École FRANÇAISE du XVIIIe siècle

Lot 201
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Estimation :
3000 - 4000 EUR
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Result : 6 182EUR
École FRANÇAISE du XVIIIe siècle
Presumed portrait of the Marquis of Vichy. Oval canvas (enlarged at the top). Dim. 74 x 62 cm. Provenance : Vichy family then by descent. The Marquis Abel de Vichy (1740/1793) : "The Vichy's passed with reason to be very great lords before the revolution of 1789. They had very beautiful alliances, magnificent properties everywhere, and the reputation to be almost all original by the character and bizarre in their tastes. Abel de Vichy, head of the elder branch, had a considerable fortune, the income from which he had first used for several years to maintain a superb menagerie assembled at great expense by him in the outbuildings of his castle of Monceau, in Charolais. Later, he became fascinated by the Sicilian Gagliostro, whose admirer, advocate, friend, supporter and, in a way, accomplice he wanted to follow him to England after the unfortunate affair with the queen's necklace. The thaumaturgist, in spite of all his beautiful secrets to make gold, would not have dined every day in London without the Marquis of Vichy. The latter, before leaving France, had sold one of the most beautiful buildings in his house, the Cour du Dragon, in Paris, for 600,000 pounds, and this enormous sum passed entirely through the hands of Cagliostro, who very probably used it to lengthen the already too numerous litany of his dupes. This mahout of ferocious beasts and tricksters died obscurely during the emigration, leaving two sons, the elder Abel (Abel Claude Goëric Cécile comte de Vichy, 1765-1832), who had not accompanied his father into exile, and the younger (Gaspard Félix, 1767-1805), who was called the comte de Saint-Georges, and who was not long in following his father into the homeland of the whole world." (Marquis Théodore de Foudras, La Vénerie contemporaine, 1879 Abel de Vichy will inherit from great aunt the duchess of Luynes who died in 1764, sister of his grandmother, wife of Gaspard II de Vichy. The fortune of the Marquis of Vichy was considerable, he owned the castles of Champrond, Montceau- l'étoile, Sombernon, la Montagne and buildings in Paris which bordered the courtyard of the Dragon. His misfortune will be his meeting with Cagliostro, which will ruin him. It is said that he was engaged with Cagliostro in the observation of the stars, alchemy and astrology. He was in London with Cagliostro when the affair of the Queen's necklace broke out. Then the Revolution broke out... he emigrated with his two sons, returned to France to support the counter-revolutionary army, fought at the siege of Lyon, was captured and was shot (along with many others...) in October 1793
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