C.m. Campion. Lively View Of The Château De La Chapelle-saint-mesmin And Its Gardens (loiret). 1775.

Drawing in Indian ink on vellum. 22.5 x 30.7 cm, in a frame measuring 44.5 x 52.5 cm.

The view is presented in a hand-drawn frame bearing the following inscriptions: at the top, “View of the Château de la Chapelle”; and at the bottom, “Dedicated to Monsieur and Madame de Guillonville, by their servant and friend C. Campion. Member of the Academies of Sciences and Belles-Lettres of Marseille and Honorary Member of the Academy of Painting and Sculpture. 1775.”

Charles-Michel Campion (1734–1784), a native of Marseille, was a poet, draftsman, and engraver. Our drawing is, in fact, a preparatory drawing for an engraving, and there is another engraving by Charles-Michel Campion depicting the château from the opposite bank of the Loire, also dedicated to Madame de Guillonville, of whom he was a close friend.

The château is located near Orléans and still stands today. In the second half of the 18th century, it was owned by the de Guillonville family, who maintained a beautiful French-style garden there, hosted parties, and turned it into a gathering place for intellectual society by welcoming artists and writers.

Ref. A14-59