Raghunath Manet : L’art comme passerelle entre l’Inde et la France | Trésors du Patrimoine

Raghunath Manet : L’art comme passerelle entre l’Inde et la France | Trésors du Patrimoine

Come on, folks. Right? Oh, yeah. Pack your things, baby. Now, I’ll put on your shoes. Let’s take a break. I’ll turn it loose. Come for a ride. I want to take you out.
Yeah. Come for a ride. I want to take you out. We are in India, in Dely, the
first stop on this new episode of the Grand Tour, which will take us from Dely
to Paris, via Jaipur and Amsterdam. So, this trip will of course
allow us to discover magnificent places, but also to meet
exceptional people, people who have left their mark on
their time, left their mark on their country. To fully understand and
appreciate all facets of modern-day India, one must
look back five centuries. At the beginning of the 16th century,
India was fragmented into a multitude of kingdoms, ruled
by Hindu sovereigns. At their head were maharajahs. Mahha means big. Rajah, king. The maharajah is the great king. The Mahrasja are descended from a great
warrior caste, that of the Rajputs. Over the centuries, they have left
their mark on a state, Rajasthan. I’ll take you there. Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. The pink city, as it is known. Jaipur has preserved the color
of its walls as a sign of welcome. The kingdom of Jaipur was formerly called
Amber, after its ancient capital. Today, Jaipur has more
than 3.5 million inhabitants. In India, commotion and
hubbub are omnipresent. There are a lot of people
in the streets in India. A lot of people and a lot of noise:
1,200 million people, 51 births per minute. As you can see,
the traffic is very heavy. Dense and hazardous. In fact, the story is told here. To drive well,
you need two good brakes, a good horn and above all, a lot of luck. It is here in Rajasthan that the most
beautiful Indian weddings are celebrated. Today, for the Singhsanta family,
descendants of a great Rajput dynasty, it is wedding day. The bride’s grandfather takes
special care with his turban, an essential element of her outfit. The turban is a symbol
of respect and bravery. It varies according to region and caste. Knowing how to tie it is an art. This is a very special
and solemn day for me. I am very proud to be marrying off
my little girl today. As long as I am alive,
it will be part of my duty to ensure that she is well and happily
married and to settle her in another home. Night has fallen on Jaipur. The party can begin. It is in the middle of the continuous flow of
traffic that the groom-to-be arrives. Like a maharajah, he sits enthroned
on the back of an elephant. In India, the wedding ceremony
is a matter for two families. The dowry, whether large or small,
is always the starting point for lengthy negotiations. The wedding ceremony is one of the
oldest traditions in Indian culture and in the majority of cases,
the marriage is arranged by the parents. The groom’s headdress is reminiscent of
that worn by Rajput warriors. The festivities always begin with the
reading of the future bride and groom’s horoscope. The horoscope is decisive. In case of bad omens,
he can have the marriage annulled. The bride, dressed in a red sari and
traditional jewelry, makes her entrance. She is wearing a veil typical of Rajasthan. This tradition is reminiscent of the time
when the groom only saw his bride’s face on their wedding day. Indian weddings are known
for their profusion of colours, the elaborate fabrics, and the
amount of jewelry worn by the women. Aristocratic women
preferred to wear gold jewelry and precious stones. Others, silver jewelry. Traditionally,
this is called a racri. To enhance its appearance,
one or two bands adorned with pearls or diamonds can be added. We’ll put this in first. Then what I’m wearing right here,
that’s called an att. It’s like a piercing
attached, like here to the ear. Only
married women may take it. Diamonds are, of
course, a symbol of eternity. They dress you. Personally, I think that during
weddings, all the women look like Christmas trees. With all these jewels. To seal their union and bless their
couple, the newlyweds will this time walk around the sacred fire. A fire that will accompany the festivities
until the end of the night. The Jewelers’ Quarter is one
of the most vibrant centers in Jaipur. Semi-precious stone transactions take place very naturally in the street. This tradition of jewelry
is more than just a custom. It’s a true cult. In the land of Chiva, precious stones
are associated with power and immortality. The most prestigious jewelry in Jaipur can be found at Jem Palace,
the oldest jewelry store in the city
. Samir Khashli Wal is the heir to a
dynasty of merrymakers founded in 1852. This man is extraordinary. One of my favorites. This man is like a wrist. We are also working on a wrist. My God, I should get a new jersey. This customer came
all the way from the United States. It was like Victoria’s Secret
200 years ago. In its collections,
the Cazliwal family preserves authentic jewelry that
belonged to the Maharajah. The pruning techniques have remained
virtually unchanged for centuries. Diamonds are cut flat,
because the main thing is to highlight the size of the stone. India has always been known
for its magnificent jewelry. Take the maharajahs. They wore as much jewelry
as women, like this necklace, for example,
specially designed for men, or like this turban brooch, here. Men like to wear as much
jewelry as women. It has always been
part of our culture. Above the jewelry shop is the cutting workshop. Emeralds, rubies, sapphires and of course
diamonds arrive here in their raw state. Thanks to the expertise of these artisans,
the stones are roughly shaped, polished, cut and transformed
into refined jewelry. These are rough diamonds
as they are found in nature. Most often, they are
stuck to other minerals. They are never as clear
as one might think. We imagine them to be colorless, but they can
also be white, blue, even orange. Their purity is
also important. Selecting diamonds based
on their purity is a crucial step in jewelry making. Samir has a surprise in store for us. He introduces us to
another jewelry collection. These fabulous cars all
belonged to maharajas. Among them are Dodge,
Cadillac, and Hudson Super 6. Here’s one of my favorites. This is one of the oldest in our
collection, the Studie Baker, 1931. You know, most of these cars
belonged to the royal family. They are very difficult to maintain. That’s why 14 mechanics
work on it daily. We can’t just
leave them in the garage. They need to be taken out. As a result, they are used for
weddings, events, and films. They are often sent abroad. But Samir’s favorite is this Cadillac. One day,
I arrived at the gas station and asked the employee
to help me fill up. So he starts walking around
the car, but he can’t find the fuel tank inlet. So I told him: I bet
you’ll never find it. Let me show you. And it was hidden there. I now take you to Houdaipur,
a four-hour drive from Jaipur, to meet one of the last
maharajas of Rajasthan. Surrounded by hills and lakes, Houdaipur is the kingdom of a prestigious Rajput dynasty,
the Swan Dynasty. On the shores of Lake Pichola,
the City Palace, the palace of the princes of Houdaipur. Its construction began in the 16th century
and continued for over 300 years. This part of the palace houses the historic apartments of the maharajas. Today, part of this
palace is still inhabited. These are the private apartments
of His Highness, Harmin sing. He receives us in his apartments, a privilege. Our culture and identity
are a living heritage. This palace is a vibrant place. It’s not a monument. Here, everything happens as it
used to. But everything has evolved to adapt
to modern times. No one can live in the past. That’s not possible. We have no
constitutional responsibility, but we have a moral responsibility
when it concerns this region. And we take it very seriously. Today, the legendary power of his
family is nothing but a memory, but he still has traditions
and above all a past that is often glorious. He is the most illustrious of his ancestors
. His name is Udai Sing. This man, in the 16th century,
opposed the armies of the Mughal emperor who then ruled the country. He founded an independent kingdom
here in Houdaipur. Indeed, in 1526,
princes from Central Asia invaded the Indian subcontinent. They created an empire, the Mughal Empire. We had hostile relations
with the Mughal emperors. The reason is that we did
n’t want to be conquered. We did not want to be vassals
of any foreign power. And to maintain our independence,
we have had to constantly fight. The
Mughal emperors would dominate the country for more than three centuries,
until the colonization of India by the British. Although some maharajahs
resisted, the majority of them eventually rallied to the invader. This morning, fog blanketed Rajasthan. Day breaks over Amber Fort,
a fortress built in the 16th century. It was home to one of the most
lavish palaces in Rajasthan. The maharajahs travelled on
elephants and had to pass through the fortified gates of the fortress
before reaching the palace. This fort is a veritable city. At the time, the Raichput rulers
forged a strong alliance with the Mughal emperor who ruled the empire, Agbar the Great. From this link,
an architecture was born that blends Hindu, Raichput, and Muslim references. The courtyards are surrounded by luxurious
rooms and richly decorated audience halls. At the center of the Ambert palace,
an exceptional room: the Hall of Mirrors, adorned from floor to ceiling with
mosaics and shards of glass. When the maharajah wished to gather his
court in small groups, he did so here, in this hall of mirrors. He was then surrounded by Brahmins
who held knowledge of the sacred texts of his close guard,
but above all by artists, poets, musicians, dancers,
because he attached great importance to culture, so much so that when there
was a conflict, the army was charged with protecting artists as a priority. Moreover, we are going to
meet an Indian artist. This is one of
their greatest dancers, Raghunath Mané. He arranged to meet me very close to here,
in a Hindu temple, a little marvel that he
wanted us to discover. Hello Patrick.
