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History Visit Roger de Rabutin Interior décor Information
History Visit Roger de Rabutin Interior décor Information
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History Visit Roger de Rabutin Interior décor Information
▲
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History Visit Roger de Rabutin Interior décor Information
▲
English
Basket-handle: a lowered semi-circular vault.
Damask: a single-colour fabric with a matt pattern
on a satin background, obtained by weaving.
Entablature: crowns the top part of a monument,
consisting of, from bottom to top, an architrave,
a frieze and a cornice.
Fronde (the) (1648-1653): an uprising of nobles
against the French monarchy before Louis XIV
came of age.
Jesuit: member of the Society of Jesus, order
founded by Ignace de Loyola in 1534.
Putto (plural Putti): cherub representing Love in
Italian paintings.
Practical information
Average length of visit: 1 hour.
Tours given in French.
Tours are suitable for disabled visitors.
(ground floor)
The Centre des monuments nationaux publishes a collection
of guidebooks about French monuments translated into several
languages. Éditions du patrimoine publications are on sale
in the bookshop-giftshop.
Centre des monuments nationaux
Château de Bussy-Rabutin
21150 Bussy-le-Grand
tél. 03 80 96 00 03
fax 03 80 96 09 46
[email protected]
www.monuments-nationaux.fr
crédits photos © Ministère de la Culture – Médiathèque du patrimoine, dist. RMN / Auguste Dormeuil. conception graphique Plein Sens, Anders. réalisation beau fixe. traduction Caractères et cætera. impression Stipa, mai 2010.
Glossary
Roger de Bussy-Rabutin
An interior décor inspired by resentment
A great warrior
A brief account of ancient
and modern history
Born in 1618 at Épiry, near Autun, Roger
de Rabutin, Count of Bussy studied with the
Jesuits* at the college of Autun and then at that
of Clermont in Paris. At 16 years old, he
commanded a regiment during his first military
campaign. At the age of 23, he was imprisoned
for 5 months for having allowed his regiment to
engage in salt trafficking. In 1645, he succeeded
his father as general lieutenant of the king’s
armies. He took part in the Fronde* and then
won over Louis XIV and was named colonel
general of the light cavalry in 1653.
A witty writer
In 1654, imitating the Carte du Tendre written
by his friend Mademoiselle de Scudéry, he wrote
Carte du pays de Bracquerie, wherein he mocked
the romantic adventures of the court.
His couplets about the king’s love affair with
Marie Mancini resulted in a first period of exile
of a few months. In 1660, in his satirical novel
Histoire amoureuse des Gaules, he recounted
the romantic stories of the court, disguising the
real names of the characters. Only his closest
friends were allowed to read the novel.
But in 1662, the marquise de Montglas, against
Bussy’s will, lent the novel to Madame de
La Baume, who had it printed in Holland and
handed out around the court. A sequel, aimed
at the king’s entourage, left Bussy, who claimed
not to be the author, in disgrace. Imprisoned on
17 April 1665 and released in 1666, Bussy was
condemned to exile.
*Explanations overleaf.
Roger de Rabutin kept himself busy during his
exile on his land in Burgundy by renovating the
inside of the château. The some three hundred
portraits that he assembled are testimony to his
interest in French history as well as royal and
family genealogy. He ordered copies made either
from original paintings, or from collections of
carvings in circulation at the time.
The paintings were fixed on wood panelling,
which provided better insulation against the
cold and humidity.
For the cabinet in the gilded tower, his lady
friends answered his call by sending him a copy
of their portrait.
Between love and vengeance
During the 17th century, the Jesuits* contributed to the development of the didactic use of
images. Roger de Rabutin seems to have been
inspired by the collection of father Pierre
Le Moyne, known as De l’art des devises.
These inscriptions, mythological scenes and
mottos convey the knowledge of Roger
de Rabutin, which was nourished by his regular
correspondence with his cousin, the Marquise
de Sévigné and his religious and socialite friends.
Through these humorous mottos, he told of
the nostalgia of a man banished from the court
and kept away from King Louis XIV, and
the resentment of a lover disappointed by
the marquise de Montglas.
*Explanations overleaf.
Château of
Bussy-Rabutin
Witness to the spirit of the Grand Siècle
From medieval residence
to Renaissance château
The château
in the early
19th century
This 14th-century former manor had several
owners that came from important families in
Burgundy: the Chastillon family followed by the
Rocheforts. After this, in
1602, François de Rabutin
bought the Bussy barony
and named it after his family
name. His grandson, Roger
de Bussy-Rabutin, forced into exile by Louis
XIV in 1666, had a unique interior décor done
in the château renovated by his parents.
