 1690),
View of the Château
de Chantilly,
7. Pierre Mignard (Troyes,
1612-Paris, 1695)
The King Sisyphus and
the Queen Cassiopeia
Thanking Perseus For
Rescuing Their Daughter
Andromeda, also called
The Deliverance of
Andromeda,
8. The So-Called
Flag of Rocroi,
9. Juste d’Egmont (Leiden,
1601-Anvers, 1674),
Portrait of Louis II de
Bourbon, the Prince de
Condé, Called the Grand
Condé, In Turkish Dress,
10. Gobelins Tapestry
Manufactories, workshop
of François Bonnemer
(Falaise, 1638-Paris
1689),
after the work of AdamFrans Van der Meulen,
Charles Le Brun and
François Verdier,
The March of the Calvary,
Commanded by Condé,
oil on canvas, circa 1666,
Versailles, musée national des
châteaux de Versailles et de
Trianon, MV 8449
© RMN-Grand Palais / Gérard Blot
oil on canvas
Chantilly, musée Condé, PE 131
© RMN-Grand Palais
(domaine de Chantilly) /
René-Gabriel Ojéda
oil on canvas,
Versailles, musée national des
châteaux de Versailles et de
Trianon, MV 6818
© RMN-Grand Palais
(Château de Versailles) / Droits réservés
charcoal and watercolour,
Chantilly, musée Condé, Inv.
2007.1.1 (Acquired within the
framework of the law on patronage
of 2003 with the support of the
Foundations of Édouard Leclerc
de La Chapelle-en-Serval)
© RMN-Grand Palais
(domaine de Chantilly) / Michel Urtado
painted silk,
Chantilly, musée Condé, OA 3622
(Restored thanks to the support of
an anonymous donor)
© RMN-Grand Palais
(domaine de Chantilly) /
Michel Urtado
oil on canvas,
Paris, musée du Louvre, R.F.
1989-8
© RMN-Grand Palais
(musée du Louvre) / Franck Raux
oil on canvas,
Chantilly, musée Condé, PE 132
© RMN-Grand Palais
(domaine de Chantilly) /
René-Gabriel Ojéda
piece of the Wall-Hanging of
Painted Silk depicting the
Crossing of the Rhine, painting
on fluted fabric of silk thread and
linen supports, Paris, Mobilier
National, GMTT 104/1
© Paris, Mobilier national /
Isabelle Bideau
22
DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY / EXPOSITION 5 SEPTEMBRE 2016 - 2 JANVIER 2017
11. French School OF the
end of the 17th Century
View of the Château
de Chantilly and of its
Parterre Gardens From
Vertugadin
12. Pierre Mignard
(Troyes, 1612-Paris, 1695)
Portrait of Molière,
13. Antoine Coysevox
(Paris, 1640-1720)
Bust of Louis II de Bourbon,
the Prince de Condé, In an
Antique Breastplate, 1688,
14. Jean Dolivar
(Saragossa, 1641-Paris,
1692), after Jean Berain,
The Mourning Canopy,
Design of the Funerary
Structure for the
Obsequies made for
Monseigneur le Prince de
Condé, Louis de Bourbon,
Second of His Name,
Foremost Prince of the
Blood, in the Church of
Notre-Dame de Paris the
10 th of March 1687…
gouache on vellum,
Chantilly, musée Condé, PE 350
© RMN-Grand Palais
(domaine de Chantilly) /
Gérard Blot
bronze
Paris, musée du Louvre,
département des Sculptures,
MR 3343
© RMN-Grand Palais
(musée du Louvre) /
Stéphane Maréchalle
oil on canvas,
Chantilly, musée Condé, PE 313
© RMN-Grand Palais
(domaine de Chantilly) /
Harry Bréjat
nitric acid and chisel engraving,
Chantilly, musée Condé, EST H 1
© RMN-Grand Palais
(domaine de Chantilly) /
Michel Urtado
15. David Teniers
the Younger (Anvers,
1610-Bruxelles, 1690)
Louis II de Bourbon, the
Prince de Condé, Called
the Grand Condé,
16. The Hall of Battles of
Chantilly in its current state
17. Tournament with
Running at the Head and
the Ring Held by the King
and by the Princes and
Lords of His Court in the
year M.DC.LXII (1662)
18. Adam Perelle (Paris,
1640-1695)
General View of Chantilly
from the Point of Entry,
© Domaine de Chantilly /
Sophie Llyod
oil on copper,
Chantilly, musée Condé, PE 130
(C) RMN-Grand Palais
(domaine de Chantilly) /
Michel Urtado
© Bibliothèque et archives du
château de Chantilly
19. Medal Depicting
the Bust of Louis II de
Bourbon, the Prince of
Condé in Profile Crowned
with a Laurel Wreath,
gilt bronze, 1687
Chantilly, musée Condé, OA 370
© RMN-Grand Palais
(domaine de Chantilly) /
Michel Urtado
LE GRAND CONDÉ. THE RIVAL OF THE SUN KING?
engraving on copper,
Chantilly, musée Condé, don Le
Maresquier 1238, 1971-3-37
© RMN-Grand Palais
(domaine de Chantilly) /
Harry Bréjat
20. Jean-Léon Gérôme
(Vesoul, 1824-Paris,
1904)
Reception of the Grand
Condé by Louis XIV at
Versailles in 1674,
oil on canvas, 1878
Paris, musée d’Orsay, RF 2004-15
© RMN-Grand Palais (musée
d’Orsay) / Hervé Lewandowski
23
ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
Exhibit catalog
Richly illustrated, this catalogue relies on the most recent and
well-documented research. The essays, focus and footnotes
of the works presented rely primarily on the works featured
within, all while expanding and elaborating the research and
fields of study. This research regrouped within constitutes the
newest and most synthetic work, making it indispensible to
whoever wishes to discover or learn more about the rich personality of the Grand Condé and his century.
