Mas Vaillen ou mas Gaudibert
MonumentHidden Treasure
In the heart of the Alpilles, this 18th-century Provencal farmhouse hides a rare treasure: a panoramic wallpaper from 1818 illustrating Napoleon's Egyptian campaign, a masterpiece printed in Paris.
History
Nestling in the middle of the farmlands of Mas-Blanc-des-Alpilles, Mas Vaillen - also known as Mas Gaudibert - is one of those discreet buildings whose sober exterior conceals an extraordinary wealth of interior features. Far from the tourist hustle and bustle of nearby Baux-de-Provence, this manor house embodies the quiet elegance of the Provençal landed aristocracy of the late Ancien Régime and the first decades of the 19th century. What radically sets the Mas Vaillen apart from its regional counterparts is the exceptional preservation of its ground-floor drawing room, decorated with a set of panoramic wallpapers printed in 1818 by a Parisian manufacturer. Entitled "The French in Egypt" or "The Battle of Heliopolis", this panoramic wallpaper spans several linear metres and provides an epic visual account of Napoleon's campaign in the East, combining romantic orientalism and patriotic fervour in a remarkably fresh palette of colours. The architectural ensemble comprises a manor house extended to the east by outbuildings, the whole forming a coherent and homogenous whole characteristic of the large farms of the Alpilles. To the south, a carefully tended box garden forms the boundary of an enclosed space that tempers the fiery light of Provence and invites you to take a meditative stroll among the pruned yews and resinous scents. For visitors with a passion for decorative arts or Napoleonic history, the Mas Vaillen is a must-see. There are very few private residences that have preserved such a panoramic work of art in situ, whose counterparts are now more often than not to be found in museum storerooms. Here, the wallpaper lives on in its original context, illuminated by the Provencal light streaming in from the small-paned windows, just as it did in the days of its first owners.
Architecture
The Mas Vaillen soberly illustrates the type of large Provencal manor house built at the end of the 18th century, without ostentation but with a solidity and balance that bear witness to skilled craftsmanship and a demanding client. The ensemble follows a longitudinal plan: the main building is the manor house, extended to the east by a common building used for farming activities - sheds, barns, tenant's accommodation - as was common practice on farms in the Alpilles region. The facades, probably made of local limestone typical of the region, adopt the late classical style in vogue in Provence during the reign of Louis XVI: regular arrangement of bays, discreet modelling and a low-pitched roof covered with canal tiles. To the south, a clipped boxwood garden closes off the space between the house and the outbuildings, providing a shady retreat and a gentle transition between the agricultural world and the residential area. However, the major architectural interest of the farmhouse lies in its interior design. The ground-floor salon, the main reception room, has a panoramic "Les Français en Égypte" (The French in Egypt) printed in 1818 on all four walls. This type of panoramic wallpaper, in which the Zuber factory in Rixheim and the Dufour factory in Paris were leading specialists, is characterised by non-repeating rolls forming a continuous scene around the room. The rendering combines stylised oriental architecture, military figures in Consulate uniforms and Nilotic landscapes in a composition of warm, contrasting colours, typical of neoclassical orientalism in the first quarter of the 19th century. The interior woodwork - panelling, architraves, parquet flooring - accompanies this décor with the refined discretion typical of the Directoire-Empire style.
Related Figures
Famille Gaudibert — propriétaires historiques ayant vraisemblablement commandé l'édification du mas à la fin du XVIIIe siècleNapoléon Bonaparte — figure centrale du panoramique décorant le salon, dont la campagne d'Égypte (1798-1801) inspire le décorJean-Baptiste Kléber — général commandant les forces françaises à la bataille d'Héliopolis (1800), épisode illustré dans le panoramiqueManufacture parisienne anonyme (ca. 1818) — auteur du panoramique 'Les Français en Égypte', sans doute liée aux ateliers Dufour ou à un atelier contemporainInspecteur des Monuments Historiques (1995) — responsable de la procédure d'inscription ayant conduit à la protection partielle du mas
