Ermenonville (Oise). Located in the Ermenonville forest, forty kilometers from Paris, the Chaalis estate has a 1,000 hectare park, a 13th century chapel, the remains of a Cistercian abbey and a castle (17th-18th centuries). This original place which has had a turbulent history has been managed by the Institut de France since 1912, thanks to a bequest from the painter and collector Nélie Jacquemart-André who bought it in 1902. She built up a collection of 6,000 pieces, mainly from the Renaissance, which constitutes the basis of the museum’s collections. Although the area is accessible by car, its general administrator, Alexis de Kermel, specifies that the site welcomed “more than 60,000 visitors” in 2024 and that the objective after work would be to reach 100,000 entries. If the tour focuses on the castle, the chapel is worth the detour for its frescoes by Primaticce, painted around 1545: an Annunciation and a ceiling of cherubs and saints, which express “ mannerism as it manifested itself in the School of Fontainebleau, with moving figures, clouds and draperies”, specifies Alexis de Kermel. The shimmering colored frescoes suffer from water infiltration and require complete restoration.
Panoramic view showing the ruins of the abbey church of the royal abbey of Chaalis: the castle and the chapel (behind the abbey church).
Museography rethought
Most of the work (10 million euros) concerns the castle, the condition of which has deteriorated in recent years: the joinery, electricity and heating constitute the most dilapidated areas according to Alexis de Kermel, who adds that the circulation and accessibility of the castle’s spaces (creation of an elevator and renovation of the stone floors) will also be improved. The route will be redesigned, as well as the museography which had not been redesigned for a long time according to Anne-Claire de Poulpiquet, curator of collections at the Institut de France. It is about“understand Nélie Jacquemart-André’s approach and respect the spirit of her collection”characterized by an accumulation of objects, textiles and furniture, at the risk of cluttering the rooms. The collections project will allow us to better understand certain masterpieces, including two paintings on wood by Giotto representing Saint John and Saint Lawrence. Anne-Claire de Poulpiquet specifies that in the lounges and the library on the ground floor “the museography will restore the original textiles and thick carpets”as well as the arrangement of the Ancien Régime furniture (Louis XV), even if not all of them have been restored. The important archaeological collection today presented in small display cases will be better presented, because they are exceptional pieces (India, Iran, Egypt). On the floor where the private apartments and the large gallery were located, the tour will highlight the painting activity of Nélie Jacquemart-André, known as a portraitist, and certain groups from her collection. Anne-Claire de Poulpiquet also announces temporary exhibitions in the rooms currently devoted to the Jean-Jacques Rousseau collection (the philosopher lived for six years in Ermenonville). During the two years of work, the area will remain open according to Alexis de Kermel who plans “site visits for the general public, to show you behind the scenes”.