Hello Raghunath. I am the temple that I
really wanted to show you because it has a fabulous history,
but I will explain. In India, before entering a temple,
we always greet the feet of the God because for us,
it is a way to free ourselves, to go to another world.
Come, come. So, what is the story
of this temple, Ragnat? This temple has a rather
extraordinary history because the temple was part of the Amber Palace. In fact, it was the Maharani,
the Maharaja’s queen, who had this temple built because
she had just lost her son. And overcome with sadness,
she had this temple built. Which one is dedicated to which god? So, this temple, in particular,
is dedicated to the god Vishnu, Vishnu whom we
always represent with the conch shell and the wheel. The god Vishnu takes on ten incarnations
each time a misfortune occurs on earth. And so there, he takes on the incarnation of the god
Krishna, who is an incarnation, he is the god of love
who plays with all the shepherdesses. So, is this gesture
the gesture of the flute? He is the one who plays the flute,
who charms the whole world. This is a way of showing
how humanity is in total love, in fusion with its God. There is always a connection here
between the temples, the artists, the music, the dance. We cannot conceive of
a temple without artists, we, the musicians, the dancers,
we are an integral part of the temple and the palaces of the maharajahs. It was the maharajahs who
supported us, who gave us the title of Ashtavi Dwan, that is to say, they were the
honorary artists of the palace, and they also gave these artists
for divine service. So, the god rose
to music and went to bed to music? Yes, because the god is conceived
like a human being, that is to say in the morning he is woken up,
bathed, and then dressed, and shown the instruments,
and told: Music. So we play the music,
we tell it: Dance, and we start to dance. And towards the end, we have
four rituals a day. And the final ritual consists
of putting the gods to sleep. So we sing lullabies, and we dance,
and we say to him: Good night, the doors close, and the devotees go
home, and we start again. Ah,
Gonnath, are the figures sculpted on this temple
dancers? So,
very often in the bas-reliefs of temples,
it is mythological subjects that are sculpted, and also
the presence of the artists. Often, all these columns are adorned,
as you can see over there, with very beautiful sculptures. But wait, I’ll still go up there
to show them to you and explain. Stay here. There, for example, Patrick, you see,
we have the player from Vina. It is the most important,
the oldest instrument that we read at the present time,
since it is already mentioned several millennia before Christ,
and in literature it is mentioned: 2nd century BC and AD. So there you have it, the instrument was very
important for daily worship. And here we have the Fan Bearer. It is a dancer who must invent
the gods, because dancers are part of divine service. And here we have another sculpture,
for example, which represents dance positions,
very beautiful positions which will embellish the bas-reliefs of the temples. The dancers have always
been there for divine service. They are sumptuously dressed,
you will see in the necklaces, beautiful evenings, because we are taking
the faithful to another world of the gods. Agunat, dancing is telling
a story with your body. Is this a language? Yes, especially in our Indian dance,
we use the gesture language of the hands, called mudras,
and with all the facial expressions and body positions,
we can tell a story. For example, the god Vishnu
is asleep on the serpent eternally. He wakes up every time
something bad happens on Earth. One day, the demon will hide the Vedas, the sacred texts, under the sea and Vishnu will take the form of a fish, an
incarnation of Matia, and he will return to the sacred book, he will give back to humanity,
and he will leave without sleeping towards eternity. I’m now taking you to Fatepur-Sikri,
a four-hour train ride from Jaipur. Fatepour-s’y Cri is the ancient imperial city of Akbar the Great. It is located near the city of Agra. The Mughal emperor
chose this place because a hermit living here
had predicted the birth of a son to him. When the prediction came true,
to celebrate the birth of this heir, Agbar had Fatté built for Siquri,
which means City of Victory. This city is now an
incredibly well-preserved ghost town. In the middle of the gardens, dozens
of small pavilions made of red sandstone. These pavilions symbolize stone tents,
and that was the life of his ancestors. Akbar’s ancestors
lived in tents. Abel, his grandfather,
was extremely happy to be living in a beautiful garden under a tent. So, we need to imagine
the life that existed. Carpets, embroidered silk hangings,
figures in multicolored costumes, music, dances, perfumes. No one can copy it today,
even if they have a fortune. Fatté for Siquri is a mixture
of different architectural traditions. You can look at these geometric patterns
which were part of Islamic decorations and especially floral patterns
which were part of the decorations of temples, temples, Hindus. And if you look up,
you can see lotus flowers. So, Akper takes
architectural ideas that already existed. He mixes his ideas and we see
his tolerance in the architecture. To realize their dream of grandeur,
Mughal emperors and maharajas long relied on an
invaluable natural resource: the diamond mines of Golconda. At the time, India was the only
country in the world mining diamonds. He derived immense wealth from it. They were safes,
not very deep at this level where there is a slab, and they were
hidden with a stone. Akma was fascinated by diamonds,
so it’s quite possible that these safes were full of precious stones
like diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. And perhaps there were
even gold coins. This incredible city was
Akbar’s capital for only 14 years. He then transferred the headquarters
of his empire to Lahore, Pakistan. It was in the 17th century that the Mughal Empire
reached its zenith thanks to one man, Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan was the great
builder of the Mughal Empire. He decides to return to Dely. Today, Dely remains deeply marked by its successive dominations. It was Shah Jahan who had
the Jamamadjid mosque built. It is the largest mosque in the country. Its open-air esplanade can accommodate
25,000 worshippers. Right next door is
the Nizchoc Fields market. This market, as in the time of the Mughals,
is organised by district where artisans and merchants group together
according to their activity. It is here, in this popular atmosphere,
that the pulse of old crime beats. One of the oldest monuments inherited from
the Mughal Empire is located south of the city. This is the mausoleum of Umayun,
Shah Jahan’s great-grandfather. Its monumental facade is adorned
with red sandstone and white marble. The mausoleum of Emperor Umayun,
who was a figure passionate about astrology, poetry, and
the arts in general, is an extremely important mausoleum
because it has great significance in terms of cultural identification. It is indeed the first example
of a garden tomb on the Indian subcontinent. It is a mausoleum
that was built by Umayun’s wife and today it houses approximately 150
tombs, making this place a true necropolis of the Mughal dynasty. With this monumental building,
the Mughals wanted, of course, to forever remind people of the grandeur of the empire. But this mausoleum would above all serve
as inspiration for Shah Jahan to create the most beautiful of his masterpieces. The Taj Mahal is a jewel built in memory of a woman,
the deceased wife of Shah Jahan. She died giving birth to her 14th
child, leaving him to an inconsolable husband. Shah Jahan then had only one idea in mind:
to build a mausoleum whose beauty symbolized the greatness of his love. This monument was built
when the Mongol treasury was full of gold, precious stones, etc. This great Mughal had the means to hire
the best architects and decorators in the world. He really did
everything he could to build a monument that would be
the most perfect in the world, the tallest in the world,
the closest to paradise. It represents love,
it represents Mughal power, it represents Mughal power,
it also represents what an emperor could give to the world to immortalize
the love he had with his favorite. After 30 years of rule, Shah Jahan,
ill and deposed, was succeeded by his son, Aurinzeb, who seized the throne. He established his court at the red fort of Dely. The red fort of Dely is a magnificent
building with ramparts topped by towers. It contains imperial palaces,
mosques and marble buildings. We are in the
emperor’s private audience chamber. This is where the great Mogul
received his distinguished guests. He did it sitting on his throne, which
was placed there on that marble pedestal. Today, there is scaffolding
in preparation for a restoration. And this throne is the famous peacock throne
which was set with precious stones, diamonds, sapphires,
emeralds of inestimable value. This throne disappeared when the King of Persia,
Nadir Shah, invaded the country. He took it to Iran as a
war prize and since then, its trail has gone cold. An uncompromising Muslim, Emperor Orenzeb
would hasten the decline of the Mughal Empire. Unlike his predecessors,
he showed little interest in the precious stones extracted
from the Golconda mines. A French traveler,
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, will take advantage of this lack of interest
to seize the most beautiful jewels of the Empire. In his work, Voyage des Indes,
he reproduced the most beautiful stones of the Mughal Empire. It was in this same room
that the Grand Mogul received the famous
French traveler Jean-Baptiste Tavernier on several occasions. On each of his trips,
Tavernier brought back magnificent diamonds to France, which
delighted European royal courts, particularly that
of Louis XIV at Versailles. But there is one diamond that Tavernier will
never bring back to France, it is the famous cohynor,
a diamond of great value, because in the end,
it is the English who will recover it and have it cut
by a specialist from Amsterdam. Why Amsterdam? Well, because at the time,
this port was the diamond hub in Europe, Amsterdam,
where we are going. In the 13th century,
to protect themselves from the waters, a small former fishing village
