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Origin and history

The Bagatelle Pavilion, located in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, is a "crazy" built in 1777 by architect François-Joseph Bélanger for the Count of Artois, brother of Louis XVI. This marina, built in just 64 days following a bet with Marie-Antoinette, became a symbol of the aristocratic art of living of the eighteenth century. Its exorbitant cost (£1.2 million) and its libertin use earned it the nickname of "bagatelle", a term that meant a frivolous thing.

Prior to its construction, the site housed a modest residence transformed into a place of gallant meetings by the Marshal of Estrées and Mademoiselle de Charolais, the natural daughter of Louis XIV. The pavilion was designed as an encyclopedic microcosm, mixing ancient decorations, Anglo-Chinese gardens and exotic factories (obelisks, pagodas, caves). The interiors, decorated with erotic stucco and furniture signed Georges Jacob, reflected the taste for antiquity and libertinage.

After the Revolution, the estate changed hands several times: Napoleon I offered his son, the king of Rome, before he returned to the Bourbons. In 1835 he was acquired by the Marquis d'Hertford, collector of art, who remanified him and installed some of his treasures there. In the 20th century, the city of Paris became its owner and the park, open to the public, became famous for its rose garden. The pavilion, classified as a historical monument in 1978 and 2022, is now being restored.

The gardens, redesigned in the 19th century by landscape architect Varé, preserve remains of the original factories (glacière, Chinese kiosk) and statues found, such as the sphinxes of Roland or the allegories of Lhuillier. The original furniture, dispersed during sales in the 19th and 20th centuries, is partially reconstructed thanks to recent acquisitions, such as an armchair by Georges Jacob found in 2021.

The pavilion embodies both the spirit of the Enlightenment, with its blend of learning and fantasy, and the excesses of the Old Regime. Its history reflects the political upheavals in France, from the monarchy to the Republic and the Empire. Today, there remains an exceptional testimony of 18th century decorative art and the evolution of the Parisian gardens.

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