Cabinet of Curiosities: The Duc de Sully

Few people managed to assemble a truly curious collection of oddities to rival that of the Duc de Sully. Louis-Pierre-Maximilien de Béthune was born in 1685 and seemingly took the conventional path of a male aristocrat: he joined the military. Over the years, he would acquire the rank of colonel of the queen's regiment but it was his taste for the oddities of life that never truly left him.

Art, natural history, medallions, and weaponry - all featured in the duke's collection which was housed in his private residences. The collection was divided into twenty categories of which a few choice pieces are repeated here.

Plenty of courtiers shared his taste but few collections are as well-documented as his. This is due to the fact that upon his death in 1761, his collection was sold - for this purpose, an exhaustive inventory was drawn up which has survived to this day. No fewer than 792 lots were put up for auction which shows the sheer size of the collection. The auction took place on 8 March 1762.

The Duc de Sully

The collection contained numerous pieces of antiquity, including several very finely preserved statues of Egyptian priests and gods. Of the ancient Roman statues, the duke appears to have been particularly fond of Venus and Jupiter; both of whom he had several likenesses. Likewise, Etruscan antiquities, medallions and etchings were plentiful. Rather tellingly, the long list of bronze antiquities is quaintly ended with the listing of a bronze equestrian statue of none other than Louis XIV.

However, the "curious" pieces in the collection are the ones that truly draws attention:

• An ivory tooth (likely an elephant tusk) delicately carved with bacchanalian scenes

• A red coral still attached to a rock

• Two nautiluses mounted on golden stands

• Skin of a rattlesnake 

• Petrified wood

• A collection of starfish

• A lantern discovered in an ancient sepulcher 

• A gondola cut from rock crystal

• A rhinoceros' tail and two horns

• Fossil of marine animals

• Antique weapons from the Far East 

• A narwhale's horn

• Various clusters of minerals 

• A taxidermy ibis 

• 326 coins from foreign countries

• Various sea urchins 

Besides his obvious fascination with antiquity, the Duc de Sully had two other interests which clearly shines through: the Far East and natural history, particularly pertaining to the ocean. His collection was full of various types of sea creatures (both living and fossilized) including rare species of fish, starfish, corals, crabs etc. Likewise, he had an entire collection of gemstones, minerals and silver.

Animals, too, seems to have generally been a topic of interest for him. Amongst his numerous bronze sculptures, he had an entire little menagerie which included a wolf, a horse, a dog, a lion, a crab, a frog - even mythological creatures such as dragons and sphinxes.

Meanwhile, China and India has an entirely separate category dedicated solely to such exotic influences. Figurines, books, and even fabrics could be found amongst the lots at the auction. Japanese lacquerwork was also a frequent material amongst his cabinets. The duke would not have been alone in this fascination; Europe was deeply intrigued by the wonders of Asia with its magnificent luxury, revolutionary technology and utterly different traditions in art. The collection of books on the subject in his collection shows that the duke's interest was more than a mere trend but a genuine interest in the societies of the Orient.

The duc de Sully had arranged his collection in four connected rooms, as reported by d'Argenville. The first one housed etchings, maps and various drawings including numerous sculptures, particularly busts and two cabinets with fossils. The second room held his antiques, mainly the Egyptian ones, as well as his collection of engraved precious stones and antique jewellery. These were - like the fossils - kept safe in their own boxes. The third room was dominated by sea-shells - and the antique lantern - while the fourth room had medallions, coins and more antiques.

Frontispiece of the catalogue prepared for the auction

The amount of antiquities amongst his collection might indicate that the duc de Sully had a penchant solely for times long gone. However, his collection also included several pieces of far newer date, including an etching of the wedding of princess Louise Élisabeth (Louis XV's eldest daughter) to the Duke of Parma - an event which he himself would have attended. This could indicate that the duke merely appreciated good craftsmanship. 

While the duke was not particularly scholarly himself, he was allegedly always prepared to show his collection off to those who might be interested.