Fire in Paris destroyed 17th century murals

The fire caused significant damage to one of the most famous buildings in Paris, the Lambert Hotel, located on the island of Saint-Louis. In particular, several murals made around 1652 by the artist Eustache Le Sueur were destroyed by fire. The incident took place on Tuesday night. The most affected was the so-called Cabinet des Bains (Baths), the ceiling of which was decorated with frescoes depicting Greek gods and nymphs.

“This is a complete disaster,” said Alexandre Cojannot, an architectural historian. After extensive restoration in 2010, the Cabinet des Bains was in perfect condition and was an excellent example of 17th-century French architecture.

Lt. Col. Pascal Le Testu, spokesman for the fire department, said the frescoes adorning the Hercules Gallery and painted by Charles Le Brun in the middle of the 17th century were seriously affected by smoke and water.

The Lambert Hotel was part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The hotel is located on the eastern tip of the island of Saint-Louis, one of the two natural islands on the River Seine. The mansion, designed by architect Louis Vau, was built in the 1640s for an official named Lambert de Thorigny. Here, the famous Voltaire showed signs of attention to the Marquise du Chatelet, who became his mistress. Since the middle of the XVIII century, this place began to gradually decline. By the time Prince Adam of Czartoryski, expelled from Poland, bought this building in 1843, it was used as a warehouse. Czartoryski restored the mansion, which became his family residence. In particular, here was his collection of paintings, which included the famous "Lady with an Ermine" by Leonardo da Vinci. Frequent guests of the castle were Chopin and Balzac. In 1975, the mansion was sold to the Rothschild banking dynasty.

In 2007, the Qatari prince Abdullah bin Abdullah Al-Thani bought the Lambert Hotel for 60 million euros. According to a representative of the Qatari royal family, she intends to help restore the building after a fire.

Anna Sidorova © Gallerix.ru