|
Chateau de
Cirey-Residence of Voltaire
Located in the
Haute-Marne district about 250 km from Paris, the Château de Cirey is
marked by the presence of Voltaire who lived there 15 years from 1734 to
1749 as the guest of Gabrielle-Emilie de Breteuil, Marquise du Chatelet,
another great mind of the 18th century.
Voltaire was
forced to flee
Paris
and take refuge at Cirey in 1734 after the publication of « Philosophic
Letters » also know as « The English Letters ». These
« Letters » strongly criticized existing French institutions.
The French Parliament, angered by the letters, ordered that Voltaire be
imprisoned. Having already served two previous sentences in the Bastille,
Voltaire preferred to flee.
The Marquise
du Chatelet, a friend whom Voltaire had met the year before, offered him
asylum at her Cirey property.
The chateau is
located near the
Lorraine
border, an independent province at the time. It was an ideal refuge for
Voltaire who could cross the border if he was pursued by the authorities.
Voltaire decided to live at Cirey until the arrest warrant was recalled,
thus allowing him to return safely to the capital.
Later in life,
after he left Cirey, Voltaire continued this habit of living near borders.
However, this didn't keep him from regular visits to
Paris
.
When he arrived at Cirey, he found the château in a dilapidated state
with drafts and cold winds blowing through various openings.
The château,
at the time, consisted only of the right wing with its high roofs which
dominate the canal. This wing of brick and stone, Louis XIII period, was
built by Louis-Jules du Châtelet in 1643 upon existing ruins of an 11th
century fortress.
Surprisingly,
Voltaire fell in love with the region, changed his plans, and decided to
stay definitively at Cirey. But first of all, he had to make it habitable.
With the
approval of the Marquis du Châtelet, Voltaire undertook major restoration
of the château. Finding it too small for, he enlarged it by creating a
long gallery overlooked by a terrace. On the grand entry door of the
gallery, Voltaire expressed his philosophical convictions and his love of
the arts and sciences. The sculpted stone door frame depicts a marine
theme composed of seashells and the two faces of
Neptune
,
awake and sleeping. Voltaire believed in Maupertuis's theories of
evolution which portrayed the sea as the source of life. He symbolized
this with the marine theme.
Other
attributes of the arts and sciences portrayed on this door include :
to the left of
the door (beginning at the top) : a world map for astronomy
the compass,
the ruler, and the T-square for geometry
the pen and
its holder for literature
to the right
of the door (beginning at the top) - again, astronomy
a palette for
painting, a mallet for sculpture, a bagpipe for music
Among the
inscriptions are these lines written by Voltaire reflecting the serenity
he enjoyed at the château (to be seen at lower left under the pen) :
"Refuge
of the arts,
Solitude
where my heart rests in profound peace, It is you who bestows the
happiness That the world promised in vain. "
Voltaire had
another purpose in restoring the château - to attract Mme. du Chatelet.
Preferring the urbane, sophisticated life at court in
Paris
to the austere life of Cirey, Mme. du Chatelet delayed returning to Cirey.
Emilie gave up her life in
Paris
for Voltaire and joined him at Cirey. Thus began one of the greatest
intellectual and romantic relationships of the 18th century between these
two exceptional people.
1°
Breakfast in the Marquise's bedroom
This room, opened to visitors for the first time this year, has been
restored according to the historical descriptions of Mme du Châtelet's
bedroom.
"wood panellings varnished in light yellow
with pale blue cordons. The bed is covered in blue moiré and
everything is beautifully matched, up to the dog's basket : everything is
blue and yellow…" writes Mme de Graffigny, a frequent guest at Cirey, in
1738.
On the mirror you may see a portrait of the Marquise.
She is shown at work. A woman of science, it is at Cirey that she
translated from latin and gave a commentary on the most important
scientific work of the XVIIIth century :
Newton
's "Mathematical
principles of natural philosophy". This translation is still
looked upon favourably today.
It is in their bedroom that the château's guests
partake of the first light meal of the day.
The roasted meat and the cup of broth one took usually
upon waking up during the previous century have been given up for the new
beverages such as coffee, chocolate or tea.
Voltaire loves chocolate, and drinks up to a dozen cups
from
5 A.M.
to
3 P.M.
Chocolate has been known to
France
since 1615, but will only become
fashionable during the XVIIIth century. On the desk you may see
a porcelain chocolate service.
The chocolate pot has a lid, in the centre of which is
a tiny opening in which is slipped a small stick, usually made of box wood,
called the "moussier" (foamer) to vigorously stir the
chocolate until it foams. The way to do it is to quickly roll the stick
between the palms while inserted in the pot.
The cup you see here is special : it is a "shivering"
(trembleuse) cup made especially for drinking hot chocolate. Its lid
made it possible to shake the beverage to make it foam, and the very
hollow saucer, in which the base of the cup is firmly held, gives it
greater stability.
2°
The Dining Room
The table is set according to the custom of the XVIIIth
century, called "service à la française".
