Lot n° 351
Estimation :
50 - 80
EUR
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INVALIDES - VAVIN, Henry (1785-1837), architect, auditor of - Lot 351
INVALIDES - VAVIN, Henry (1785-1837), architect, auditor of the buildings of Monsieur, the king's brother, and controller of the Invalides. Signed letter. S.l., June 3, 1813. 2 pp. in-folio.
"The gilding of the Dome was awarded on May 6 last. I had submitted a reasoned report opposing this haste; I don't know whether it was presented to the Council; among other reasons, I had reported the following observation: "For some time, a white ceruse has been discovered that is much brighter than that which comes from Holland, and is much preferable to the latter for preventing gold from altering and darkening, at least for a long time. It meets with the approval of all chemists, and the controller wishes, when there is a floor, to go up to the scaffold and test this white, which would also have the advantage of reducing the price. [...] an experiment will be made with the white of Ceruse known as Clichy on a part of the Dome that will be gilded by a contractor, and if this part meets the desired qualities, it will serve as a model, and the successful bidder will be required to comply and use this new white of Ceruse [...]".
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