decided to build a dike, Dame, in Dutch, on a river, the Amstel. This is the birth of Amsterdam. Over the centuries,
Amsterdam became a prosperous city that derived part of its wealth from
the trading and cutting of diamonds from India. In its diamond museum,
Amsterdam keeps 22 replicas of the world’s most beautiful gemstones
in the coinore. This coinore, here it is. He has today ascended the crown
of England, the crown of Elizabeth II. Of course, this is a replica
since the original is in the Tower of London and is part
of the Crown Jewels. This coinore is considered
the king of diamonds, 108 carats. Upon penetration, it is called
the Mountain of Light. It was presented by the East India Company
to Queen Victoria in 1850. She was then Empress of India. There is a superstition
surrounding this diamond. It is believed to bring bad luck
when worn by a man. This is probably why
only queens wear it. If Queen Victoria decided to have
the diamond recut by a lapidary from the United Provinces,
of which Amsterdam was a part, it was because the expertise of these
craftsmen was then recognized worldwide. Michel belongs to a family
of diamond merchants who have been established in Antwerp for several generations. At the time, Antwerp was
part of the United Provinces. This is a pear-shaped stone,
what we call a pear cut, and everything about it is a little bit exceptional. Everything about this stone is perfect,
including the color, which is D, which is the highest color. We don’t know what’s higher,
it’s the ultimate. There are four criteria
that influence the price of diamonds. It’s the quality, the color, the carat
and the way the diamonds are cut, the cut, as it’s called in English. Every year, thousands of
diamond sales around the world are carried out according to a ritual
inherited from the golden age. Transactions are oral and
always end with the word Mazal. This is historic. Initially, there was no
written contract and it continued in the same way. And since
a certain system was needed to close a deal, the word Mazal came into play. It was through the
Jewish community that it came into being. Mazal is a Hebrew word
that means good luck. So, once we’ve sold
something, we wish the customer good luck and the customers accept the good luck.
We’ll do it, Mazal. And it is used
in all communities. So, not only in the
Jewish community, but also among Hindus, when they do business together,
the Chinese also employ Mazal. So, they have another diction,
but it’s a mazal, but they also know a mazal. That settles the matter. In the 16th century, Amsterdam’s prosperity
was such that the city attracted wealthy merchants from the south as well as Jews
expelled from Spain and Portugal. The city grew in step with
the different waves of immigration attracted by the development of trade. Dozens of canals were thus
created starting from the old town. Thanks to the East India Company,
Amsterdam became the world’s leading trading port. Dutch sailors set out
to conquer distant territories and the ships returned laden with a
wide range of exotic products. Proud of this past, the Dutch
embarked on building identical replicas of ships that had sailed
for the company, like this one. It’s called the Amsterdam. This is a replica of a ship that sank
off the English coast on its maiden voyage in 1749. This ship was leaving the Netherlands with
many goods for Asia, especially gold and silver. And of course, he was returning from India with
hundreds of other products, including diamonds. The diamonds were transported to
Amsterdam, where they were sold to private individuals. Very quickly, the
East India Company became one of the leading companies of the modern world. Listed on the Stock Exchange, it employed
thousands of people at the time, sailors and officers in search of adventure. 350 people were sleeping in this space. They didn’t know each other. They were just colleagues. They were sailors
and this is where they lived. They were on board that ship for ten months. They ate and slept
in that hold. You can also see
many cannons on this ship. This does not mean that the
Dutch East India Company deployed warships. It was a trading company. But of course,
when you are doing business, you also have to defend yourself, especially in
Asia, where there were many pirates. They therefore needed these
weapons to protect the products. From
the beginning of the 17th century, the Dutch took control
of the diamond trade from the Portuguese. The Portuguese had settled
in Goa, India, to transport diamonds to
Portugal, or more generally to Europe. When the Portuguese were driven out
of India, the Dutch took control and decided to
trade in diamonds themselves. At that time,
the United Provinces were a very small country compared to the large
European nations. The Spanish, the French, the Swedes, the English and the Danes were all there. It was a cutthroat competition. Everyone was fighting to conquer
the most territory. You have this tiny
country and this enormous empire. From the Cape of Good Hope
and the Perce, all the roads that led to
Japan represented an immense expanse of water and land controlled by this
tiny country of two million inhabitants that was called the provinces of Ni. In particular, they owned the coasts
where the ports were located, where the merchants lived,
which was very convenient for transporting goods by boat for
the Dutch and for all of Europe. The Jacob Hoy herbalist shop has
existed since 1743. This is where spices
brought back by ships were sold. The pepper came mainly
from India and other parts of Asia. The Dutch then sold it
here and the price was high. At the time, you had to work a
whole day to earn enough money to buy a kilo of pepper. So today,
ten minutes is enough. There is also a Dutch expression
that says: When something is very expensive, it is as expensive as pepper. Here, for pepper and other
spices, the market was relatively well-known
and controlled, but for diamonds, things
often happened under the table. The Dutch
East India Company imported diamonds. But the people who worked
for them, such as merchants or sailors,
also traded in diamonds, but illegally, bringing them back
to Europe and selling them at high prices. It was impossible for the
Dutch East India Company to control this parallel market. This morning, Amsterdam appears more
than ever as the Venice of the North. Hello, Captain.
Hello, welcome aboard. Thank you. The city’s architecture
still bears witness to its golden age. Proud of their success,
the merchants want to show off their prosperity,
but they run into an obstacle. As for the
population density, taxes are based on the width of the frontages of houses. They then came up with an idea to
distinguish themselves from one another. All these houses that were built
on the canals during the golden age look alike. They are narrow, they are tall. So, in order to distinguish them,
the bourgeois and merchants who lived there paid
particular attention to the decoration of their facades. And the essential element of this
decoration was the gable. This is why we find such
a wide variety of them today. We can distinguish
between houses used for habitation and those used
as warehouses, precisely by looking at these gables. Some are crossed by a beam
to which a pulley was attached in order to raise the goods
that were transported by boats. So, in order to prevent this merchandise
from damaging these facades,
these houses were built at a very steep angle. It can be seen with the naked eye today. Only the very wealthy could
afford large facades on the canals. This is the case of the merchant, Bartolotti. His palace is one of the finest
examples of 17th-century architecture. But Amsterdam’s past cannot be read
only on the facades of its houses. Inside the one I’m taking you
to now, it also reveals the history of the city and its inhabitants. This house overlooking the canals
is particularly interesting. So from the outside,
it looks like all the others, but inside, surprise. So the interior of the house
is completely traditional. We are in a
17th-century bourgeois house. This is the bedroom and the bed
you see, contrary to appearances,
is not a child’s bed, it is an adult’s bed,
because at the time, people slept sitting up. Only the dead were lying down. The exceptional feature of this house is
located in the attic. Here’s the surprise,
it’s at the top of this house, in the attic, which has been
transformed into a church. It should be noted that in the 17th century,
Calvinism was the official religion of this country. Catholics, however,
have the possibility of practicing their religion,
but on the condition that they do so with the utmost discretion, hence these
churches in attics. At the time, there were about twenty of them. Today,
only one remains, this one. There’s one funny thing I
‘d like to show you, and that’s the dear. It is hidden in one
of the pillars of this hotel. There was this dear woman who could walk right up to the altar. This church could accommodate nearly
200 people on three levels. The bourgeoisie and merchants
also participated in the development of painting. The Golden Age was also the
golden age of Dutch painting. Each year,
approximately 70,000 new paintings come onto the market across the country. The artists have grouped themselves into guilds. These are corporations that
guarantee them support and freedom. This golden age of the United Provinces is
a pivotal period in the history of art. It teaches us something
magnificent and unique in the history of art. This is the moment when
what we might call secular painting will appear, that is to say,
non-religious painting, in relation to Italian painting in which we see,
essentially, the representation of the splendors of the divine
or possibly scenes from Greek mythology; what the
painters of Amsterdam and Delft will invent is really
the representation of the human being as such. This is the first time,
particularly in genre scenes, cabaret scenes,
village festival scenes, but also in portraits. Most of the time,
we will represent characters who are anonymous characters,
who are neither great men, nor do we represent great
battles or, again, great scenes from religion
or Greek mythology, but we will represent humans
in their daily lives. We freed ourselves from both
official orders and the power of the Church.
