AUMONT Louis Marie Augustin (EN)

Biographical article

Louis Marie Augustin, the Duc d’Aumont (1709–1782), belonged to one of the most important families in the Court. His great grandfather, Louis Marie Victor (1632–1704), was Premier Gentilhomme de la Chambre du Roi (First Gentleman of the King’s Bedchamber), a post held by the elder son of each generation throughout the eighteenth century. After the death of his parents and his younger brother, Louis Marie Augustin, the last surviving member of the family, became the Duc d’Aumont at the age of fifteen. On 23 April 1727, he married Victoire Félicité de Duras, Duchesse de Fitz-James (1706–1753), who bore him two sons, Louis Alexandre Céleste, Duc de Villequier (1736–1814), and Louis Marie Guy, Duc de Mazarin (1732–1799), as well as a daughter, Jeanne Louise Constance, Duchesse de Villeroy (1731–1816). In 1723, Louis Marie Augustin became the Premier Gentilhomme de la Chambre, a post that involved managing the royal revenues, which he held until his death. Working in his post in 1774, he was present at the death of Louis XV (1710–1774) and accompanied the royal corpse on the journey to Saint-Denis. This post gave him the right to inherit all the furniture of the room in which the king had stayed. Jean-Nicolas Dufort de Cheverny (1731–1802) stated that he had thoroughly enjoyed the Duc d’Aumont’s company when they stayed in the South of France (Dufort de Cheverny, J.-N., 1990, p. 224).

The collection

Unlike the other collectors of his epoch, the Duc d’Aumont was not drawn to painting and sculpture, arts considered noble par excellence. But he did have a great passion for rare stones and Oriental porcelain wares, which he began to collect in around 1750. The death of his wife in 1753 may have boosted his passion for this activity. The articles collected over a twenty-five year period amazed visitors by their quantity, quality, and beauty. On 10 October 1775, Horace Walpole (1717–1797) described the magnificent ensemble in the Hôtel d’Aumont, on the site of the present-day Hôtel Crillon, on Place de la Concorde: ‘2 million’s worth of tables, columns, chandeliers, and Oriental porcelain articles. Two fine porphyry tables with legs made from the same material and moulded gilt decorations executed by Gouthière (1732-1813), who worked solely for him’ (Le Quai Voltaire, 1990, p. 160, no. 51).

