Jean-Baptiste Oudry, peintre de courre

Unfortunately, the cartoons of the Royal Hunting Wall Hanging, which have been enshrined in the Bellifontaine panelling since the reign of Charles X, are not the best-known treasures of the "House of Centuries", since the flat to which they give their name has the disadvantage of being located at a dead end in the tour route and is therefore very often closed to the public. Unlike the furniture gallery, which seems doomed to permanent oblivion, and the painting gallery, which only comes to life once a year, the Appartement des Chasses was recently the scene of a spectacular restoration project (see article), which is highlighted by this highly successful exhibition. While some of the more jaded visitors may have been dragging their feet, with memories of their first exhibition, "Oudry’s Animals", which was already twenty years old, it’s a safe bet that visitors will have come away seduced by the unexpected results of an operation of this kind, which had become seriously necessary. The curators, Oriane Beaufils and Vincent Cochet, are keen to make the tour as instructive as it is enjoyable, and have designed an effective route through drawings, paintings and tapestries, not forgetting all the protagonists of the Vénerie Royale, often immortalised by Oudry’s brush.

1. View of the "Jean-Baptiste Oudry, peintre de courre" exhibition
Photo: Aurélien Boyé

See the image in its page

2. View of the "Jean-Baptiste Oudry, peintre de courre" exhibition
Photo: Aurélien Boyé

See the image in its page

Commendable efforts at contextualisation, combined with an elegant scenography (ill. 1 and 2), introduce neophytes to the practices and actors of the royal hunts of Louis XV, while enthusiasts will delight in the restored cartoons and the interplay of views, moving from studies to sketches and on to the grandiose weavings finally brought together here. Decidedly adept at repatriating from Tuscany the treasures that once graced the royal…