Jean Lubin Vauzelle (1776-1839) – View Of The Château De Roucy (aisne) – Watercolor

Watercolor on paper, executed in 1829 and signed at the lower left.
Dimensions: 26 × 40 cm (visible); 45.5 × 59.5 cm framed.

This work depicts a view of the Château de Roucy, with the village of Sarrins visible on the right.

Jean-Lubin Vauzelle was a French painter, watercolorist, and architectural draftsman. A pupil of Hubert Robert and probably of Jean-Charles Nicaise Perrin, he exhibited at the Paris Salon as early as 1799, presenting a drawing of a room in the new Musée des Monuments français directed by Alexandre Lenoir, as well as two female portraits. Awarded the gold medal in 1810, he participated regularly in the Salons and received a silver medal at the Salon of Cambrai in 1827.

In 1800, he accompanied Count de Laborde to Spain, where he produced numerous views of monuments and landscapes. This watercolor of the Château de Roucy perfectly illustrates Vauzelle’s mastery of both landscape and architectural subjects.

The Château de Roucy was originally a fortified castle built in 948 on the summit of a rocky spur. Today, only the remains of a tower from the medieval castle survive. A new château was built between 1545 and 1556 by Charles, Seigneur de Roye, 23rd Count of Roucy. His daughter Charlotte brought the County of Roucy as her dowry to the House of La Rochefoucauld through her marriage to François, who made Roucy his principal residence and undertook extensive works in the Renaissance style.

In 1785, the château underwent further transformations under the direction of Armand-Joseph de Béthune, Duke of Charost, who had it partially demolished and rebuilt according to a new plan. The interior was entirely redesigned, the ground floor of the central pavilion becoming a vast room in keeping with the Louis XVI style. Jean-Lubin Vauzelle also painted the interior of the château. This watercolor was sold by Christie’s on June 1, 2005.

The restoration and enlargement works were not completed until 1870 by the architect Boeswilwald, under the direction of Louis de Vassinhac, Count of Imécourt, who died in 1871. Thereafter, the château, which had been a summer residence, was abandoned. In 1917, located just a few kilometers from the front, it was bombarded by the Germans. Rather than being restored, the stones of the château were used to rebuild public monuments damaged in the Reims region.

This watercolor is a remarkable demonstration of Jean-Lubin Vauzelle’s talent, bringing together his two specialties—landscape and architecture. It also bears witness to the existence of an extraordinary château that has now disappeared.