Louis Petit de Bachaumont
Encyclopedia
Louis Petit de Bachaumont (lwi p(ə)ti də baʃomɔ̃) (June 2, 1690 – April 29, 1771) was a French writer, whose historical interest has been connected largely to his alleged role in the gossipy Mémoires secrets pour servir à l'histoire de la République des Lettres
. A modern biography brought to general attention his other roles, as an arbiter of taste, an influential art critic
and an urbaniste
Petit de Bachaumont was of noble family and was brought up at the court of Versailles
. He passed his whole life in Paris, however, as the centre of the salon of Mme Doublet de Persan (1677–1771), where criticism of art and literature took the form of malicious gossip. A sort of register of news was kept in a journal of the salon, starting in 1762, which dealt largely in scandals and contained accounts of books suppressed by the censor. Bachaumont's name is commonly connected with the first volumes of this register, which was published anonymously, long after Petit de Bachaumont's death, under the title Mémoires secrets pour servir à l'histoire de la République des Lettres
, but his exact share in the authorship of those years before his death in 1771 is a matter of controversy. The register was continued by Pidansat de Mairobert (1707–1779), who may have had a greater hand in it from the start, and by others, until it reached 36 volumes (covering the years 1774-1779). It is of some value as a historical source, especially for prohibited literature, and full of anecdotes, for which it was sieved by the brothers Goncourt, who revived interest in this obscure figure, whom they presented as the anecdotier parfait, the reputation, as the "perfect recounter of anecdote" to the present time.
Petit de Bachaumont's studied "indolence", remarked upon in his obituary, was a stylish pose. His major published writings are Essai sur la peinture, la sculpture et l'architecture (1751) and his surveys of the Paris salon
s of 1767 and 1769, in which esthetics and cultural politics were inseparably entwined. Less noted is his published call in 1749 for the roofing-over of Perrault's classical colonnaded east front of the Palais du Louvre
and the clearing away of the ramshackle structures, both those that had been built against it, in order to form a proper Place du Louvre, and those in the centre of the Cour Carré itself Sections of the palace were in danger of collapse, scarcely touched by royal indifference after 1678; work did begin in 1755 to clear the facade of the Louvre, overseen by the architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot
and Marigny
, supervisor of the Bâtiments du Roi
.
As a critic of art, his recommendation of a young artist named François Boucher
appeared in a design memorandum Bachaumont presented the duc de Bouillon, who was occupied with renovating interiors at the Château de Navarre in Normandy, in 1730: "he is very quick, works fast and is not expensive".
See, in addition to the memoirs of the time, especially the of Grimm
, Diderot
, d'Alembert and others (new ed-, Paris, 1878); Ch. Aubertin, L'Esprit public au XVIIIe siècle (Paris, 1872).
Mémoires secrets
The Mémoires secrets pour servir à l'histoire de la République des Lettres en France depuis 1762 jusqu'à nos jours is an anonymous chronicle of events that occurred between 1762 and 1787. Goodman thinks it started as a manuscript newsletter emanating from Paris...
. A modern biography brought to general attention his other roles, as an arbiter of taste, an influential art critic
Art critic
An art critic is a person who specializes in evaluating art. Their written critiques, or reviews, are published in newspapers, magazines, books and on web sites...
and an urbaniste
Urbanism
Broadly, urbanism is a focus on cities and urban areas, their geography, economies, politics, social characteristics, as well as the effects on, and caused by, the built environment.-Philosophy:...
Petit de Bachaumont was of noble family and was brought up at the court of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
. He passed his whole life in Paris, however, as the centre of the salon of Mme Doublet de Persan (1677–1771), where criticism of art and literature took the form of malicious gossip. A sort of register of news was kept in a journal of the salon, starting in 1762, which dealt largely in scandals and contained accounts of books suppressed by the censor. Bachaumont's name is commonly connected with the first volumes of this register, which was published anonymously, long after Petit de Bachaumont's death, under the title Mémoires secrets pour servir à l'histoire de la République des Lettres
Mémoires secrets
The Mémoires secrets pour servir à l'histoire de la République des Lettres en France depuis 1762 jusqu'à nos jours is an anonymous chronicle of events that occurred between 1762 and 1787. Goodman thinks it started as a manuscript newsletter emanating from Paris...
, but his exact share in the authorship of those years before his death in 1771 is a matter of controversy. The register was continued by Pidansat de Mairobert (1707–1779), who may have had a greater hand in it from the start, and by others, until it reached 36 volumes (covering the years 1774-1779). It is of some value as a historical source, especially for prohibited literature, and full of anecdotes, for which it was sieved by the brothers Goncourt, who revived interest in this obscure figure, whom they presented as the anecdotier parfait, the reputation, as the "perfect recounter of anecdote" to the present time.
Petit de Bachaumont's studied "indolence", remarked upon in his obituary, was a stylish pose. His major published writings are Essai sur la peinture, la sculpture et l'architecture (1751) and his surveys of the Paris salon
Paris Salon
The Salon , or rarely Paris Salon , beginning in 1725 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Between 1748–1890 it was the greatest annual or biannual art event in the Western world...
s of 1767 and 1769, in which esthetics and cultural politics were inseparably entwined. Less noted is his published call in 1749 for the roofing-over of Perrault's classical colonnaded east front of the Palais du Louvre
Palais du Louvre
The Louvre Palace , on the Right Bank of the Seine in Paris, is a former royal palace situated between the Tuileries Gardens and the church of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois...
and the clearing away of the ramshackle structures, both those that had been built against it, in order to form a proper Place du Louvre, and those in the centre of the Cour Carré itself Sections of the palace were in danger of collapse, scarcely touched by royal indifference after 1678; work did begin in 1755 to clear the facade of the Louvre, overseen by the architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot
Jacques-Germain Soufflot
Jacques Germain Soufflot was a French architect in the international circle that introduced Neoclassicism. His most famous work is the Panthéon, Paris, built from 1755 onwards, originally as a church dedicated to Sainte Genevieve.- Biography :Soufflot was born in Irancy, near Auxerre.In the 1730s...
and Marigny
Abel-François Poisson, marquis de Marigny
Abel-François Poisson de Vandières, marquis de Marigny and marquis de Menars , often referred to simply as marquis de Marigny, was a French nobleman who served as the director general of the King's Buildings...
, supervisor of the Bâtiments du Roi
Bâtiments du Roi
The Bâtiments du Roi was a division of Department of the household of the Kings of France in France under the Ancien Régime. It was responsible for building works at the King's residences in and around Paris.-History:...
.
As a critic of art, his recommendation of a young artist named François Boucher
François Boucher
François Boucher was a French painter, a proponent of Rococo taste, known for his idyllic and voluptuous paintings on classical themes, decorative allegories representing the arts or pastoral occupations, intended as a sort of two-dimensional furniture...
appeared in a design memorandum Bachaumont presented the duc de Bouillon, who was occupied with renovating interiors at the Château de Navarre in Normandy, in 1730: "he is very quick, works fast and is not expensive".
See, in addition to the memoirs of the time, especially the of Grimm
Grimm
-Media:* Brothers Grimm , the third album by Australian hip hop singer Drapht-Fiction:* The Brothers Grimm, German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors...
, Diderot
Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer. He was a prominent person during the Enlightenment and is best known for serving as co-founder and chief editor of and contributor to the Encyclopédie....
, d'Alembert and others (new ed-, Paris, 1878); Ch. Aubertin, L'Esprit public au XVIIIe siècle (Paris, 1872).