CHÂTEAU DE TOURNAY
also was a perfectionist when it came to the condition of the books, a crucial criterion for true bibliophiles” enthuses Adrien Legendre, head of Christie’s Books & Manuscripts department. Furniture and objets d’art throughout the library
overshadowed by the philosopher and writer’s subsequent residence the Château de Ferney, it is nonetheless steeped in history. The Chateau de Tournay has remained in private hands, with its last owner acquiring it about twenty years ago and not
and other rooms form a perfectly harmonious ensemble in which French classical taste reigns supreme. “It’s quite rare to find such a collection in such a coherent setting” remarks
only lovingly restoring it, but also recreating the refined intellectual spirit it possessed centuries earlier. First and foremost, in the library which boasts a 45-volume set of Voltaire’s complete
It’s quite rare to find such a collection in such a coherent setting.
Hippolyte de la Féronnière, head of Christie’s European Furniture department. Take for example this pair of corner cabinets by Bernard Van Risen Burgh, originally for the Château de Bellevue, as well as a Savonnerie screen, similar to one in the Nissim de Camondo Museum, a Regency-era desk from a Rothschild collection, and a pair of Louis XVI armchairs by Georges Jacob dating from 1786 and originally for the King’s private study at Fontainebleau. Not forgetting a cartel clock, a mantel clock and candelabras to complete this ode to the 18 th century. And yes, a slight temporal deviation: five Impressionist and modern paintings.
works, bound in period red Morocco leather bearing Paul I of Russia’s wife Tsarina Maria Feodorovna’s coat of arms. Alongside this, a monumental 70-volume edition known as the “Kehl edition” also bound in red Morocco leather. These rare works rub shoulders with others bearing prestigious coats of arms – those of the “Dauphin”, of Marie Antoinette, of the Marquise de Pompadour, and of Louis XV’s daughters, Madame Victoire and Madame Adélaïde. Going back a little further in time, connoisseurs will also be thrilled to discover a beautiful collection of bound books belonging to Empress Marie-Louise. “The collector not only had impeccable taste, but
3 l La bibliothèque comprend 45 volumes des œuvres complètes de Voltaire.
4 l Bel ensemble d’objets montés en porphyre.
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