The two hives united by a chandelier
The singular brilliance of a chandelier nestled in the heart of the Comédie-Française reveals Saint-Louis' collaboration with the oldest theater in France.
A few feet from Molière's armchair, the majestic entrance of the Comédie-Française in Paris leads the way to the ceremonial Mounet-Sully salon. A huge Saint-Louis clear crystal chandelier sheds light on the delicate gold, the pilaster, and the marble-like stucco inside, creating a harmony to invite conversation and communion.
Before the renovation in 2017, the glorious space used to be a reception room for a prince, a dining room for a princess, and then a rehearsal room for the actors and the actresses of the theater company. Soon after its reopening, the space is now dedicated to cultural mediation during the weekdays and is open to public visits on weekends upon reservation. Visitors can discover the 1830 spirit which still inhabits the room, designed by the architect Pierre Fontaine, then also decorator for the Opera.
The original chandelier was reinterpreted by the Manufacture thanks to a partnership, which has today transformed into patronage. This new relationship brings the two Maisons closer together, both of which treasure people, know-how, and collective excellence, and echoes the communal spirit empowering the Comédie-Française, whose motto, “Simul et Singulis,” means “Be together and Be yourself.” Even the nickname of the Comédie-Française "the hive," shares the same essence of the hot workshop in the Manufacture, where the crystal makers shape the molten crystal, just skimming past but never bumping into each other.
Hanging right at the center of the Mounet-Sully salon, the 4-meterhigh chandelier radiates light with 85 lamps and casting an aura beyond its 2.5-meter diameter. Crafted from 7,000 pieces of handmade crystal, the creation required over three hundred hours of meticulous labor by skilled craftsmen, crystal blowers, and crystal cutters. In 2018, four lighting technicians spent two weeks assembling and installing the colossal lighting creation. But only in 2024 was the chandelier officially commemorated to signify the joint-venture between the Comédie-Française and Saint-Louis, founded respectively by Louis XIV and Louis XV, to celebrate the great tradition of Works of Arts.
SAINT-LOUIS
SINCE 1586