Exactly. And that,
incidentally, corresponds to the reform. Protestantism is obviously
a very important moment in this. And this is the first time,
again, I insist, in history that we are going to represent
little humans as such in their daily lives,
women, prostitutes, genre scenes, genre scenes,
cabaret scenes where we see plunging necklines, we see
gentlemen drinking beer. But what is very important
is that they are anonymous. It’s truly about humans
in their everyday lives. It’s everyday life,
to use a terrible word, but one that says exactly what it means. And once again, this is the first time
in human history that we have encountered this kind of painting, which we could
simply call humanist. And this is linked to the Protestant Reformation
which also established
the first form of secularism in Amsterdam and throughout Holland. It is also linked to the end
of the religious wars. The emblematic figure of
Dutch painting in the 17th century is Rembrandt. He settled here,
in this house, in 1639. He was 33 years old at the time. Rembrandt is a renowned painter
who receives numerous commissions. In her home,
she displays her wealth, for she is both a painter and an art dealer. You can’t force Imagine that here,
in the 17th century, you entered through this door into Rembrandt’s art gallery. This room was truly special,
with a marble floor and paintings everywhere adorning the walls. The visitors must have been impressed. That was the function of this room. This chic interior,
with its high ceilings, showcased his wealth and illustrated
his status as a renowned painter and art dealer at that time. Above the gallery, Rembrandt set up his studio. At the time, each painter was surrounded
by apprentices who helped prepare the colors and stretch the canvases. Thanks to them, the great
Dutch masters are very productive. It was no accident that Rembrandt chose a north-facing room
for his studio . What’s really special
about this workshop is the light. This light has not changed in four
centuries, since Rembrandt lived here. If you look at the face,
you will notice that one part is light and the other is dark. This contrast, this chiaroscuro, was very
characteristic of Rembrandt’s work. That was clearly his signature. Rembrandt is a man
who works a lot. His wife, Saskia, lives
with him in this house. Saskia is the daughter of an art dealer. She was the one who introduced him
into the inner circle of high society, but above all she was
Rembrandt’s great love. In this house,
they will experience their greatest joy as well as their greatest sorrow. It was in a bed like this
that Saskia gave birth to her children. Unfortunately for Rembrandt and Saskia,
their first three children died shortly after birth. Their fourth child, Titus,
was born in 1641 in this house and was a perfectly healthy boy. However, a year later,
misfortune once again caught up with Rembrandt. Saskia died suddenly at barely 30 years old. Rembrandt is devastated. After Saskia’s death,
Rembrandt hired a governess to take care of his son, Titus. She becomes his mistress, but some
time later their relationship turns sour. From the moment Rembrandt wanted to
end his affair with Gertsche, she accused him of having
promised to marry her. At the time, this
verbal promise bound him before the law. He then had her locked up in a
women’s reformatory. But he is still obliged to pay her a substantial pension every year. Despite having large fortunes,
Rembrandt lived beyond his means. He collects all sorts of objects,
sublime or unusual. This passion,
coupled with a declining number of orders , will hasten his downfall. I’m taking you to the Rix Museum,
where one of the world’s most famous paintings is on display : The Night Watch. This painting is undoubtedly one of
Rembrandt’s most famous paintings. He represents a company
of the Amsterdam burghers’ militia. It’s an order. The central character was commissioned;
he was the mayor of Amsterdam, his name was Franz Banningcock. As a side note,
most of the characters in the background paid
Rembrandt to be in the scene. And once the painting was finished, some
were not happy with the result. This was the case, for example,
of the gentleman you see hidden behind this arm, with this hat, who
felt that he wasn’t seen enough. And from that moment on,
official commissions for Rembrandt became rare. The title of this painting
is The Night Watch. In fact, it’s a title
that Rembrandt did not choose. It appeared in the 19th century,
simply because the varnish covering this painting, over time,
had terribly darkened the canvas, so much so that it was thought to be
a scene that had been painted at night. And then, while cleaning it, we realized
that it had been painted at dusk. And then, there is an
extremely moving detail here. This painting was painted
by Rembrandt in 1642. And 1642 is the year
of the death of his wife, Saskia. And it is thought that the painter represented
his wife in the guise of this young girl who is in a way the mascot
of this militia, and who, as you can see, is as well lit as the two
main characters in the painting. Painting during the Golden Age was so
productive that art dealers and collectors quickly multiplied. Yantzix was one of the first
collectors of the Golden Age. He was also
Rembrandt’s protector and closest friend after the death of his wife Saskia. Many paintings by the great
masters of the time belonged to him. Starting with one of the most famous: Vermeer’s Milkmaid. In the Yann 6 family,
collecting is a tradition passed down from father to son. This is Yann 6, the 11th of that name. He too is an art dealer specializing
in 17th century Dutch painting. You see, there was this shape yesterday. For example, yesterday, said,
it has a beetje wit uit. Dat is dus nofranis rest. Dat is nog niet helemaal schon. And naked, valt die… Dat valt ook, there. Yes. You see, they said, they said, they said, they could collect paintings. It was not reserved for elites
or famous art dealers, but practically everyone could
collect: market vendors, a carpenter,
a punchcutter, a baker. If they had enough money to buy
paintings, they did so, because the Dutch were keen to decorate
their interiors and show their social status. Because everyone had
at least two or three paintings. That’s really surprising. For this dealer, each painting has
a story and sometimes its secrets. This one would represent the mistress of a
married man; its small size allowed it to be slipped into a pocket. Today, all the paintings we see
in museums are only a tiny fraction of what exists. These are certainly
only the most beautiful ones. The majority is still in
the hands of private collectors. And an even larger portion
is scattered across the world. We are talking about several
hundred thousand canvases. To this artistic flourishing,
whose icons are Rembrandt and Vermeer, is added a practice of
individual freedoms which establishes Amsterdam and the United Provinces as a
first-rate intellectual and cultural center. In the 17th century,
Amsterdam’s reputation was immense. And to materialize it,
the mayors ordered the construction of a town hall, a
reflection of their ambition and pride. This is the Stadium. Today, it is better known
as the Palace of Ladies. In the great hall of this Palais-Royal,
lit by six magnificent chandeliers which date back to the time
of Louis-Napoleon, one can still see traces
of the symbols linked to justice which were once heard in this building. An example: this scene
which dominates the room. We see Lady Justice putting her foot
on two screws: skill and envy. The skill that is represented by
Laura Midas with her large ears. And then the other one, which is represented
by a jellyfish whose hair is transforming into a snake. So, Lady Justice holds
the sword and the scales, of course. And then, she is surrounded
by two punishments. To his right, and to his left,
a woman who is chained and who is wearing, as you can see, a knee-breaker. This was a scene that was supposed to be a
deterrent for the residents of Amsterdam. So this large hall,
it serves on each side the apartments of the royal family
when they travel to Amsterdam. Come with me. In 1806, Louis Bonaparte,
brother of Napoleon I, ascended the throne of Holland under the name of Louis Napoleon. Two years later,
while passing through Amsterdam, King Louis decided to transform the
town hall into a royal palace and ordered that part of this new palace
be decorated to his taste. These royal apartments were occupied in their time by
Louis Napoleon and Hortense de Beauharnais, his wife. There are also some pieces
of furniture dating from this period, such as this bed, which is
Louis-Napoleon’s bed. Hortense didn’t like
this place very much. She found him too austere, too cold. In fact, she only
stayed there for a short time. Hortense de Beauharnais,
daughter of Josephine de Beauharnais and Queen of Holland,
