In 1775, the Comte d'Artois, brother of Louis XVI and future King Charles X, purchased the Bagatelle estate in the Bois de Boulogne on the outskirts of Paris. The sumptuous château he constructed there--designed by François-Joseph Bélanger and modeled on a neo-Palladian villa--along with its picturesque gardens were lauded by prestigious European and American visitors, including Thomas Jefferson.

Spared by the Revolution, Bagatelle became the setting for many important moments in European history and was acquired by the city of Paris in 1905. While the park with its magnificent rose garden remained open, the Mansart Foundation, with a team of experts, oversaw an extensive renovation of the château to restore the architectural jewel to its former glory.

This beautifully illustrated volume recounts the fabulous history of Château de Bagatelle and its various owners, with spectacular new photography, unpublished archival documents, and insightful text.