A Spectacular Folly in the Form of a Chinese Pagoda

Published on 08 October 2021, by Claire Papon

Auction on 19 October 2021 - 11:00 (CEST) - Salle 1-7 - Hôtel Drouot - 75009

Odd things can sometimes turn up in attics. This model of a Chinese pagoda built for the grounds of a Paris hôtel particulier (an urban mansion) was found under the roof of a château.

Studio of Pierre Rousseau (1751–1829), model of the Chinese pavilion at the hôtel... A Spectacular Folly in the Form of a Chinese Pagoda

Studio of Pierre Rousseau (1751–1829), model of the Chinese pavilion at the hôtel de Montmorency-Luxembourg, c. 1770–1780, wood, metal, cardboard, paper, fabric, h. 85 cm/33.46 in, base, 51 x 40 cm/ 20.08 x 15.75 in.
Estimate: €15,000/20,000

It is hard to imagine today, but with its leafy gardens, manmade lakes, bridle paths, parks, carriages and follies—quaint, sometimes-ephemeral structures that first appeared in 18th-century England—the boulevard Montmartre in Paris once appeared more like the countryside. "Anglo-Chinese" follies won over aristocrats during the reign of Louis XVI, when they sprang up in Chartres, the parc Monceau, Bagatelle, the désert de Retz (in the Yvelines)…

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FURNITURE & OBJETS D'ART - ANTIQUE & MODERN PAINTINGS - HIGH PERIOD

Tuesday 19 October 2021 - 11:00 (CEST) - Live

Salle 1-7 - Hôtel Drouot - 75009 Paris

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