was, like all the sovereigns of her time, adorned with precious stones. Her most famous jewel, the pink diamond,
was renamed the hydrangea in her honor. We will find this diamond again
a few years later in France. It will be worn by another woman,
the beautiful daughter of Queen Hortense, Empress Eugénie,
the wife of Napoleon III. And this jewel will become part of the
Crown Jewels of France, Crown Jewels which are now
kept at the Louvre, where we are going. These jewels are the jewels acquired
by the various kings of France. They belong to the state. They are exhibited in the Apollo gallery,
or some are kept in the museum’s reserves. Vincent Mélan is a journalist;
he knows the Second Empire well. Under the Second Empire, the collection was
not enriched in an extraordinary way. There are no major gemstones
that fit into the collection. But it turns out that Empress
Eugénie is a woman who is both very elegant, very inventive, and who
loves jewelry and her appearance. This is something that is
very important to her. She had almost
all of the treasure transformed, at least the diamonds and pearls. This imperial crown was
specially made for Eugénie. It is composed of 56 emeralds and
2,480 diamonds. Eugenie is a woman who loves jewelry. In this official portrait,
she is wearing a pure marvel, a tiara made
of pearls and diamonds. Eugénie, whose real name is Eugénie
de Montijo, is of Spanish origin. Endowed with astonishing creativity, she
brought back this ornate diadem from the Regent. This 140-carat diamond,
acquired by the Regent Philippe d’Orléans, served as an adornment for various
crowned heads of the kingdom. During the coronation of Louis XV,
on the pommel of Napoleon I’s ceremonial sword. But one of the most beautiful creations
of genius is undoubtedly this diamond knot. The diamond knot
is a typical example of the inventiveness and demand that
Empress Eugénie could have. And that was clearly a piece of jewelry
that was placed in the center of the neckline. And you have to imagine that all
those stones, in an atmosphere, by candlelight,
in an evening at the opera, in an evening in the tile factory, it must have
been an absolutely extraordinary sight. A woman might wear that today,
primarily for purely financial reasons. Very quickly,
Empress Eugénie’s luxurious tastes became known throughout the capital. She is criticized for being
frivolous and extravagant. However, Eugénie is not
quite who she is described as. The creation of the
Eugène Napoléon Foundation, located in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, is proof of this. The reason I wanted to
introduce you to this foundation is that it perfectly illustrates
one of Eugénie’s character traits. Come with me. We know that Empress Eugénie adored
jewelry, and especially diamonds. Also, in view of her marriage to
Napoleon III, the Paris Municipal Commission decided to offer her a necklace. To this end, she voted for a sum
of 600,000 francs which, at the time, was very significant since it
would correspond to €1,500,000 today for the creation of a necklace. All the jewellers in the Place de Paris
are delighted and awaiting the order. And to everyone’s surprise,
Empress Eugénie decided to allocate this sum, not to the creation of this
necklace, but to the construction of an establishment for the education of
poor, needy or orphaned girls. And this is the establishment
in which we find ourselves. Here are two testimonies
that recall this generous act. The first one is located in the chapel. This first testimony
is this mural painting by the painter Félix Marias,
which depicts Empress Eugénie symbolically offering this famous necklace
to the young girls of the institution. And to emphasize that this
event took place during her wedding, the painter, who depicted himself
to the right of one of the nuns, painted the empress in her
wedding dress, except that this dress was studded with
precious stones, including diamonds, and here he portrayed it in a
much more understated way. The second piece of evidence
is the shape of this building, which is the work of the architect Hittorff,
and who designed it in the shape of a necklace, which can be
seen wonderfully from the sky. Paris, under the Second Empire, experienced a prosperous period. Empress Eugénie sets the tone. She sets the trends. His personal taste is expressed
in Melairio, known as Melair. It is the oldest
jewelry house in the world. Located on rue de la Paix,
Melair’s expertise was renowned during the Second Empire. Here, the expert hands of Goldsmiths have been
polishing and embellishing diamonds and precious stones for centuries. Olivier Mélerio represents the 14th generation of the Méler family. All the archives are kept in the basement of the establishment
. So, you have before you
what in the language of the time was called the “mains courantes”,
that is to say, the customer book. In fact, we have one book per year. And there, I opened it to the page
of Her Majesty the Empress. So, we can look at
the frequency of his purchases in this column. If we look, for example, here, in April,
she came on the 11th, the 19th, the 27th of April. In May, she came on the 2nd,
the 7th, the 9th, the 14th. She buys very important things,
such as on February 8th, a four-strand pearl necklace with
an emerald and diamond padlock composed of 223 pearls for a total
of 87,000 gold francs. Eugenie remains to this day the biggest client
in the entire history of jewelry. This bracelet is a faithful testament
to the Empress’s tastes. Diamonds, pearls, emeralds,
it brought together everything she loved. During the Second Empire,
jewellers achieved true technical feats to meet
the demands of their clientele. When you look at this tiara,
you might think it’s just a tiara. And in fact, women liked to
transform their jewelry. There was the evening when we
had a formal dress code. And then, during the day,
we could have simpler things. And we see that this diadem,
when we look at it a little, we realize that it can be transformed into five bodice pieces that can be worn at other times of the day. But another element will also play a role
in this desire to surpass oneself: world’s fairs. The year is 1855, and
under the glass roofs of the former Palace of Industry,
located on the Champs-Élysées, 25 states and their colonies are meeting. An opportunity to demonstrate to everyone
the greatness of France. This event allows jewelers
to demonstrate their expertise, starting with this man,
Frédéric Boucheron. Thanks to his talent, he will gradually
impose his style, but also his name. At the end of the Second Empire,
his fame was such that he left the Palais-Royal to also set up shop in
Place Vendôme, where all of Paris gathered. Frédéric Boucheront was the first
to set up shop in Place Vendôme. He was the one who first had the idea
of ​​coming here. This is the location that is most
south-facing in the square. And so, for precious stones
and particularly diamonds, it is a location that has
exceptional light. So, especially at the end of the day,
in the afternoon, we can easily imagine Frédéric Boucheront sitting here. If he turns his finger to the window,
the light falls directly on the
precious stones in front of him. So, it’s true that the orientation of this
place, of this house, is quite exceptional for judging
and appraising precious stones. He is the first, for example, who is
a great diamond enthusiast and trader. The diamond is truly his stone; it is
the stone that is important to him. And so, he had this revolutionary idea,
for example, of cutting the diamond. That is to say,
I’m not talking about facets, but he has the diamond engraved,
so designs are made on the surface of the diamond, which is a
technical feat, because the diamond is the hardest stone,
so engraving the diamond is not like engraving a
semi-precious stone, like I do n’t know, even a sapphire. A sapphire is much
easier to engrave than a diamond. So, all these inventions,
all these innovations that Frédéric Boucheront
had and put in place at the end of the 19th century, a century later,
are still used because they are effective, because they are
part of the fundamentals of jewelry. These are what we call
icons of jewelry. Over the years, the influence
of Place Vendôme has only grown. Under Napoleon In 1853, another man
also managed to turn his name into a brand. This is Pierre
François-Pascal Guerlain. At the time, he was still just a
modest seller of vinegar and perfume. But in 853, he created another column
that would bring him glory: the other imperial column. It was Empress Eugénie who
inspired this fragrance, as explained by Thierry Vasseur,
the nose of the House of Guerlain. It’s another fresh column
of bergamot, lemon, orange, and orange blossom. And there’s a little aromatic hint
of rosemary that makes all the difference, with that aromatic side that
gives it a certain grip. It has a bit of… It has that little bit of pride that is expressed
