Wednesday 14 September 2016

Apartment of the Comtesse d'Ossun

The Comtesse d'Ossun was dame d'atours to Marie Antoinette which meant that she had permanent lodgings at court. Due to the prestigious position she held the Comtesse was granted apartments on the first floor near the Queen's own apartments.
The Comtesse had plenty of room to do with - especially compared to other inhabitants at Versailles - with a suite of no less than 10 rooms. Of these six had their own chimneys.

Luckily, an inventory from February 1786 gives us a fairly detailed account of the furniture in the Comtesse's apartment. The Comtesse could boast of not only two Ottoman sofas, six bedroom chairs and six moulded chairs a la Reine (basically comfortable armchairs) but also of four moulded chairs and two "tête-at-tête"-chairs. Furthermore, an "imperial style" couch was to be found in her apartment.

Billedresultat for versailles appartement de comtesse d'ossun
Inventory showing the purchases of the Comtesse d'Ossun

Interestingly enough, the Comtesse had also ordered a specific artwork: a bust by Nicolas Vallois and Boulard.

In March of that same year the Comtesse added to her collection with two gilded sofas complete with rosettes, tassels and ribbons as well as a total of eight chairs - four "tête-a-têtes" and four armchairs.
In total no less than eighteen pieces of furniture were delivered to the Comtesse d'Ossun in 1786!
The Comtesse was careful to preserve her furniture as is seen by the expensive varnish used both for gilding and redecorating her suite.

Billedresultat for versailles appartement de comtesse d'ossun
Frame of a chair delivered to Mme d'Ossun in 1786

The Comtesse seemed to have been particularly fond of two large armchairs; these were of yellow damask and appears in the inventories of both 1786 and 1788. In 1790 she had them moved to her bedroom - they were still intact when the furniture of Versailles was sold on auction in 1793.

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