Paris, Parc de Bagatelle

Origin of the Wallace Collection

In 1848 the chateau and Park of Bagatelle was acquired by Captain Richard Seymour-Conway, 4th Marquess of Hertford. Lord Hertford, who resided mainly in Paris, was a discerning and avid art collector. He bequeathed his art collection and this chateau with its contents to his illegitimate son, Richard Wallace; whose widow in turn bequeathed the entire art collection to the British nation, where it is known under the name of the Wallace Collection.


The royal bet and the building of Bagatelle

In 1777 Queen Marie Antoinette made a wager with her brother-in-law, the Count of Artois. The Count had recently acquired a large piece of land and was planning to build a residence on it. The Queen wagered that he would be unable to build a castle and turn the land into a park within 64 days.

The Count (who half a century later would be the very last Bourbon King of France) won the bet.

The name "bagatelle" means a trifle, or something that is merely decorative.