“A grand mansion townhouse” whispers the Parisian breeze. That’s the Hôtel Lambert. Its story begins in 1640. A financier Jean-Baptiste Lambert commissioned its construction. He sadly died in 1644. His brother Nicolas continued the work.
The Hôtel Lambert stands on the Île Saint-Louis. It’s a masterpiece of mid-17th-century architecture. Louis Le Vau designed it. Charles Le Brun François Perrier and Eustache Le Sueur decorated the interiors. Their work created one of the finest examples of domestic architecture in France.
The hotel features a central courtyard. A wing extends to the rear. It embraces a walled garden. Le Vau even built a nearby residence. He lived there from 1642 to 1650. All his children were born there. His mother died there too. Later the La Haye family bought both buildings. They joined them combining their facades.
The painters’ work inside took almost five years. Le Brun’s Galerie d’Hercule featured gallant allegories. Le Sueur created the Cabinet des Muses. Five canvases from this collection now reside in the Louvre. There was also a Cabinet de l’Amour. It originally included an alcove for a canopied bed. The lady of the house received visitors there. This alcove was removed around 1703. All the works featured themes of love and marriage. The paintings have since been dispersed.
Voltaire and the Marquise du Chatelet resided here in the 1740s. The Marquise was famous for her salon. The Dupins later owned it continuing the salon tradition. They were ancestors of George Sand. Chopin was a frequent guest.
In 1843 Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski bought the Hôtel Lambert. He was a Polish magnate. His political faction took its name from the Hôtel Lambert. It kept the Polish question alive in European politics. It was a safe haven for Polish exiles. It also promoted Polish culture.
The Hôtel Lambert hosted many important figures. Chopin composed his La Polonaise for the annual Polish ball. Balzac Delacroix Liszt and George Sand were guests.
In the 20th century the Hôtel Lambert was divided into apartments. Michèle Morgan and Mona von Bismarck lived there. Alexis von Rosenberg threw extravagant parties. In 1969 he hosted the famous Bal Oriental. Guests included Salvador Dalí and Brigitte Bardot.
The Rothschilds bought the Hôtel Lambert in 1975. Then in 2007 a Qatari prince bought it. Renovations caused controversy. A fire in 2013 damaged parts of the building. The restoration was extensive and costly. In 2022 a French billionaire Xavier Niel bought it. He plans to use it for his cultural foundation. The Hôtel Lambert continues to hold a unique place in Parisian history. It remains a monument to art politics and culture.