Christian IV, duc des Deux-Ponts (1722-1775)

• Main Author: Patrick Michel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Centre de Recherche du Château de Versailles 2019-03-01
• Series: Bulletin du Centre de Recherche du Château de Versailles
• Subjects: Christian IV of Deux-Ponts; French 18th century art; networks; cultural exchanges; art market; German art
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/crcv/16148

Throughout the eighteenth century many Germans spent time in France or settled there. At the heart of this diaspora one figure stands out, the Duke of Deux-Ponts, Christian IV (1722–1775). This privileged relationship constitutes one of the most significant, but least well-known episodes in Franco-German cultural exchanges in the eighteenth century. In this essay the accent will be on the study of his relationships with the intellectual milieu, Parisian artists and his activity as collector, considering primarily his commissions and acquisitions on the Parisian market. First the question of the political singularity of the small state of Deux-Ponts will be discussed, then the personality of Christian IV, before focusing on the role he played as mediator and actor on the Parisian artistic scene.