Témoignages de nos hôtes
à travers le monde
Having known the Combes family in 2003, I have been fortunate to have spent many stays at the Château de Garrevagues over the years. The welcome of the family and Marie-Christine especially is out of the extraordinary. She makes everybody feel welcome, at home and always knows how to touch people’s hearts and minds. It is the personality of Marie-Christine as a host that makes a stay at Chateau de Garrevaques an exceptional moment, enjoying the beautiful, well maintained Chateau with all its history and stories and the beautiful surroundings of the Lauragais. To me and my family the Chateau and the Combes Family are home and family. Thank you for all you give to all those that come and go!
Maggie Bergsma
Château de Garrevaques
Dufour panoramic wallpapers
are listed as a listed historic monument.
The legend of Psyche and Cupid is inspired by Jean de La Fontaine's novel Les amours de Psyche et Cupidon, itself taken from the tale of Apuleius.
The realization is a technical challenge, since never a pattern is repeated from one panel to another. The appearance of grisaille actually required 23 colors, and it took for the whole 1245 planks of wood engraved, all printed manually. A considerable work, which was rewarded since the manufacture Joseph Dufour who manufactured it obtained a silver medal at the Exhibition of the products of the French industry in 1819.
On March 12, 1816, Jean Züber wrote to a collaborator: "You will find here Dufour's new work, Psyché in 12 grisaille paintings: it is without a doubt the most beautiful production in wallpaper".
Comparable complete sets are rare in France and Europe, another copy is known at Domaine de Rodolphe in Morières-lès-Avignon in Vaucluse.
Context and state of conservation
The four walls of the salon develop, on a plain gray background, the complete suite of twelve paintings containing the main episodes lived by the young Psyche.
The living room adopts the installation method recommended by Joseph Dufour; each panel is treated as a pictures. The chronological order of history has not been respected, but this practice was commonplace for panoramas, it favored the adaptation to places, for an overall aesthetic, the continuity of history.
10 of the 12 paintings are in a good state of conservation. However, the castle having been requisitioned by the German army during the Second World War, Genevieve de Gineste found, after the departure of the Germans, 2 very damaged pictures. A library now hides them for lack of restoration.
This is the complete work with 12 grisaille-paintings, telling the story of Cupid and Psyche, that has been created by the famous Parisian manufacture of Joseph Dufour in 1815.
It is the original and complete edition!
[1] Idem
[2] Direction régionale des affaires culturelles Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, conservation régionale des monuments historiques (lien)
[3] Ce salon était à l’origine une salle de billard, où se retiraient les hommes après le diner.