within that aromatic hook. But it’s very fresh. Flattered by this perfume created
for her, Eugenie adopts it. On the bottle, which has not changed for
more than a century and a half, we find the bees, an
imperial symbol, and the shape of the dome of the dome placement,
all gilded at their end. I imagine he liked it very much
since Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain received the patent of
official perfumer to Her Majesty. This also had the effect
of opening all the doors of European courts to him , and he became
a well-known and respected European perfumer. Under the Second Empire,
two worlds coexisted. That of Empress Eugénie,
of the court and of official taste. And that of the demimondaines,
very fashionable under Napoleon III. These women, known as cocottes,
are high-class prostitutes known for ruining their wealthy
lovers with lavish spending. Using their charm, they seduce
artists and influential men. They can be found in
Parisian salons of the time. One of the best known is that of Jules
la Pérouse, located on the Quai des Grands Augustins, a stone’s throw from the Louvre. La Pérouse, during the Second Empire,
was the preferred location for romantic encounters. Here, at the time, all
the intellectuals, politicians, businessmen and of course,
the famous cocottes, those women of loose morals, could be found. They had at their disposal
a whole series of small lounges that protected their privacy. There is one among these salons
that I would like to introduce to you. This is the one known as
the Senators’ Lounge. It is particularly interesting. This room, as you can see, is very small,
but at the time it was extremely practical because it
could be accessed directly through a secret passage,
an underground gallery which crossed the old Augustinian convent to go, it is
said, to the Senate, hence probably the name of this room. Today, the secret passage is blocked,
but traces of the bottom of the door can still be seen. So, these women
were real businesswomen. In exchange for their service,
they asked for jewelry and, if possible, diamonds. And to verify the authenticity of their
stone, well, she engraved, she drew a line on her mirrors. And if the line was regular,
it was because it was a real diamond. Intelligent and calculating, the hens live the high life. One of the most famous
is called La Païva. Her real name was Thérèse Lachmann, but
La Païva was of Russian origin. She marries a wealthy count who
offers her a private mansion located on the most beautiful avenue in the world,
the Champs-Élysées. This success places La Païva at the very
top of the hierarchy of cocottes. She is nicknamed the lioness. These women have nicknames taken
from a bestiary with a hierarchy of animals: the “cocottes” at the bottom, then
you have the “does” and the “lionesses”. We are here in the dining room
of the païva where she received her guests. You can see that she is displaying her colors
on the mantelpiece of this Superb Lionesses fireplace. La païva fully embraces her status
as a successful woman who has managed, through her charms and her own means,
to climb the various rungs of society. Thanks to her charms, La Païva
was thus lifted out of poverty. And
she proudly displays her success. The finest materials are used in this private mansion. The staircase is made of onyx. In the bathroom,
a unique bathtub lined with silvered bronze and equipped with three taps,
one of which was said to have been used for champagne or donkey milk. La Païva’s lifestyle is the talk of
Paris, but it also attracts the most prominent men. The Second Empire is truly the emblematic era
of these women. Luxury, the imperial party,
the fact that all the great men, and the example comes from the top,
it comes from Napoleon III, have mistresses,
women they support, alongside their lives as married men. They meet in these lounges. The Païva restaurant here
was extremely renowned. She had one of the best cooks
in Paris and we lived well, we ate well, in very,
very pleasant company. We discussed politics,
we discussed theatre, we discussed international affairs. So, we find the whole of Paris
from the French Academy, from the greatest literature, from the theatre in these salons. Émile Logier, Théophile Gautier, and
the Goncourt brothers frequented this private mansion. Suspected of espionage, La Païva had to
leave France after the Second Empire. These statues, for which she served
as a model, help us to imagine what they looked like. These women, of loose morals,
were, under the Second Empire, perfectly integrated into high society. We see them at receptions,
at the Tuileries, at the theatre, each time dressed in sumptuous gowns,
like Empress Eugénie. Nicknamed the Chiffon Fairy,
Eugenie is renowned for her elegance which influences fashion. A fashion that loves volume with dresses
puffed out by crinoline petticoats, bright colors, floral fabrics, and
finely worked lace. A fashion which,
thanks to the creation of department stores like Le Bon Marché and Printemps,
descends into the street. Under the Second Empire,
an elegant woman was expected to wear up to six outfits a day. In the reserves of the Museum
of Decorative Arts, dresses from that era are preserved. It was said at the time that Empress
Eugénie was a somewhat frivolous character and that she was passionate about fashion,
but in fact, she was very aware of her representational role and she
spoke of her dresses as if they were her political outfits. In fact, if she dressed up,
it was really to be in this representational role
and to launch elegance, French fashion and the luxury trades,
the Lyon evening, lace, many industrialists or manufacturers
offered her pieces from elsewhere which she wore. The indispensable piece of the Second Empire trousseau is the crinoline. Nearly 5 million crinolines
were produced between 1858 and 1864. Okay, you support the rear. We shift our weight from one shoulder to the other. It’s really a trend that has been embraced
by all levels of society. The factory workers also wore it
because it was industrialized, since it came
in all shapes and sizes. In 1852, when Le Bon Marché opened,
it was said that there were more than 54 different models of crinolines,
therefore also at different prices, which allowed all women
to be able to wear the crinoline and be fashionable. The exaggerated size of crinolines,
which can sometimes reach several meters in circumference,
gives rise to numerous caricatures. We make fun of these women who, in order to follow
fashion, cannot even sit down. Next to Place Vendôme,
an iconic mathematical building: the Opéra Garnier. It is the symbol of the Second Empire. Commissioned by Napoleon III, it was built
by a young architect: Charles Garnier. Completely unknown to the general public. The work will last more than 15 years. The opera house was inaugurated in 1875,
three years after the death of Napoleon III. This is where I have a meeting with
the couturier Christian Lacroix, one of the most
inspired designers of our time. Hello gentlemen, how are you?
Okay, thank you. How are you ? When you enter this
Paris opera house, you are truly captivated, impressed by this magnificent staircase. It is made of marble and onyx,
but above all, this staircase is in itself a veritable theatre stage. Because at the time,
people mainly came to the opera to be seen, to arrive on the arm of their
wife or on the arm of a courtesan. People also came here to see others,
to see the Crinoline ballet, hence all the balconies overlooking this staircase. This Paris opera house has
served as a model for many people around the world. And yet,
the first time Charles Garnier showed the plans to Empress Eugénie,
she reportedly reacted with horror, saying: “What a strange duck,
what a dreadful duck!” There is no style, neither Roman nor Greek. And then,
imperiously, Charles Garnier reportedly replied: That’s Napoleon III, madam. And that is how
the Napoleon III style was born. Christian Lacroix is ​​waiting for me in the opera house workshops. Workshops he knows well,
having created numerous costumes for various shows there. Patrick. Here we are in one of the most
wonderful fashion houses in Paris, where I had the pleasure
of working four or five times. This is actually the
ladies’ workshop, that is to say, where all the costumes for the girls and
dancers are made, since here at Garnier, only ballet costumes are made. I think that this is even the floor where,
since Napoleon III, the costumes have to be made and the
know-how is perpetuated. Does each dancer have her own role model? Each dancer has her own model,
since each dancer has a very particular morphology,
and the model must be adapted in a way that is sometimes quite significant,
since it has to be the most beautiful, it has to appear as she did
at the time, it has to be a jewel. Was it during this period,
under the Second Empire, that the modern woman was born in Paris? I wouldn’t say so… It’s almost the opposite for me.
