Hôtel de Lauzun
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
| Revision as of 21:31, 17 November 2010 Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) ← Previous diff |
Revision as of 21:31, 17 November 2010 Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) Next diff → |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| {{Template}} | {{Template}} | ||
| - | The '''Club des Hashischins''' (sometimes also spelled '''Club des Hashishins''' or '''Club des Hachichin'''), was a [[Paris|Parisian]] group dedicated to the exploration of drug-induced experiences, notably with [[hashish]]. | + | [[File:Hotel de Lauzun.jpg|thumb]] |
| + | The '''Hôtel de Lauzun''' on the quai d'Anjou, [[Île Saint-Louis]], [[Paris]], is the rival of the [[Hôtel Lambert]] among the few ''[[hôtel particulier|hôtels particuliers]]'' that retain their rich carved, painted, mirrored and gilded interiors from the time of [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]]. | ||
| - | It was active from about [[1844]] to [[1849]] and counted the literary and intellectual elite of Paris among its members, including Dr. [[Jacques-Joseph Moreau]], [[Théophile Gautier]], [[Charles Baudelaire]], [[Gérard de Nerval]], [[Eugène Delacroix]] and [[Alexandre Dumas, père]]. Monthly "séances" were held at the [[Hôtel de Lauzun]] on the [[Île Saint-Louis]]. | + | The ''hôtel particulier'' was not built by the [[Antoine Nompar de Caumont|Duc de Lauzun]], whose name it bears, but by a rich financier, Charles Gruyn des Bordes, the son of an inn-keeper grown rich from his trade and richer still, according to a pamphleteer, through speculations enabled by his title as general commissioner of cavalry during the civil disorders of the [[Fronde]]. |
| - | Gautier wrote about the club in an article entitled "''Le Club des Hachichin''" published in the ''[[Revue des Deux Mondes ]]'' in February 1846, recounting his recent visit. While he is often cited as the founder of the club, in the article his says he was attending their séances for the first time that evening and made clear that others were sharing a familiar experience with him. | + | Gruyn des Bordes had purchased the lot in 1641, but by the time he was prepared to build, he had new neighbours in the Île Saint-Louis to emulate, namely, the [[Hôtel Lambert]] de Thorigny. His new wife, Geneviève de Mony, hastened the completion of the house, completed in 1657 from designs by [[Louis Le Vau]]. Gruyn's initial 'G' is interlaced with her 'M' on [[chimneybreast]]s and throughout the decor. Gruyn, however, had [[Nicolas Fouquet]] as a [[patronage|patron]] and shared in Fouquet's disastrous fall. An inquest into his financial dealings found him guilty of fraud; he was thrown into prison and died there. His widow, having kept her financial affairs separate from his, survived his ruin and left the hotel to her son. |
| + | |||
| + | In the meantime, [[Antoine Nompar de Caumont]], Duc de Lauzun, had fallen from [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]]'s favour and had spent a decade in prison. Once he had clandestinely wed his lover, La [[Grande Mademoiselle]], she had ransomed him from the King and he immediately purchased the estate from de Mony's son. Lauzun enriched many of the interiors. The Hôtel de Lauzun passed on to the great-niece of [[Cardinal Mazarin]], who fled from the convent of [[Chaillot]] with the Marquis de Richelieu and eloped him in [[London]]. In 1709 the Marquis de Richelieu sold the house to Pierre-François Ogier, ''receveur du clergé'' who further enriched its interiors. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In the eighteenth century, as fashionable new districts drew aristocrats to the west of Paris, the Île Saint-Louis, in the heart of medieval Paris, became a backwater, then declassé. The Hôtel de Lauzun retained its aristocratic owners (now the Marquis de Pimôdan) until the [[French Revolution]]. With that event, the estate, like many of its once-grand neighbours, had its upstairs chambers and attics divided into apartments and rented by successful [[artisan]]s. In the 1840s, when the estate (now known as Hôtel Pimodan) belonged to the [[bibliophilia|bibliophile]] and collector, baron [[Jérôme Pichon]], auditeur au Conseil d’Etat, the upstairs apartments were rented to [[Charles Baudelaire]] and [[Théophile Gautier]]. These two residents formed their [[Club des Hashischins]], where they experimented with [[hashish]]. While residing there, Baudelaire wrote the first poems of ''[[Les Fleurs du Mal]]''. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The Hôtel de Lauzun, presently owned by the [[City of Paris]], has been restored and is open to the public for guided visits only on Mondays and Tuesdays. | ||
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
Revision as of 21:31, 17 November 2010
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
thumb The Hôtel de Lauzun on the quai d'Anjou, Île Saint-Louis, Paris, is the rival of the Hôtel Lambert among the few hôtels particuliers that retain their rich carved, painted, mirrored and gilded interiors from the time of Louis XIV.
The hôtel particulier was not built by the Duc de Lauzun, whose name it bears, but by a rich financier, Charles Gruyn des Bordes, the son of an inn-keeper grown rich from his trade and richer still, according to a pamphleteer, through speculations enabled by his title as general commissioner of cavalry during the civil disorders of the Fronde.
Gruyn des Bordes had purchased the lot in 1641, but by the time he was prepared to build, he had new neighbours in the Île Saint-Louis to emulate, namely, the Hôtel Lambert de Thorigny. His new wife, Geneviève de Mony, hastened the completion of the house, completed in 1657 from designs by Louis Le Vau. Gruyn's initial 'G' is interlaced with her 'M' on chimneybreasts and throughout the decor. Gruyn, however, had Nicolas Fouquet as a patron and shared in Fouquet's disastrous fall. An inquest into his financial dealings found him guilty of fraud; he was thrown into prison and died there. His widow, having kept her financial affairs separate from his, survived his ruin and left the hotel to her son.
In the meantime, Antoine Nompar de Caumont, Duc de Lauzun, had fallen from Louis XIV's favour and had spent a decade in prison. Once he had clandestinely wed his lover, La Grande Mademoiselle, she had ransomed him from the King and he immediately purchased the estate from de Mony's son. Lauzun enriched many of the interiors. The Hôtel de Lauzun passed on to the great-niece of Cardinal Mazarin, who fled from the convent of Chaillot with the Marquis de Richelieu and eloped him in London. In 1709 the Marquis de Richelieu sold the house to Pierre-François Ogier, receveur du clergé who further enriched its interiors.
In the eighteenth century, as fashionable new districts drew aristocrats to the west of Paris, the Île Saint-Louis, in the heart of medieval Paris, became a backwater, then declassé. The Hôtel de Lauzun retained its aristocratic owners (now the Marquis de Pimôdan) until the French Revolution. With that event, the estate, like many of its once-grand neighbours, had its upstairs chambers and attics divided into apartments and rented by successful artisans. In the 1840s, when the estate (now known as Hôtel Pimodan) belonged to the bibliophile and collector, baron Jérôme Pichon, auditeur au Conseil d’Etat, the upstairs apartments were rented to Charles Baudelaire and Théophile Gautier. These two residents formed their Club des Hashischins, where they experimented with hashish. While residing there, Baudelaire wrote the first poems of Les Fleurs du Mal.
The Hôtel de Lauzun, presently owned by the City of Paris, has been restored and is open to the public for guided visits only on Mondays and Tuesdays.
