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 Hôtel
de la Marine
Sponsorship
Renovation
works
Media
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Behind the façade,
on the first floor, two halls and a gallery are worthy of
attention
The Admirals Hall is on the first floor of the Hôtel
de la Marine.
It has three French doors opening onto the balcony above the
colonnade, overlooking the Place de la Concorde. It lies at
the centre of a succession of reception halls - including
the Hall of Honour and the Diplomatic Hall
- on the finest floor of the building, off the Golden
Gallery along the courtyard. The three halls were originally
intended for displaying bronzes, jewels, furnishings, and
weapons to the public, and were later converted into reception
halls.
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The
Admirals Hall
Hall
of Honour
Golden
Gallery
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The
Admirals
Hall
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 The
Admirals Hall is smaller than the Hall of Honour and its décor
is thought to be a little older; it probably dates from the
very beginnings of the building. The portraits of illustrious
mariners such as Jean Bart, Duquesne, Tourville, and Duguay-Trouin
are thought to date from the reign of King Louis-Philippe
(1830 to 1848).
The room is designed to imitate a gallery, with mirrored French
doors along the wall opposite the large-pane French doors
opening onto the balcony. The piers are decorated with portraits
of admirals and are highlighted with Napoléon III console
tables comprising white Carrara marble tops and gilt legs.
The floor is Versailles parquet in a diagonal pattern.
The walls are symmetrical, each having two doors with an alternation
of octagonal and rectangular panels decorated with trophies.
The doors are adorned with medallions containing busts in
profile and embellished with cherubs holding garlands of flowers.
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 The
ceiling comprises two compartments adorned with central
rosettes from which used to hang large chandeliers, and compartments
adorned with smaller rosettes against a red background from
which hang the six existing crystal chandeliers.
The room is known to have lived through four
phases:
Originally: The construction estimate of 1768
specifies that "there will be ceilings and cornices
only in the halls and galleries on the peristyle, on the
first floor …". It is therefore fair to assume
that some parts of the ceiling date from this period. The
inside of the outer wall on the peristyle is stone, whereas
the wall along the connecting gallery is brick.
The 1774 estimate of painter Potier describes
oil-painted fabric wall coverings, stating that "at
the ends of the gallery, between the pilasters and columns",
the artist "painted recessed panels surrounded by mouldings;
in addition, in the large recessed parts, two large military
trophies, and in the others, tracery of laurel leaves. (…)
The entire work forms a wall covering measuring one hundred
and twenty five feet, eight inches from end to end".
Unfortunately this work has not survived.
Jean Démosthène Dugourc's project
for the gallery, dating from 1784-1785, shows dummy architectural
features and masonry comprising false niches painted on
the piers and a series of bas-reliefs and oculi. This décor,
which may have been painted over the previous artwork, has
not survived either.
Imperial period: Napoleon III's decision
to move the furnishings store and to convert the premises
to house the Ministry of the Navy meant the public rooms
of the furnishings store became official reception rooms.
Surveys have shown that the existing décor mostly
dates from the campaign of works under the Second Empire
(1850-1870).
The layout of the rooms
was also altered. The large gallery was divided into two
rooms. Openings were created in the wall to enable doors
to open into the Golden Gallery opposite the French doors
of the peristyle.
Under the Third Republic (1870-1914)
the décor was very similar to that of the present
day. Photos from 1911 show the situation inherited from
the last redecoration of 1893 when the piers were painted
with portraits of admirals.
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Hall
of Honour
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The Hall
of Honour extends along the first section of the gallery
of large Crown furnishings. It was subsequently divided
into two rooms when the storage cabinets were removed.
The large-furnishings gallery used to have seven windows onto
the balcony, opposite which stood a series of cabinets with
sculpted doors holding the most precious items of the royal
ceremonial furnishings. Prior to the French Revolution the
woodwork was painted lilac. However little of the interior
décor of the Hall of Honour has survived from the 18th
century: only the doors at the ends, part of the ceiling cornice,
and the acanthi of the rosettes above the central chandeliers
have remained to this day.
The current
décor of the hall in fact dates from the later years
of the 19th century. The six mariners featuring in medallions
- Suffren, du Couëdic, Latouche-Tréville, Bougainville,
Forbin, and La Pérouse - were painted in 1893. There
used to be four chandeliers in the room, but only two have
survived.
When balls were held, guests took their places in the halls
in accordance with their rank: only officers of rank equivalent
to flag officer were entitled to enter the next room, the
Admiralty Room, which was separated from the Hall of Honour
by a small stage for musicians.
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The
Golden Gallery
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In the 18th century the Golden Gallery exhibited the bronzes
of the royal collections in specially designed cabinets.
The bronzes are now kept in the art department of the
Louvre Museum. The gallery was lit by the high windows
on the northern side. The doors that now provide access
to the salons did not exist at that time. The décor
of the gallery is consistent with that of the salons it
leads to: the Hall of Honour, the Admiralty Room, and
the Diplomatic Room.
Much use is made of gold in the gallery. Under the Ancien
Régime (the period leading up to the Revolution)
it was embellished with console tables painted to imitate
Sienna marble and painted false stone walls. Under the
Second Empire it was reworked in the lavish and intricate
Louis XVI style.
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(Updated: August 2007)  |
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