So explain it to me. There are all the… It’s more the woman who is forced
because she is a woman who is isolated in her costume, who is isolated in the middle
of her crinoline, which sometimes has a
wingspan of two or three meters and which is, in my opinion,
a way of showing that she does not need to work, precisely
because the crinoline was absolutely not worn by people who worked. It must also be remembered that it was
the bourgeoisie that had seized power. This is the century of industrialization,
the century of capitalism, this is the Rothschilds, etc. And that these women were somewhat of a
foil for their husbands. And so, like dolls,
isolated in this… So, crinoline, basically,
it comes from horsehair, since the first petticoats,
at the beginning of the 19th century, were made of horsehair and with
a mixture of silk or cotton. And then, very quickly, it wasn’t enough. We had to add more,
more, more. And that’s where
the whales arrived, the whales, the whale bones, the wicker, the leather, the metal. And so, when she
sometimes took the bourgeois women who did not have a particular carriage,
when she took the coach or the stagecoach,
we see them, there are certain photos that show the crinolines
hanging behind. So, imagine that today,
at the bus stop, everyone taking off their underwear, hanging it up. Is this the boys’ workshop? The boys, and further on,
there is the tights workshop, because that was important.
Lycra. It’s very compartmentalized there.
Very compartmentalized. In a costume, there are three workshops,
plus the hats, plus the jewelry. And here we are talking about jewelry, but this is
Garnier’s jewelry, it’s the central piece. I don’t know if it’s going to ring. Usually, when you hear the
bell ringing, that’s where the costumes that are being
presented, prepared, or that are part of the show are concentrated. And it’s the only part of
the opera house that’s in its original condition and is listed as a historical monument. The Central. Is this a place that hasn’t changed since
the opera house was built? Those who haven’t moved,
those who don’t have the right to move. This is the place where Degas’ little dancers
used to come to get their slippers, their tutus at rest,
their balloon sleeves. And where we continue
to work every day. On the day of the opera house’s inauguration,
a ballet, La Source, was performed. We are performing an act from La Source which we have
revived, which had never been revived until last year, until 2012. And I had the chance to design
the costumes with this concern to be both still in the era,
but to make a ballet of today while keeping the magic of the period. And this is the moment when the crinoline,
which could be called elliptical, since it was no longer concentric,
but with a train behind, which we see here. And very quickly, the war of 70 arrived
and then the girls started to bring back this scale which was still
a little embarrassing, especially in wartime, to the home front. And that became the shape
that was called the arse of Paris. That’s fantastic. Fake ass, it’s less pretty,
but Parisian ass. And even abroad today,
when we talk about fashion, about the history of fashion in France,
in the United States, in England, in Germany, we talk about the Parisian ass. And I, I built a bit of my
fashion career on the history of the pouf, because I had interviews
in a house called Pas Tout, which was called Pas Tout. And I had the idea of ​​taking
engravings from the 19th century, precisely from the end of the 19th century, cutting off the bottom,
making very pretty legs of today as if they were
in minirum, but still keeping the pouf, the bustle, the Parisian ass. That’s how what
happened to me happened. Is this a period that inspired
your creative work? She also inspired me because one
rainy day, a rainy Thursday, in the attic of the family home
in Harnes, at my grandmother’s house, I discovered, bound, issues
of the illustrated fashion magazine from 1860. And there, it absolutely fascinated me. And I started to get a lot of inspiration
and discover incredible things that were
much more spectacular than anything we knew, even though the 60s
were themselves a little impressed, a little inspired with the
very puffy skirts of the girls of that time. At Franchise et libre, the courtesans
also inspired the painters. One of them, Édouard Manet,
would later become famous thanks to a painting, Le déjeuner sur l’herbe (The Luncheon on the Grass). A lunch that brings together two young
men and a completely naked woman. This painting is part of a salon
called the Salon des Refusés, which was held in 1863 at the initiative
of Napoleon III. This exhibition brings together works rejected
by the Academy of Fine Arts and arouses the wrath of official critics. With his Luncheon on the Grass,
by being a witness to his time, Manet provoked a scandal. Manet reveals an aspect of
contemporary manners in a direct, brutal way, without sparing his audience. Manet lifts the veil on a reality well
known to his contemporaries, but which is not allowed to be mentioned in painting. You don’t show that in a painting. Even today, we have the impression of
catching a scene we shouldn’t see. Manet’s painting is judged to be vulgar,
absurd, too realistic, incomprehensible. He will even be accused of not knowing how to
paint, of not knowing how to use colors, of not knowing how to
model the female body. He will be the great outcast and he will
base his career, which will span
the entire Second Empire, on this first shock. Under the Second Empire, good taste
was expressed in this type of painting. An idealized, unreal nude. This Venus by Cabanel,
exhibited the same year at the official Salon, was purchased by Napoleon III. Manet, for his part, persists and signs. He is working on his new painting, Olympia,
which, once again, depicts a completely naked courtesan, offered up. Despite the new scandal,
the painting is accepted by the Academy. Manet becomes indispensable. If Olympia was so disturbing in 1875,
it was because this painting made us the customer of this young woman who shamelessly revealed her charms. The scandal of Olympia
is not that she showed a feminine u, but a woman undressed
and a woman of loose morals, a woman who sells her charms. The painting directly depicts
prostitution during the Second Empire. The loose morals of the Second Empire
also influenced the theatre. Numerous lavishly
decorated rooms were built. The city theatre, the Châtelet theatre, the winter circus. A new theatrical genre
emerged, boulevard theatre, which depicted
the extramarital relationships that were widespread during the Second Empire. These authors are called La biche, Fedot,
one of the most famous plays by Georges Fedot, ladies’ tailor.
Moulineau. Mom.
Don’t call me Mother, Moulineau. Damn, my wife. I’m not going to beat around the bush. Are you familiar with this glove? Oh, because I was looking for that one. Not all of them. Whose glove is this? But to whom? But to me, to you, of that size.
Yes, Mom. It’s to make the hand smaller, you know,
by bringing the thumb back like this and lengthening the fingers. You see, it’s more
graceful for a man. Don’t fool me, Moulinot. Above all, don’t fool me. It’s a woman’s glove. Yes, it looks like it. It looks like it, that’s because it
got wet. He took it on, so he shrank. And the length?
But precisely, it has shrunk and lengthened. It’s water. It gained in length,
which meant it lost in width. It’s still Stéphana, Mom. For example,
you would get wet. It says 6.5.
No, 9.5. It was the water that reversed
the number, Mom. Do you think I’m an animal? No, wait, no time,
no time, Mum. No time, no time.
Mom, do you want me to tell you something? You are behaving like a debauchee.
Me ? You spend the night outside and a pair of
women’s gloves are found in your pocket. It’s humidity, Mom. If you were to deceive my child,
I would be a she-wolf. But allow me.
It’s just that you’re married. She bores me, that she-wolf. As you know, I made him lose his temper.
But don’t allow me. You know that according to the code,
the wife must follow her husband. Therefore, we will follow you. But excuse me, the code says
the woman, not the mother-in-law. Who doesn’t think? The Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens is
a theatre where all of Paris flocks. It is conducted by Jacques Offenbach. The theatre overlooks the Passage Choiseul. Pierre Arditi arranged to meet me there. Pierre Arditi, Mi and arrange a meeting. Pierre-ardi said: This Choiseul passage
is one of the longest passages in Paris. He is one of the survivors from that
era of the Second Empire. It’s incredibly charming.
He’s incredibly charming, and he’s not the only one. There are many, since I learned
not long ago that there were 17 of the passages in Paris. And it’s a completely original way to get around
the city. In fact, I highly recommend that
people, one day, take their day like that, take a map and go
explore the 17 Parisian passages which are all very different by the way. It’s a very, very nice way
to look at the city differently. This passage is not very far from
the Grands Boulevards in Paris. No, not very far, yes. And the Grands Boulevards, during
the Second Empire, were the birthplace of theatre. It was the theater, it was the theater. Then there was the Boulevard of Crime,
which is a little less close to here than the Boulevard du Temple. That is to say, where the
Porte Saint-Martin theatre and the Renaissance theatre are located. Why was it called
Crime Boulevard? Not because it was an unsafe place,
simply because performances were given there of a theatre
that navigated between the detective novel and what you might call horror theatre,
with blood, axes, a bit like the Grand Guignol, which, there, was
not located on the boulevard of crime. And then there was the boulevard,
the boulevards, what we ended up calling
boulevard theatre, which was simply a geographical designation. That’s because those theaters
were on the boulevards. This passage, Choiseul, leads directly
to the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens. Yes. And that’s a theatre
that has marked your career. Yes, very deeply.