Under the Direction of Mathieu Deldicque,
with the collaboration of:
Katia Béguin,
Patrick Dandrey,
Léa Ferrez-Le Guet
Nicole Garnier-Pelle
Guillaume Kazerouni,
Sylvie Le Ray-Burimi,
Patricia Mary,
Pascale Mormiche,
Florent Picouleau,
Dominique Prévôt.
Éditions Snoeck, 243 p., 29 euros
Exhibit in the Library of the Duc d’Aumale
The Historicism of the Duc d’Aumale
5 September 2016 – 2 January 2017
Philippe Murray, in his essay “The 19th Century Throughout the Ages,” explained how the act of mourning became
its own cult after the revolutionary tabula rasa that was 1789. It is an obsession with the past, with inheritance, seen
in the works of Darwin and Zola, Hugo and Balzac, Guizot and Michelet. The Duc d’Aumale, recognized equally
for as a soldier, politician, architect and art collector, certainly did not escape this feverous fascination for history.
A contemporary of the age in which history became its own branch science, he possessed a well-respected identity
as a historian who merits rediscovery, contextualization and revaluation. The example set by his father the King
Louis-Philippe, whose initiative to transform Versailles into a museum dedicated to the glories of France (Musée des
Gloires de France), his well-founded princely education and his bibliomania illuminate a vocation that can hardly
be contradicted.
Aumale wrote books on military history, published sources, and fed the polemic against another great historian, the
Emperor Napoléon III. Though his greatest work remains the monumental 8-volume History of the Princes of Condé
(Histoire des princes de Condé), the work of a lifetime. From historical dialectic in recognition of his academic prowess,
the exposition will hear the voice of the Aumale-historian by virtue of a presentation of books, manuscripts and correspondences. This is a new contribution to his biography, in addition to general historiography of the 19th Century.
24
DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY / EXPOSITION 5 SEPTEMBRE 2016 - 2 JANVIER 2017
LE DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY
Le Domaine de Chantilly is situated at the heart of 7,800 hectares of land, in the middle of one of the greatest forests
just outside of Paris. Built upon since the Middle Ages by the different owners (Anne de Montmorency; the House of
Bourbon-Condé, including the Grand Condé, cousin of Louis XIV; Henri d’Orléans, the Duc d’Aumale), the domaine
is the repository of innumerable treasures blending art, nature and gastronomy.
The château houses the Musée Condé, which is composed of a truly exceptional collection of old-master paintings.
More than 550 paintings are on display, amongst which are masterpieces of Raphael, Botticelli, Clouet, Poussin,
Watteau, Ingres, Delacroix, Fouquet… At the heart of the château is equally one of the richest libraries of Europe:
the Private Library of the Duc d’Aumale. Housing 13,000 works, of which 1,500 manuscripts and 500 works printed before 1500 in a single room, the domaine posses, above all, the most precious and famous manuscript in the
world: The Very Rich Hours of the Duc de Berry (Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry) from the 15th Century.
The park is one of a kind in the diversity of the gardens that compose it: the French garden, or à la française, designed by Le Nôtre in the 17th Century, the Hamlet, or Hameau, which inspired Marie-Antoinette, and saw the birth
of whipped cream (crème Chantilly), the Anglo-Chinese garden from the 18th Century and the English garden, or
à l’anglaise, from the 19th Century.
The Grand Stables, a masterpiece of 18th Century architecture, are amongst the most beautiful in the world. Inside
is found the Musée du Cheval, which explores the relationship between man and horse, while 30 horses and a team
of 8 equestrians perform year-round.
© J. Houyvet
The ensemble of the Domaine de Chantilly is the property of the Institut de France since the donation made in
1886 by one of its very own members, the Duc d’Aumale, who was searching for a way to avoid the dispersal of
his rich collections. In 2005, the Institut de France signed a contract with the Fondation pour la Sauvegarde et
le Développement du Domaine de Chantilly, created by His Highness the Aga Khan; it will ensure the restoration,
management and development of the Domaine.
Domaine de Chantilly
LE GRAND CONDÉ. THE RIVAL OF THE SUN KING?
25
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Hours of Operation
26 March to 1 November
2 November and after:
Open 7 days a week, save 1 October
Open 6 days a week, closed Tuesday
10:00
10:30
Open at
Closes at
18:00
20:00
Château
17:00
18:00
Grand Stables
Park
Prices
Exhibit
Domaine de Chantilly
Full Price
Basic Entry:
Exhibit ticket includes entry to the park
Guided Tour:
10 €
supplement of
Every week-end at 11:00 / 15:00 / 16:00
3€
Reduced
Price
6€
-
Group Visit (upon reservation)
150 €
140 €
School Group Visit
100 €
-
30 person min.
30 students min.
Tickets
Full Price
Reduced
Price
Domain ticket
17 €
10 €
Park ticket
8€
5€
Equestrian
show and Horse
Museum
21 €
17,50 €
Domain +
Show
30 €
22 €
Access to Chantilly
20 minutes from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris,
and 40 km from Paris city-centre.
By Car: From Paris, AutoRoute A3 and/or A1 exit
“No. 7 Chantilly,” or D316 and D317; from Lille and
Brussels, AutoRoute A1 exit “No. 8 Senlis”.
By Train: From Paris Gare du Nord, main lines, the
Paris-Chantilly journey is roughly 25 minutes.
Lodging Within Proximity to the Domaine
Auberge du Jeu de Paume - http://www.aubergedujeudepaumechantilly.fr/en
26
DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY / EXHIBITION 5 SEPTEMBER 2016 - 2 JANUARY 2017