{"id":5992,"date":"2026-04-16T11:06:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T09:06:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/?post_type=newsletter&p=5992"},"modified":"2026-04-16T11:06:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T09:06:31","slug":"eugene-lami-1800-1890-a-taste-for-the-18th-century","status":"publish","type":"newsletter","link":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/newsletter\/eugene-lami-1800-1890-a-taste-for-the-18th-century\/","title":{"rendered":"EUG\u00c8NE LAMI (1800\u22121890) A taste for the 18th<\/sup> century"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Eug\u00e8ne Lami, Projet pour le vestibule du ch\u00e2teau de Boulogne-sur-Seine <\/em>[Design for the entrance hall of the ch\u00e2teau de Boulogne-sur-Seine], circa 1855, Paris, Mus\u00e9e des Arts d\u00e9coratifs (inv. CD 5732.20)

\u00a9 Les Arts D\u00e9coratifs \/ Jean Tholance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A painter, decorator, and art agent, Eug\u00e8ne Lami was one of the leading artistic figures of the 19th<\/sup> century. In the service of the Orl\u00e9ans and the Rothschild families, he contributed to the revival of interest in 18th<\/sup>-century decorative arts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eug\u00e8ne Lami, Une soir\u00e9e chez le duc d\u2019Orl\u00e9ans <\/em>[A night at the Duc d\u2019Orl\u00e9ans], 1843, Paris, Mus\u00e9e du Louvre (inv. 
RF 55315)

\u00a9 GrandPalaisRmn (Mus\u00e9e du Louvre) \/ Michel Urtado<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Born in Paris, Lami studied painting at the \u00c9cole des Beaux-Arts under the history painter Horace Vernet (1789\u20131863) before joining the studio of Baron Gros. In addition to painting, he trained in lithography and watercolor, the latter becoming one of his preferred techniques. Between 1825 and 1829, Lami traveled to England, where he completed his artistic education through the discovery of country houses and their interiors. Upon his return to France, his military scenes attracted the attention of Louis-Philippe, who appointed him his official painter as early as 1832. Lami subsequently grew close to the royal family: the king commissioned several works from him for the Museum of the History of France at the Ch\u00e2teau de Versailles and appointed him drawing instructor to his children. Through his lively watercolors, Lami documented the social life and official ceremonies of the July Monarchy, prompting Baudelaire to describe him as a \u201cpoet of official dandyism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eug\u00e8ne Lami, Projet pour le salon d\u2019audience du duc de Nemours au palais des Tuileries <\/em>[Design for the Duke of Nemours\u2019s audience chamber at the Tuileries Palace], circa 1844, Paris, Mus\u00e9e des Arts d\u00e9coratifs

\u00a9 Les Arts D\u00e9coratifs \/ Jean Tholance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 1844, Lami was entrusted with the redesign of the apartments of the Ducs de Nemours and d\u2019Aumale, sons of Louis-Philippe, at the Tuileries Palace. With access to Garde-Meuble de la Couronne and the Versailles collection, he promotes a return to the 18th<\/sup> century. Won over by his work, the Duc d\u2019Aumale asked him that same year to design the interiors of his own apartments and those of his wife at the Ch\u00e2teau de Chantilly. Echoing the Orl\u00e9ans legacy and the history of the ch\u00e2teau, Lami combined 18th<\/sup>-century furniture and objets d\u2019art with contemporary reproductions, set within paneled rooms featuring white-and-gilt boiseries with rocaille moldings. For the Salon des Dames, he selected armchairs supplied by Georges Jacob (1739\u20131814) for the King\u2019s Salon des Jeux at Saint-Cloud in 1787, as well as a Louis XVI clock by Andr\u00e9 Hessen (1745\u20131805), paired with contemporary reinterpretations of the Louis XV and Louis XVI styles. In doing so, Lami created one of the earliest historicist interiors inspired by the 18th<\/sup> century, inaugurating a taste that would later reach its height in the interiors of Empress Eug\u00e9nie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grand cabinet d\u2019angle in the Duc d\u2019Aumale\u2019s apartment, Ch\u00e2teau de Chantilly

This room combines 18th<\/sup>-century furniture and objets d\u2019art\u2014notably a Louis XIV-style cartel clock with Boulle marquetry acquired by Eug\u00e8ne Lami in August 1846 from the Parisian antique dealer Gansberg (inv. OA 303)\u2014with period-style furnishings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Circa 1852, Lami met Baron James and Baroness Betty de Rothschild. From that point on, he devoted his talents exclusively to the Rothschild family, cultivating close and trusting relationships with them. The \u00ab great favorite \u00bb of Betty, he stayed for extended periods with Adolphe de Rothschild in 1870 and was also close to his brother Gustave. Lami first worked on James\u2019s ch\u00e2teau in Boulogne, for which he devised an interior scheme largely inspired by the Versailles of Louis XIV, particularly the arabesque designs of Jean B\u00e9rain (1640\u20131711). From 1857 onward, he devoted himself to the Ch\u00e2teau de Ferri\u00e8res, his masterwork. There, he created an ideal setting for the baron\u2019s collections, favoring an eclectic taste that combined periods and colors. The 18th<\/sup> century remained central, with the Versailles of the Sun King as one of his primary references. Combined with Renaissance and Baroque elements, it came to embody the true \u201cRothschild taste.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eug\u00e8ne Lami, Projet de d\u00e9coration pour le grand hall du ch\u00e2teau de Ferri\u00e8res <\/em>[Decorative design for the great hall of Ferri\u00e8res Castle], circa 1860, Paris, Mus\u00e9e des Arts d\u00e9coratifs