The Duc d’Aumont assembled his collection in part by acquisitions from Parisian dealers who specialised in the trade in luxury objets d’art, such as Thomas Joachim Hébert (died in 1774) and Lazare Duvaux (died in 1758). The post-death public auctions of collectors constituted another means of enrichment for his collections. The Duc d’Aumont rarely attended these auctions and often acquired objets d’art through the intermediary of the major marchands-merciers (dealers). Hence, Lazare Duvaux purchased on his behalf seventeen articles (a teapot, two mottled grey cornet vases, and fourteen in blue and white ) at the Duc de Tallard sale in 1756. The Duc d’Aumont acquired objects regularly at the major auctions of the luxurious decade 1767–1777. A true collector, the Duc patiently built up his collection of oriental porcelain wares over around thirty years. He carefully selected only the articles he was interested in and avoided buying entire lots merely to quickly assemble a quality collection solely designed to impress. Louis-Marie-Augustin only kept the most interesting items in each of the collections. Hence, the Duc d’Aumont managed to assemble the largest collection of oriental porcelain wares of his times, comprising 414 articles. By comparison, in 1767, Jean de Jullienne owned 370 porcelain wares, and ten years later, Randon de Boisset (1708-1776) owned 276 and, in 1781, the Duchesse de Mazarin left 219. The Duc’s ensemble comprised 192 ornamental vases, 146 practical articles (dishes, bowls, cups, mixing bowls, etc.), thirty-one animals, seventeen human figures, and ten other articles. Polychrome articles predominated, with 178 porcelain pieces, and in particular 169 Japanese Kakiemon objects. The sixty-four Chinese objects are noteworthy due to their exceptional quality. The highest price was paid for a pair of celadon barrels mounted by the fine bronze worker Pierre Gouthière (1732–1813) on the request of the Duc and acquired by Louis XVI for the significant sum of 7,501 livres at the Duc d’Aumont sale (Julliot, P.-F. and Paillet, A.-J., 1782, pp. 51-52, lot num. 110; and Davillier, C., 1870). The Duc d’Aumont also kept articles with rocaille mounts, which were unfashionable at the time. Hence, as he held the post of Premier Gentilhomme at the time of the King’s death, the Duc was given the celadon fountain, which had been delivered on 18 May 1743 by the dealer Thomas-Joachim Hébert for the wardrobe of Louis XV’s new room in Versailles. Likewise, the two celadon ‘lisbet’ vases with their blue decorations have rocaille decorative elements that transforms them into large jugs. Despite their old-fashioned appearance, Louis XVI was impressed enough by their quality to buy them at the Duc d’Aumont sale (Julliot, P.-F. and Paillet, A.-J., 1782, p. 73, lot num. 165 ; and Davillier, C., 1870). The same originality is evident in the significant ensemble of sixty-three porcelain articles with blue and white decorations. These articles were highly popular in the seventeenth century, then gradually decreased in popularity throughout the following century, despite dealers’ attempts to boost the market. The Duc d’Aumont assembled an exceptional collection and selected two types of decorations that were appreciated for their finesse: on the one hand, ‘models’, which designated vases, figures, and flowers that were slightly in relief, and on the other, ‘embroideries’, arabesque decorations painted in white on a blue ground or blue on a white ground, using a repetitive pattern that was reminiscent of embroidery work on fabrics. With only twenty-one celestial blue articles in his collection, the Duc d’Aumont distinguished himself from his contemporaries who were so fond of this glaze (Castelluccio, S., 2013, pp. 142–146). Likewise, the small quantity of violet articles can be explained by their rarity on the Western market and by his disinterest in them. However, he did select original shapes, with a monkey, a vase that resembled a length of bamboo, two bottles, two large jugs and a Chinese tabouret mounted as a vase thanks to its gilt bronze lion-heads decorations. Its violet, celestial blue, and pink floral decorations, as well as its rarity, made it an expensive item, which was acquired by Louis XVI at the Duc’s sale (Julliot, P.-F., and Paillet, A.-J., 1782, pp. 70-71, lot num. 160; Davillier, C., 1870), with the two large jugs, which were subsequently given to the Queen. In contrast with the painted decorations on the vases, the Duc d’Aumont liked representations of human figures en ronde-bosse. Collectors liked the picturesque qualities, naturalism, and expression of these statuettes, in contrast to the European classical canons (Castelluccio, S., 2013, pp. 168–169). The Duc d’Aumont owned nine pagodas (female figures, generally in the standing position) and eight magots (male figures, generally seated). Two were white from Japan, four in polychrome porcelain, five in celestial blue, and six were celadon. The Duc had a particular passion for animal figurines, as attested by the thirty-one statuettes, including twenty-one birds, the most attractive of the works due to their multicoloured plumage. Aside from their quality, the Duc d’Aumont’s porcelain wares also had remarkable mounts. Almost half of them were mounted, one of which was in gold, six in vermeil, ten in silver, and 172 in gilt bronze. The Duc retained some of the mounts, even though they had gone out of fashion, such as the rocaille ones and, of course, those in the neo-classical style from the collections of Jullienne (1686–1766), Gaignat (1697–1768), Blondel de Gagny (1695–1776), and Randon de Boisset. He commissioned new ones for certain articles directly from the fine bronze worker Pierre Gouthière, who was at the time one of the most famous on the Place de Paris, which was associated with quality and the latest fashions. Gouthière began working for the Duc d’Aumont in 1770, using drawings by the architect François Joseph Bélanger (1744–1818), with the latter’s brother-in-law, Jean Démosthène Dugourc (1749–1825), directing and monitoring the execution of the work. Paillet and Julliot highlighted the contribution made by the famous bronze worker in the sale catalogue, marking a ‘G’ in the descriptions of the mounts created by the master (Julliot, P.-F., and Paillet, A.-J., 1782; Davillier, C., 1870).