Principles of this service.
The dishes are placed directly upon the table by the
many servants, each series of dishes (fish, foul, meat, vegetables….)
bears the name "service".
Usually, a meal consists of five services. The
one you look upon today is the one called "desserts" (or
sweet). The guests help themselves directly from the main dish. The
servants only take part to put the courses on the table or take them away.,
and change the plates.
The bottles, decanters, and glasses are not on the table, but on small
tables close by, in containers filled with ice. The guest who wishes for a
glass of wine or champagne asks the servant standing behind him. Very
little water is drunk during meals.
The silver ware is pointed towards the guest : this unusual way of table
setting allowed to read the coat of arms engraved on the upper end.
Table
decoration
Gold or silver table centers with pickles, spices, seasonings, and dried
fruit, have disappeared since 1730. The height of fashion are lovely
decorations mostly representing miniature gardens. In the centre of the
table you gaze upon what is rightly called a "jardin à la française"
(which means formal, in opposition to the English garden, more
poetical). This centrepiece is reproduced according to historical
documents. It is made with exactly the same materials as in the XVIIIth
century : coloured sand and sugar, painted pieces of wood, sea
shells, porcelain figurine…
3°
The Encyclopaedists & the library.
In the library is one of the most important works of the XVIIIth century.
Diderot and d'Alembert's Encyclopaedia. It is the first French
Encyclopaedia, and one of the volumes is on display on the lectern. This
work consists of 23 volumes, with 2800 engravings, and broaches 1185
subjects. 96 authors, among them Voltaire, took part in the drafting of
the Encyclopaedia.
It may be noted that the philosophers who wrote this Encyclopaedia did
not look down upon plain food. They list ingredients, preparations,
effects on one's health. One may remark, with a smile, the doubts
expressed upon "chocolate" whose so called "beneficial"
effects are cause for worry.
On the wall of the small passage leading to the chapel there are
drawings from the Encyclopaedia showing trades linked to table arts, such
as silversmith's, glass ware, cutlery, and cutlery works, a porcelain
manufacture.
4°
The chapel
The chapel was built in 1865. Jean-Constant Ménissier, a well known
local painter, and a pupil of the great French painter Ingres, decorated
it in 1858. His signature can be seen under the lion's wing in the cupola.
The chapel is dedicated to Saint Charles Borromée, archbishop of
Milan
during the XVIth century.
Each fresco represents an episode of his life : for instance, on the back
wall, behind visitors, the saint giving holy communion to sick people, the
church in the background of this fresco is the cathedral of
Milan
.
5°
Coffee in the sitting room
The sitting room is in the XVIIIth century wing built by
Voltaire and called "The Gallery". Beautiful tapestries
hang on the walls. They come from
Bruges
and
are XVIIth century. They represent the seven world wonders. For
instance, on the right the huge and ornate tomb of King Mausole, from
which derives the name "mausoleum", or on the left the Egyptian
Pyramids.
At Cirey, coffee is served at the end of the morning and is an occasion
for Voltaire and his Marquise to meet in the Gallery to read the day's
mail. Cirey is a solitary spot, lost in the woods, and letters are the
only link with the outside world. Voltaire keeps up an important
correspondence with the whole of
Europe
. So the couple meet in the gallery around ten in the
morning, and the "ceremony" of coffee lasts for more than an
hour and a half.
It is around 1644 that coffee came to
France
,
and it was immediately very popular. Voltaire drinks coffee to excess and
says it makes him "as
lively as a goat".
Like tea and chocolate, coffee is going to influence the porcelain and
silversmith manufacturing. A new container for preparing and serving
coffee appears. It takes the name of "coffee pot" as soon
as 1690.
Here are cups of different models made in the XVIIIthcentury.
Coffee cups are always smaller than chocolate cups. As you may remember,
the chocolate cup we saw in the bedroom was very high and rather wide.
6°
Tea in the drawing room
In the drawing room, there are two more tapestries.
- On the right of the mantel piece the
Rhodes
colossus
- On the left, the suspended gardens of
Babylon
.
The Louis XVI period furniture is upholstered with tapestries depicting
the Fables of La Fontaine.
On each side of the room hang two large paintings of the XVIII th
century Italian school.
Above the mirror, you have yet another portrait of the Marquise du Châtelet.
It is in this drawing room that tea is usually served. Tea only arrives
on European shores in the beginning of the XVII th century.
The French do not adopt it as a daily beverage, contrary to the English.
Up to the beginning of the XIXth century, tea is mostly
partaken of after the evening meal.
The first tea service used in
Europe
came from
China
.
The "cups" are small bowls without a handle, like those shown
here. These bowl will be replaced during the XVIII th century
by cups with a flaring rim. On the table there are also specific XVIII
th century sweets, sugared almonds, others flavoured with bergamot
orange, still popular today.
One must wait for the XVIIIth century to witness the advent
of cane sugar. The success of the French plantations in the
West
Indies
makes
France
the
most important supplier of sugar in
Europe
.