\u00a9 Les Arts D\u00e9coratifs \/ Cyrille Bernard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A prolific creator with a deep antiquarian knowledge, Lami was one of the first modern decorators. For the Duc d\u2019Aumale and later for the Rothschilds, he developed a historicist approach to interiors, notably privileging the 18th<\/sup> century. Producing numerous sketches for his projects, he designed both the architectural framework and the furnishings of his clients\u2019 residences, down to the details of upholstery. With a refined eye, he sourced furniture and works of art across France and Europe to complete his interiors and enhance the presentation of his clients\u2019 collections. For Chantilly, he acquired numerous 18th<\/sup>-century pieces from Parisian dealers such as Escudier and Gansberg. With Betty de Rothschild, he traveled to Italy, drawing inspiration from Venetian palaces. Coordinating the various craftsmen involved in his projects, he also recommended artists from his circle, including Narcisse Diaz (1807\u20131876) and \u00c9douard Dubufe (1819\u20131883). In this way, Eug\u00e8ne Lami achieved a total work of art for the Duc d\u2019Aumale and the Rothschilds, acting simultaneously as technician, artistic director, and stage designer.
 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charles Cressent, Chest of drawers<\/em>, circa 1745\u20131750, Galerie L\u00e9age

From the collection of Baron Gustave de Rothschild, and subsequently passed down to his son Robert and his grandson Alain de Rothschild.

On display from April 17 to July 26 at the Galerie des Gobelins,
as part of the exhibition \u201cS\u00e8vres, a Rothschild Passion.\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of the principal pioneers of both the historicist taste for the 18th<\/sup> century and the Rothschild aesthetic, Lami remains a key creative figure in the legacy of Enlightenment decorative arts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His work is currently being celebrated from April 17 to July 26 at the Galerie des Gobelins in the exhibition \u201cS\u00e8vres: A Rothschild Passion.\u201d<\/em> A commode from our collection, formerly owned by Gustave de Rothschild\u2014for whom Lami worked on rue de Marigny\u2014will be on display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Bibliography:<\/strong>
Anne Forray-Carlier, Le mobilier du ch\u00e2teau de Chantilly<\/em>, \u00c9ditions Faton, 2010
Aurore Bayle-Loudet, Mathieu Deldicque, Chantilly, le domaine des princes<\/em>, Swan \u00e9diteur, 2017
Pauline Pr\u00e9vos-Marcilhacy, Les Rothschild, b\u00e2tisseurs et m\u00e9c\u00e8nes<\/em>, Flammarion, 1995
Anne-Dion-Tennebaum, Audrey Gay-Mazuel, Revivals, l\u2019historicisme dans les arts d\u00e9coratifs fran\u00e7ais au XIXe<\/sup> si\u00e8cle<\/em>, MAD Paris, 2020
Audrey Gay-Mazuel, \u201cEug\u00e8ne Lami, premier d\u00e9corateur moderne\u201d, L\u2019Objet d\u2019art<\/em>n\u00b0598, mars 2023, p 64\u201371<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

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A painter, decorator, and art agent, Eug\u00e8ne Lami was one of the leading artistic figures of the 19th<\/sup> century. In the service of the Orl\u00e9ans and the Rothschild families, he contributed to the revival of interest in 18th<\/sup>-century decorative arts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6007,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","inline_featured_image":false,"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5992","newsletter","type-newsletter","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"url_news1":{"simple_value_formatted":"","value_formatted":"","value":"","field":{"ID":438,"key":"field_64c00914a1189","label":"URL","name":"url_news1","aria-label":"","prefix":"acf","type":"url","value":null,"menu_order":0,"instructions":"","required":0,"id":"","class":"","conditional_logic":0,"parent":437,"wrapper":{"width":"","class":"","id":""},"only_front":0,"frontend_admin_display_mode":"edit","no_values_message":"","wp-typography":"none","default_value":"","placeholder":"","wpml_cf_preferences":1,"_name":"url_news1","_valid":1}}},"mcc_id":null,"mcc_type":null,"mcc_status":null,"mcc_create_time":null,"mcc_send_time":null,"mcc_emails_sent":null,"mcc_delivery_status":null,"mcc_content_type":null,"mcc_archive_url":null,"mcc_long_archive_url":null,"mcc_plain_text":null,"mcc_content_html":null,"mcc_recipients":null,"mcc_list_id":null,"mcc_list_name":null,"mcc_segment_text":null,"mcc_recipient_count":null,"mcc_settings":null,"mcc_tracking":null,"mcc_social_card":null,"mcc_report_summary":null,"mcc___links":null,"mcc__edit_lock":null,"mcc__edit_last":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter\/5992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/newsletter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5992"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter\/5992\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6009,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter\/5992\/revisions\/6009"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}