A series of renovations
Purchased in 1733 by Étienne Dagonneau de
Marcilly and his wife, the estate was then
renovated. In 1792, the château was sequestered
and its furniture sold. With several changes in
ownership, the condition of the château
deteriorated, but it was consolidated by the
mayor of the village between 1820 and 1832.
Count Jean-Baptiste de Sarcus bought the estate
in 1835. He brought the château back to life and
had it listed as a historical monument in 1862.
It was in 1929 that the State became the owner
and began restoration and conservation work.
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History Visit Roger de Rabutin Interior décor Information
▲
The great courtyard
1 The great courtyard is laid out in a U-shape,
bounded by four round towers and surrounded by
moats. The original residence was reinforced, and
the surrounding wall that enclosed the courtyard
at the bridge level was demolished during
the 16th century.
2 The galleries that make up the château’s wings
were built around 1520 in the Renaissance style.
Their basket-handle* arcades and entablatures*
feature decorative rinceaux, grotesques, putti* and
coats of arms.
3 The chapel, laid out in a square shape, can be
found in the south-west tower. The fine ribs that
support the arch, with flamboyant, gothic lines,
finish on a thin ribbed column in each angle.
A reredos, a decoration found behind the altar,
illustrates the resurrection of Lazarus.
4 The Hall of Mottos features a portrait of Roger
de Rabutin, associated with the family coat of
arms, on the fireplace mantelpiece. Displayed
all around are the mottos that he adapted to his
personal history as an exiled courtier and unhappy
lover. The eighteen buildings, such as the châteaux,
the Invalides hospital and the Observatory are
sometimes represented in fanciful fashion.
Some were added after Bussy’s time.
5 The former kitchens bear witness to the
Renaissance period with sculpted additions that
also appear in the scullery.
The Bussy apartment
6 The Hall of the Great Warriors features 65
portraits of French and foreign key military
figures, chosen by Bussy, and which go from
Bertrand du Guesclin to Bussy himself. The dark
colour of the paintings contrasts with
the panelling where the monograms of the count
and his mistress, the marquise de Montglas,
interweave with one another.
5
16
15
A Reception
2
A
11
14
1
1
11
8
4
6
N
N
7
2
3
7 Bussy’s bedroom, which had been divided into
three rooms before 1835, was reorganised by the
Count de Sarcus and furnished with 19th-century
furniture. Portraits of mistresses of French kings
and ladies of the court can be found here.
A triptych groups together the second wife of
Bussy, Louise de Rouville, Madame de Sévigné,
and her daughter, Madame de Grignan.
8 In the cabinet of the gilded tower, inspired by
the former Salon des Dames in Versailles, portraits
sent by Bussy’s lady friends, the “beautiful ladies
of the court” can be found. Bussy amused himself
by adding a caustic comment beneath each one.
This collection is completed with 17th-century
royal and princely representations.
9 The kings’ gallery displays the Rabutin family
on one side and kings of France on the other,
from Hugh Capet to Charles X. In the 19th
century, Sarcus put in place a series of portraits
of statesmen and men of letters.
10 The platform and oratory, overlooking
the chapel, are decorated with figures of saints
and churchmen close to the Rabutin family.
N
10
8
Ground floor
13
9
First floor
The apartment of the Count de Sarcus
The right wing of the château was reorganised
during the 20th century.
11 The antechamber, covered by a French-style
ceiling and decorated with damask* wallpaper in
alternating red and gold strips, is furnished with
seats from the Régence period and with two pear
tree cabinets, stained black to resemble ebony.
Among the portraits, a noteworthy one is that of
Buffon in his study. The following rooms can be
visited upon request.
The estate
The estate covers 34 hectares. The gardens spread
out over 12 hectares and complement the château
perfectly.
12 The front courtyard is made up of paths in the
shape of a crow’s foot, as at Versailles. The main
path is lined with lime trees. A grove of starshaped arbours lines the west wing of the château.
A former ice house and cellar also feature a little
farther away from the green room.
The gardens
13 The maze was created during the most recent
restoration, in 1993.
14 The classical parterre, on the north terrace, is
divided into 8 square lawns bounded by box trees.
Old rose bushes and shrubby peonies are planted
here along with hardy perennials.
The exedras serve as resting areas embellished by
arbours. To the east, a fountain gushes out water
into a semi-circular basin dominated by a niche
housing a nymph. The water is then directed
through a channel to the central basin.
15 The large basin collects the water from the moats
and the central basin via a system of three
waterfalls over rocks.
16 The service quarters are composed of several
buildings running alongside the walls of the estate:
the dovecote, a sign of lordly privileges, farm
buildings and a footbath for horses.
*Explanations overleaf.