358 - MEMORIAL TO THE TUILERIES

MEMORIAL TO THE TUILERIES Altar panel from the Tuileries Chapel, destroyed in the palace fire of May 23–26, 1871. A fragment of carved white marble decorated with leaf-adorned pointed arches in the Neo-Gothic style. Restoration period. H. 11 x W. 58 x D. 5.5 cm. Provenance - Monsignor François Marie Tregaro (1824–1897). - Gifted to Marshal Edmond Le Boeuf (1809–1888). - Acquired by the current owner from the latter’s descendants. History After the defeat of 1870, Marshal Edmond Le Bœuf—former Minister of War under Emperor Napoleon III, who was appointed marshal and senator in 1870—retired to his Château du Moncel in Bailleul (Orne). There, he had decorated his study with numerous mementos related to the reigns of Louis XVI—his grandfather, Nicolas Le Bœuf, having cared for the young King Louis XVII at the Temple—and of Napoleon III. His collection was admired by all visitors. Monsignor François-Marie Trégaro (1824–1897), former chief chaplain of the Imperial Navy (1868–1871) and Bishop of Sées (1882–1897), was given relics from the ruins of the Tuileries Palace, which had been set ablaze in May 1871, likely by one of the chaplains. These consisted of two pieces of a side altar panel from the Tuileries Chapel and one of the door handles from the sacristy. His friendship with Marshal Le Boeuf and the geographical proximity between Sées and Bailleul prompted him to give them to him.