Paris
becomes high ranking in confectionery.
At the beginning, sweets were displayed in special dishes called
"drageoir". They are offered at the end of meals, as they are
believed to have digestive values. In the XVII th century, a
new shape of "drageoir" appears to answer the habit of having
always a few sweets about one self : this is the pocket
"drageoir". As the fashion for sweets is the rage, more and more
small sweet boxes appear. During the XVIIIth century is the
fashion to carry around all kinds of sweets.
7°
The meal of a poor family on stage
Voltaire's
little Theatre
This theatre is exceptional for many reasons :
-There are only about 20 private châteaux theatres in
France
.
-It is probably the oldest one in the country.
-It is the only theatre layed out by Voltaire still visible to day.
Voltaire stages his own plays at Cirey. The actors are his guests.
Everything is run on a hectic rhythm : there are at least two rehearsals
and two showings a week.
On the right, a small loggia. This is where the Marquise de Châtelet
sat to view the acting when she was not herself on stage.
On the other wall, a mural, partly painted over during the XIXth
century in the name of decency. A priest was gazing fondly on the very
open bosom of the lady sitting next to him. It is to be noted that the
only individual still apparent to day seems more interested by the
vanished lady than by the goings on on scene.
The décor of this country home recalls the meal of a simple family.
The basis of these meals is a vegetable soup, more or less enriched with
fat, and poured on bread. Dessert is any milk product, and beverage, if
available, wine and water. Cereal or dried vegetables gruel are also
staples. Greenery (salad or fresh vegetables) is more common in the south
than in the north of
France
.
The only meat is salted pork. Pork is the main source of animal proteins,
with fish along the sea coast.
8°
Cook books in the kitchen's anteroom
1st reproduction (1304/1314)
How to prepare all manners of meats.
The fist item shows the oldest French culinary text precisely dated.
The recipes are short, merely a list of ingredients and the succession
of operations, with no mention of proportions or cooking length.
In the XIVth century cook books are very rare. It is only
with the discovery of printing that they become available.
2nd reproduction
(1651 – The French cookbook- La Varenne)
The second reproduction shows the 1651 cookbook by La Varenne, which is
a revolution in French art of cooking. We would say it is truly
"nouvelle cuisine" compared with medieval cooking.
-Spices are eliminated in favour of aromatical plants.
-Sauces change, with the notable addition of fat and flour.
-Vegetables have a place of choice.
-Menus are changed, put in an order still familiar to us. –Cooking
language is codified and enriched.
3rd reproduction (1746
– Bourgeois cooking, by Menon)
This represents a cook book which had a huge success in the XVIIIth
century. During that
period the cook book becomes a real treaty in which the professional
exposes his methods, the principles and the means making his art available
to all.
The
kitchen
The kitchen is the most ancient room of the Château. Te foundation date
is inscribed on the foundation date : 1643. "Cuisine"
signifies both the art of cooking and the room where food is prepared.
The size of the chimney is impressive. One can still see part of the
spit on which a whole pig, or even a small calf could be roasted.
The trammel is XVIIIth century. This implement has been in
use for centuries. It is, in a way, the thermostat of those times. With
this system, one could put the pot closer or further from the fire and so
heat the contains more or less.
The large stove is XIXth century, there is also a bread oven
close by.
This kitchen is particularly self-sufficient.
Cooking pots and pans in the XVIIth century are numerous and
of all kinds. They are made of wood, copper, pewter, tin plate,
earthenware…. Many are around you.
On the middle table, the oldest known cooking instrument : the mortar.
It allows to grind finely spices, dried fruit, herbs… The marble used to
make this mortar is beautiful : hard, clean, non porous, it doesn't absorb
smells. Mortars were equally made in thick porcelain, or in wood.
This forgotten household implement has come back in fashion with the
taste for all sorts of spices in modern cooking.
10°
The pantry
This the room where all food stuffs are stored.
The room in which we are is laid out to that effect.
-Meat, game, poultry, fish, hang from the central beam
-Cheeses, milk products are sheltered in the fine-meshed cupboard,
protected from flies.
-fresh vegetables, fruits, preserves, jams, all liquids are stored on
shelves and racks.
The pantry is also used to prepare raw meats, such as carving fresh game
or other uncooked meat. Note the traces of hacking on the carving block.
At the end of the XVIIIth century a new vegetable appears,
which has become a staple of most of our meals : the potatoes.
At that time, it is not easy to keep food fresh, or preventing it from
spoiling.
-Fish and meat are salted or smoked. Some meats are preserved in fat.
-Vegetables and fruit are dried.
These methods tend to change
the taste of products, which is not the case to-day with modern means,
such as freezing. The difference as of today's food customs resides mainly
in the ways of storing food, otherwise there is less difference in to
day's cooking and XVIIIth century cooking, than there is
between the latter and cooking in the Middle Ages.
Haut de page |