Like many other collectors of Oriental porcelain wares, the Duc d’Aumont was less impressed by European articles, which he may have considered as inferior to Chinese wares and above all those from Japan. The European objects, which are very much in the minority, were mainly associated with tableware, as their forms and number were more suited to Western uses. Decorative vases were few indeed. In 1782, Louis Marie Augustin owned two articles from Chantilly, 136 other pieces from various manufactories in France, and forty-one articles and a cabaret vase from Saxony, all used as tableware. Three ornamental vases and four statuettes of dogs also came from Meissen. Apart from the table set consisting of 223 elements, the Sèvres porcelain wares were in the minority, with only seven ornamental vases, including two ‘celestial blue’ shells mounted in potpourri vases. The Duc d’Aumont owned a set of three articles, of which the first models were produced by the manufactory in 1764, with their characteristic neoclassical decorations and their harmonious white and gold Sèvres-blue decorations. The Duc d’Aumont was just as demanding about his collections of vases and stone furniture as he was about his Chinese and Japanese porcelain wares. The popularity of articles carved from porphyry, mainly tabletops and vases, goes back to the seventeenth century. Their rarity and their high value meant that they were reserved for kings and great princes, such as Richelieu (1585–1642) and Mazarin (1602–1661). As the Egyptian quarries had been closed in the fourth century CE, porphyry came from the columns discovered on ancient sites and cut up into blocks to make vases or busts, or in tranches to make table tops. This material, which is very prestigious due to its colour that evoked the imperial purple and its antique origins, created a direct symbolic link with the Roman Empire so admired by his contemporaries. The technical difficulties associated with working this extremely hard stone added to its prestige. The popularity of porphyry lasted during the eighteenth century; then there was renewed interest as of the 1750s with the new neoclassical sensibilities, after the discoveries and excavations of the sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum. This new archaeological approach generated a fresh interest in other stones used in ancient Rome, in particular green porphyry, the serpentines, and coloured marbles, such as Sienna yellow and antique green; the latter were not quite as rare, and were less costly and easier to work.

The Duc d’Aumont’s collection included columns and vases, but no busts. Aumont focused on the quality and prestige of the materials, with mainly porphyry articles, ancient marble and granite and very few contemporary marble articles. What made his collection remarkable was the quality rather than the quantity of the articles it contained, with fourteen columns and twenty-four vases. In 1756, the Duc de Tallard left thirty-three vases, and the most impressive collections were those of Blondel de Gagny in 1776, comprising sixty-two vases, and Randon de Boisset in 1777, with ninety-seven vases. Of the fourteen columns made from contemporary marble, granite, and ancient marble, twelve have a base or capital with gilt bronze decorations. The most impressive of these, made from porphyry, was bought for 7,000 livres by Louis XVI to adorn the future Musée du Louvre. This exceptionally large object was fitted with a base and capital comprising gilt bronze executed by Gouthière. Amongst the twenty-four vases, six were made from jasper, including three with gilt-bronze mounts. The exceptional cassolette mounted in bronze by Gouthière was bought for Marie-Antoinette for 4,600 livres, for as much as a porphyry vase. The nine porphyry vases attest to the fashion for this material amongst the collectors. The Duc d’Aumont commissioned, amongst other items, a pair of urns, whose profiles resembled those of an antique vase. The elegance of the vase’s proportions and the beauty of the polished porphyry, a finish which is difficult to obtain, combined with the technical prowess of sculpting the very delicate handles directly in such a hard material, make them into masterpieces. They have no mount, or they have a base, to avoid hiding the stone. However, on the green porphyry vases, mouldings, and gilt bronze friezes contrast with the dark appearance of the stone, while female figures or rams’ heads give these vases symmetry and a graceful, picturesque quality. The nine vases made from ancient marble have the profile and decorative vocabulary of the antique works, whilst their large size is in the tradition of seventeenth-century pieces.

The great originality of the Duc d’Aumont’s collection of marble objects is due to the twenty-one tables. The seven tabletops made from modern marbles (sérancolin, Antin, and purple or white breccia marble), another with marble marquetry, the two in flowered alabaster, the four in pink granite, and the three in antique green and Piombino marble attest to a tradition that emerged during the Renaissance. However, the two pairs of tables, one of which is entirely made from jasper and the other from porphyry, from the plateau to the feet, entirely adorned with gilt bronze decorations, drew their inspiration from the antique furniture unearthed in the excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum. Their gilt bronze ornamentation created by Gouthière demonstrates a vocabulary in the latest fashion, inspired by ancient Egypt and highly neoclassical style, with trophies, and palmettes; the most prestigious and costly, those entirely made from porphyry, remarked on by Walpole in 1775, featured in two engravings in the catalogue. Sold for a price of 12,000 livres per item, they were the most expensive items in the sale. Louis XVI acquired them to offer them to Marie-Antoinette. These two tables, as well as those made from jasper, are untraceable. 

