The magic of the chancelleries in the gold of the Republic on France 5

To all lords, all honor. The documentary by Florence Troquereau (for Martange Production) devoted to the magic of Parisian chancelleries opens at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the 7^e district of Paris. More precisely in the paneled salons of the Quai d'Orsay, which were designed in the mid-19th century^e century, as a place of expression of the empire.

Foreign hosts had to measure its power. “With the development of the railway, the sovereigns, who rarely traveled, began to do so »explains a speaker in this film, which navigates for an hour and a half between hotels and eras. The France 5 collection entitled “Les Trésors de…” aims to introduce places normally forbidden to the public. The previous issue, for example, pushed open the rarely ajar doors of the Château de Fontainebleau.

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Erotic bathroom

Following in the tradition of the great embassies of Versailles under Louis XIV, the Quai d'Orsay brilliantly welcomed passing visitors. In 1938, in anticipation of the arrival of the King of England George VI, the apartments were reupholstered to the sovereign's taste. It was a matter of putting this precious ally in the best possible position, while Europe was beginning to tear itself apart. The English were, moreover, a century earlier, the first to set up an embassy in Paris, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré. The address has not changed. And the throne within its walls, responsible for representing the British monarchy, is still waiting for a royal to sit there.

From the superb parquet flooring of the Hôtel de Monaco, which houses the Polish embassy, ​​to the astonishing Art Deco architecture of the Mexican chancellery, including the Turkish boudoir of the Hôtel de Beauharnais where perhaps the German ambassador to telephone Olaf Scholz, the documentary mixes diplomatic history and artistic considerations. By multiplying the superlatives and the tracking shots under the bronze woodwork. One of the most astonishing places revealed here is located in the basement of the Hôtel de Besenval, the Swiss embassy. In the 18th century^e century, Baron Besenval, soldier and libertine, had an antique bathroom built there, where erotic bas-reliefs invited you to daydream…

Ambassador of gastronomy

Few cities can boast of welcoming their foreign representatives in such prestigious residences. The Romanian ambassador, who understood this well, had the Hôtel de Béhague restored at her State's expense, which Paul Valéry left his mark on. Librarian of Countess Martine de Béhague, the poet was able to admire The Birth of Venus painted by François Boucher, in 1731. And applauding tragediennes in the Salle Byzantine, the largest private theater in the capital, where the Requiem by Gabriel Fauré.

At the Quai d'Orsay, Thierry Charrier continues his daily culinary marathon. After getting in touch with his foreign counterparts to inquire about the tastes of state guests, this chef, who has been in the house for thirty years, tablecloths and deglazes, blanches and bastes, whips and prepares, in short, becomes an ambassador of French gastronomy. As Talleyrand professed in his time, he knows that a diplomat is less convincing without a good cook…