Bibliothèque Nationale de France

The National Library of France (Bibliothèque nationale de France / BnF) is France's oldest cultural organization, originating in 1368 as the Royal Library of Charles V. It has grown over the ensuing 650 years into one of the world's largest, most prestigious, and most digitally accessible libraries. The BnF is a leading custodian of a world heritage. Its encyclopedic collections are unique: all disciplines, whether intellectual, artistic or scientific, are represented in a comprehensive way. The BnF preserves over 44 million documents. In addition, the BnF's digital library, Gallica, provides free access to 10 million documents, for people from around the world to use for reading and learning. The BnF strives to provide educational, cultural and social enrichment to all. The salle des Vélins , belonging to the Department of Maps and Plans of the National Library of France, kept the leather portfolios of the Anville fund and the most precious portulans of the department, houses a painted ceiling from the painted decorations of the former Hôtel Mazarin, reassembled by Roux - Spitz almost in the same place following a process identical to that adopted for Mazarin's bedroom. The Vélins ceiling is one of the works classified as historical monuments , and has not been restored as part of the recent restructuring operation. It was protected during the works by a plastic film. The decoration of the ceiling is an integral part of the decorative program established by Mazarin for his palace between 1640 and 1650 in parallel with the realization of the Mazarin gallery. The central painting from 1646-1648 is attributed to the school of Simon Vouet . But the stylistic characteristics and the pictorial finesse of the central composition strongly suggest that it is by the master's own hand. Simon Vouet is one of the most important French painters of the 17th century . Painter to King Louis XIII, he helped make Paris one of the artistic capitals of Europe. Thanks to this restoration, we will be able to know if the painting is by the artist Simon Vouet. After the completion of the work in the Hotel Tubeuf, in September 2022, damage was observed on this ceiling: loss of substance, cracks, opacifying alteration of the varnish evoking a degradation of the type chanci. A diagnosis was requested from the Mariotti workshop for the decorations and from Alix Laveau, restorer at the Mazarin gallery and the chief architect of historical monuments, Alice Carron. This study made it possible to determine the restoration work to be carried out, the extent to which the artwork is at risk, and the cost and timeline for the restoration.  

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