A veritable collector, the Duc d’Aumont acquired over a period of around thirty years porcelain articles and marble and porphyry objects until his death. Placed on the various articles in his mansion and not assembled in a cabinet, their role was primarily decorative. This partly accounts for their lack of mention by Bachaumont (1690–1771), who remarked on the marble and porphyry objects, but completely ignored the porcelain wares. Not particularly interested in painting and sculpture, the Duc d’Aumont collected none, much to the displeasure of the critiques of his era. Like contemporary collectors of oriental porcelain wares, Louis Marie Augustin was fascinated by their materials and the originality of their forms and decorations, to such an extent that he paid scant attention to European works.

As a man of his times, he collected mostly Japanese polychrome <i>Kakiemon</i> objects, the most sought-after articles by collectors since the beginning of the eighteenth century. What distinguished him, however, was his particular interest in celadon and white articles, works also appreciated by his contemporaries, but rarely on such a large scale. Most surprisingly for a man of his generation was his interest in seventeenth-century blue and white wares, which were very unfashionable at the time, and, to a lesser extent, the picturesque aspects of human representations and animals en ronde-bosse (Castelluccio, S., 2013). Hence, the Duc assembled the most extensive collection of oriental porcelain wares at the end of the eighteenth century, both in terms of the quantity and quality of the articles themselves and their gilt bronze ornamentation, an indispensable complement to the finest articles, whose beauty and value was thereby enhanced. The Comte d’Angiviller (1730–1809), Directeur des Bâtiments du Roi, was aware of this and had several lots acquired by the dealer Paillet, on behalf of Louis XVI. The porcelain wares are in the majority, comprising thirty-three articles, including seven mounted by Gouthière, twenty-one vases, and two marble and stone tables. Hence, the Duc d’Aumont’s finest porcelain wares were deemed worthy of being integrated into the royal collections. The latter was the last representative from the Ancien Régime of generations of collectors of Chinese and Japanese porcelain wares, who were fascinated by a material that had remained mysterious for so long, by the originality of their forms, and the brightness of their colours. The ensemble of columns, tables, and vases collected by the Duc d’Aumont is also remarkable on a variety of levels: by the quality of their materials and their prestigious origins ‘from the ancient monuments of Rome’ (Julliot, P.-F. and Paillet, A.-J., 1782, first page of the notice; Davillier, C., 1870), that is to say ancient Roman sites, as Rome was the capital of the Empire, the symbol of wealth and quality. The authors of the catalogue drew attention to the duke’s quest to acquire the rarest marble pieces in Italy and in the excavations, and always specified that a particular column or block was unearthed in 1766 near the Temple of Vesta at Tivoli, in the ancient port of Trajan in 1767, or in the Villa Negroni the same year. The size of the objects, the technical prowess involved in sculpting the rams’ heads and handles in the solid material and above all the prestigious tradition of their forms—that of the seventeenth century—attests to great cultural sophistication and the inspiration of ‘le grand goût’ (official taste) of the seventeenth century, and in particular the reign of Louis XIV, the other source of inspiration for neoclassicism.

The Duc d’Aumont was not simply an experienced and exacting collector. He discovered and encouraged talented individuals by commissioning works from young, gifted artists inspired by the latest archaeological discoveries and the renewed interest in antiquity, the proponents of the very latest fashions. Hence, certain vases were sculpted according to drawings by the architect Bélanger, who subsequently worked for the Comte d’Artois (1757–1836) at Bagatelle. The sculptures were often executed by Augustin Bocciardi (1719–1797), who worked in the workshops at the Hôtel des Menus Plaisirs, while the bronzes were exclusively the work of Gouthière. Articles from the Duc d’Aumont’s collection are now held in the museums of the Louvre, the Château de Versailles, the Wallace Collection in London, the John Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and the Frick Collection in New York.