Hôtel de Luppé
MonumentHidden Treasure
The Hôtel de Luppé, a former Hôtel de Romieu converted into an artist's residence, boasts a neo-Florentine façade overlooking the Arles arena, a rare example of aristocratic patronage at the turn of the 20th century.
History
Nestling in the historic heart of Arles, just a stone's throw from the Roman amphitheatre whose silhouette it captures from its easternmost windows, the Hôtel de Luppé is one of those discreet residences that encapsulate several centuries of urban and social history. Born under the name of Hôtel de Romieu in the 17th century, it has passed through the ages, changing hands many times, accumulating the architectural layers of a town that was in turn Roman, medieval and Provençal. What really sets this mansion apart is the metamorphosis it underwent in the early 20th century under the impetus of Gaston de Luppé, an aristocrat and artist. By gradually acquiring the adjacent buildings on rue de la Bastille to house his studio, he gave the house an uncommonly creative vocation. The reconstruction of the east wing in a neo-Florentine style bears witness to a pronounced taste for the Italian Renaissance, a bold aesthetic choice that contrasts with the architectural tradition of Provence, while at the same time blending harmoniously with the ancient stone of the neighbouring arena. The facade overlooking the amphitheatre, with its Florentine references - arcades, meticulous modenature, dressed stonework - offers a singular architectural spectacle that lovers of eclecticism and art history will appreciate. The intertwining of the hotel and the dense, thousand-year-old urban fabric of Arles lends the whole a particularly evocative atmosphere. Listed as a Historic Monument in 2019, the Hôtel de Luppé now enjoys the official recognition that this palimpsest of stone and ambition has long deserved. For those who know how to look up in the narrow streets around the arena, it represents one of the little-known gems of Arles, a city already rich in ancient and medieval treasures.
Architecture
The layout of the Hôtel de Luppé is typical of the grand Provencal town houses of the 17th century: a main building set around an inner courtyard, with outbuildings and annexe buildings that have been gradually integrated over the centuries. Limestone, a ubiquitous building material in Arles, is probably the basic material used throughout, giving the building the golden hue so typical of southern residences. The most remarkable and unusual feature of the building is the east wing, rebuilt by Gaston de Luppé in the early 20th century in a bold neo-Florentine style. This facade, which faces the Roman amphitheatre, borrows from the vocabulary of the Italian Renaissance, with its semi-circular arches, meticulous window surrounds, rigorous modenature and sense of horizontal rhythm. The contrast between this resolutely eclectic section and the more classical volumes of the old building creates a skilfully orchestrated architectural tension, making the hotel an exceptional document of the artistic tastes of the Belle Époque. The artist's studio on rue de la Bastille forms a third functional area, integrated into the complex through successive acquisitions. Its volumes are probably taller and its large zenithal openings - typical of artists' studios of the period - contrast with the usual discretion of the street facades of private mansions in Arles, demonstrating the modernity of the programme claimed by its patron.
Related Figures
Famille de Romieu — premiers propriétaires attestés, constructeurs de l'hôtel au XVIIe siècleBaron de Chartrouse — propriétaire au XVIIIe siècleGénéral Miollis — figure napoléonienne, propriétaire au tournant du XIXe siècleFamille de Bouillé — propriétaires au XIXe siècleGaston de Luppé — aristocrate et artiste, acquéreur en 1906, maître d'œuvre de la reconstruction néo-florentine