Very deeply. That’s where I recreated
Georges Fedot’s ladies’ tailor in 1984. At the end of 1984, it was mounted by Bernard Murat,
and it was a very big success. This is what probably gave me the
initial boost towards a level of popular recognition that I hadn’t yet achieved. Shall
we push the door open? And how do we grow it? Okay, then, follow me. Please note, it is marked:
Warning, limited height. So you’re going to behead yourself
if you don’t lower your head. Usually, it’s the speed that’s
limited, but here, it’s the height. So, here I am, returning to the scene
of my crimes, and I commit my crimes in the theatre, of course. This magnificent theatre,
which is the second Off & Back Theatre, is right in the heart of
Napoleon III, of course. And as always today,
this theatre seems tiny to me. And when I experienced it 25 years ago,
it seemed excessive to me. I thought to myself that I would never be able to
speak in such a space. That’s the memory effect, isn’t it? It’s the childhood effect. That is to say, like all children,
we grow in places. And then, when we come back half a century
later, we realize that it was n’t actually that big after all.
But it’s beautiful. Come, I’ll show you something else
and I’ll show it to myself again. My dressing room.
Ah, the lodge. This was my dressing room, not just mine,
but it was mine too. There you go, watch your head. It has no idea what a visible size is. It’s a real labyrinth. Ah yes, it’s a maze. So. And here, it’s funny because at the same time, it’s the same thing. The geography is the same. I recognize everything and at the same
time, I recognize nothing. But again, that’s normal. A box is like a sponge, and it molds itself to
the shape of whoever was there last. But it’s very upsetting because
obviously, if I slightly escape your gaze as I look behind me on this
sofa, I see my ghost of younger men watching me. That’s the annoying thing about
actors, they’re constantly confronted with who they used to be. So, there are times
when comparison is tricky. When I look at this photo,
I can’t help but think that I was obviously better looking
20 years ago than I am now. That’s life.
That’s it, that’s how it is. Pierre, under the Second Empire,
the beginnings of popular culture appeared, and in particular
boulevard theatre were born. Boulevard theatre. Yes, of course. This expression is
used today… in a somewhat pejorative way. Not a little, that’s so pejorative. Whereas at the time, it was simply a matter of
geographically locating the place. The theatres were on the boulevard,
the boulevards. But over time, for
reasons unknown, it took on that meaning. Because there was what we called… There was the boulevard of crime,
we talked about it earlier, which was the boulevard of Tende,
but there were also other boulevards, the boulevard of Capucines,
the boulevard of Italiens. And there was what
was called the boulevard spirit. And that spirit
was a spirit that was conveyed by young people who were rather
intellectuals, who strolled on those famous boulevards, who went to see those
plays, who hung out on the terraces of cafes, in particular the Café
de Paris, and who looked at the bourgeois to make fun of them.
There was some in there. There was Tristan Bernhardt,
there was Laviche, there was Fedo, there were all those people. At some point, why
did it take on this meaning? We don’t know. Because, as always,
we take things, throw them away, and then,
40 years later, we praise them. I’ll take a quick shortcut,
but because they exasperate me. When we see the tribute being
paid to Louis de Funès today, which is entirely legitimate. But we must still remember,
unfortunately for them, I lived long enough
to have… At the time, he was vilified. He was not vilified. That is to say, at the time
of La Grande Vadrouille, there were articles in the newspapers,
which are newspapers of my own persuasion, which said that we should boycott these
films because they were fascist, because they reduced the
general intelligence of the French people, that we should not go to them. Now, to hear
that Ouri and de Funès were geniuses. Yes, they are geniuses.
Yes, they were 40 years ago already. Does that bother you?
It’s unbearable. I can’t stand it. The problem is
n’t being fashionable. The problem is being modern. It’s about traversing time. And as if by chance, this theatre,
since we are talking about Napoleon III, we are talking about Labiche who is earlier,
but we are talking about Fedou, since I played Fedou here. Fedou directed his actors at the piano
because he considered it the only way to give them
the rhythm of the show. They would sit down at the piano
and then they would play… And
then, apparently, that gave them the rhythm that Fedo wanted to
have for his pieces. So I created this play which was
created by Félix Galipaud, who was one of the star actors
of Fedo’s troupe, and who, from time to time,
the Félix Galipot in question, would go and play at private homes. He would recite humorous texts or
give excerpts from plays, and we called that “galipettes”. The word galipettes
comes from Félix Galipot. Well, Fedo, who’s being put in pin-up mode
today, he also has some Philippe André clothes. Because it was under the pretext,
it was distracting, so consequently, there was no thought
running behind it. Today, everyone agrees
that at Fédot’s, there are already traces of
Ionesco’s footsteps lying around in a corner. He is one of the pairs in the pile of the absurd. He is someone who savagely attacks
the bourgeoisie of his time and who,
at a certain point, shows this quite extraordinary thing. The thing is,
in Fedot’s plays, everything is possible because
nobody listens to anybody. If we simply had one person
who amused themselves by listening in to find out what we were saying,
Fedo’s Rocco team would no longer exist. It simply meant that this
society listened to nothing but the noise it wanted to hear. I am absolutely sorry, these are
all very contemporary themes. In fact, today,
we treat Fedo the same way we treat de Funès, we put it back on the Pinnacle
after having trashed him. But what do we
want to say in response to that? We want to respond that at some point
, these people who advised against going to see
La Grande Vadrouille, who thought that Fedo was a
minor author, who continue to think that Guitry is an author
who is not worth it. We feel like telling them that there are
letters that are better received than written when
they dishonor their authors. After France’s defeat
in the war against Prussia in 1870,
the people of Paris, led by the republican deputies,
imposed the proclamation of the Republic. Napoleon III and Eugénie, having been deposed,
were forced into exile in England. A few months before the death
of Napoleon III, a very large auction took place in London with an
enigmatic title: Auction of magnificent jewels belonging
to a lady of quality. And rumor has it that these are
the jewels of Empress Eugénie. Then, a huge crowd
crowded into the auction room. The proceeds from this sale were considerable
and enabled the imperial couple to meet the necessities of their exile. In 1920, when Eugénie died,
she left behind some jewelry that she had been able to keep, which was
scattered across Europe. Even today, these jewels
make the whole world dream. Let’s not assume that
diamonds are forever. And so,
this issue of the Grand Tour comes to an end. But the journey continues. See you
soon. It is at the end that everything begins.
Come on, folks. Right?
Oh, yeah. Pack your things, baby. Now, I’ll put on your shoes. Let’s take a break. I’ll turn it loose. Come for a ride.
I want to take Yeah. Come for a ride. I want to take you out.

Entre l’Europe et l’Asie, un voyage où l’art devient langage universel.
Amoureux de la France et du patrimoine, ses trésors n’auront plus de secrets pour vous 👉 https://bit.ly/4dnI1h1

00:00 Introduction – Paris, capitale des échanges artistiques
10:00 Les Pays-Bas, entre lumière et peinture
25:00 L’Inde et Pondichéry : héritage colonial et renaissance culturelle
40:00 Rencontre avec Raghunath Manet, maître de danse et de musique carnatique
70:00 Les liens entre l’art occidental et la spiritualité orientale
95:00 L’art comme passerelle entre les cultures
110:00 Conclusion – Le Grand Tour, une invitation au dialogue des civilisations

De Paris à Pondichéry, cet épisode du Grand Tour explore les passerelles entre l’Europe et l’Inde à travers le regard d’artistes, d’intellectuels et de voyageurs.
Au cœur du récit, le danseur et musicien Raghunath Manet, figure emblématique des arts traditionnels indiens, incarne la rencontre entre l’esthétique française et la spiritualité tamoule.
Entre Amsterdam, Paris et l’Inde du Sud, ce voyage initiatique dévoile comment l’art relie les peuples, transcende les frontières et réinvente le dialogue entre les cultures.

Titre : Le Grand Tour – Paris, Pays-Bas, Inde
Réalisateurs : Patrick De Carolis & Jean-Luc Orabona
© Tous droits réservés – AMP

#Paris #Inde #PaysBas #LeGrandTour #Pondichery #RaghunathManet #Culture #Patrimoine #Art #Voyage #Spiritualité #Documentaire
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