In February 2024, restorer Isabelle Devergne, who was in charge of studying and restoring a work that was as singular as it was marvellous: "The Sleigh with the Flying Dragon" by Jean Bérain (1640-1711), asked the team to EECAR IMBE to carry out a study of this work. Céline Joliot, under the supervision of Gérald Culioli, carried out all the analyses required for a better understanding of the work.
"Recently entered into the collections of the Château de Versailles, this impressive and extremely rare French ceremonial sleigh dating from the end of the reign of Louis XIV - the only one preserved from this period in French public collections - completes the exceptional set of six court sleighs commissioned during the reign of Louis XV and now on display in the Galerie des Carrosses.
The analyses focused on the stratigraphic study of samples taken from several parts of the sleigh, in order to identify the pigments and binders of the different pictorial layers that make them up. The results revealed complex stratigraphic patterns, including an original blue decoration made up of a lipid binder and Prussian blue, as well as pictorial layers made up of verdigris in a lipid binder, ultramarine blue in a protein binder, and gold and silver decorations.
The exhibition was on show at the Château de Versailles from 2 July to 3 November 2024, including during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. All the works in the exhibition were the subject of a book entitled " Horse Majesty. At the heart of a civilisation "Under the direction of Hélène Delatex (ed. LIENART, Château de Versailles; 582p.; ISBN: 978-2359064438).
Left: the dragon before restoration; above: the annotated stratigraphy identifying the pigments and binders in the different paint layers.
