Dubarry Before the Renovation


These photographs, from Les Anciens Chateaux de France of 1925 show the original building, before it was renovated by Coty, the perfume tycoon in 1930. He rebuilt it entirely, apparently because of the structural instability of the hillside due to the quarries underneath. A third floor was added for bedrooms, and two levels of basements became the new foundation.

The original front of the pavillon Dubarry without the third floor.

Front view, from the left side.

The front salle a manager, where Louis XV dined.

The salon du roi, on the river view side.

Detail of the bas-reliefs around the front porch.

The pictures below show the pavillon in the condition in which it was just before Coty's ownership. They reveal that the unfortunate addition of the top floor was not his idea originally. The previous owner had placed an entirely inappropriate Mansart roofed third floor on Ledoux's neo-classical oeuvre.
The source of these photos is the France's Ministère de la Culture Memoire database.

The front fountain appears much as it still does today.

Another unsuitable modification to the Ledoux simplicity of design was the addition of wooden shutters.

The front entrance.

One wonders whether there was an orangerie in which to store the potted palms during the wintertime.

The front salle a manger.It is interesting to compare with Moreau watercolor of the inaugural party of 1771. It appears as though Mme. Du Barry's Pajou sculptural light fixtures portraying classically attired women are shown here in reproduction.

The "Oval Room", in the rear, left corner of the building.

The music room, to the right of the salle a manger.

The salle carré, or salon du roi as it is labelled on Ledoux's original plan.