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| Hôtel Lully |
Location: Corner Rue des Petits-Champs and Rue Sainte-Anne
English translation
“In 1670, Jean-Baptiste Lulli commissioned Daniel Gittard to build his hotel. Molière lent him 11,000 livres to buy the land and build it. Lulli had a kettledrum, trumpets, cornets, guitar and sheet music carved on the rue Sainte-Anne façade - his musician's attributes - and had the interior sumptuously decorated with woodwork and paintings from the schools of Boullongne and Le Pautre, to give his residence the same luxury as those of the great lords of the neighbourhood. Remaining in the possession of Lulli's descendants until 1807, the hotel has now lost most of its interior decoration.” (Translated by DeepL)
Background notes
- Jean-Baptiste Lully (originally Giovanni Battista Lulli) was a renowned French composer, dancer, and instrumentalist of Italian birth. He was a master of the French Baroque music style and spent most of his life working at the court of Louis XIV of France. Lully became a naturalised French citizen and is considered one of the most significant figures in developing French opera and instrumental music.
- Daniel Gittard was a French architect who, in 1671, became one of the first eight members of the Académie royale d'architecture.
- According to legend, Molière lent Lully 11,000 livres (the old French currency) to build Hôtel Lully. The two were close collaborators, particularly on comédie-ballets, with "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme" (The Bourgeois Gentleman) one of their most famous joint works. Molière was the stage name of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (1622–1673), a French playwright, actor, and poet. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and a master of comedy in Western literature.
- Lully had a kettledrum, trumpets, cornets, a guitar, and sheet music carved on the Rue Sainte-Anne façade of his hôtel as a visual symbol of his profession and musical talents.
- The schools of Boullongne and Le Pautre refers to the artistic styles associated with prominent French artists of the 17th century. Louis Boullongne the Elder and his sons, were influential figures in French Baroque painting. Their style emphasised classical Baroque traditions, focusing on balanced compositions and rich, intricate detail. Jean Le Pautre was a renowned French engraver and designer who was celebrated for his ornamental designs used in architecture, interiors, and furniture. His Baroque style featured intricate and opulent patterns, which were highly regarded in the period.
- In the 17th century, the hôtel was located in a prestigious district of Paris, inhabited by French nobility and high-ranking officials. In the 1st arrondissement, the area was home to grand hôtels particuliers, and Lully sought to reflect the same opulence in his residence.
- The Hôtel Lully remained in the possession of Lully's descendants until 1807, after which it underwent various changes over the centuries. Today, it houses the German Centre for Art History (DFK Paris). Although the hotel has now lost most of its interior decoration, the building's historical significance is still visible in its architectural features, such as the façade adorned with Bacchanalian masks and musical symbols, as well as ceiling paintings in the drawing room that reflect the splendour of the Louis XIV era.
- The DFK Paris offers a library and reading room that are open to the public during specified hours.