Originally carved for French Royalty, Circa 1715, the oak
panels were installed in 1891 in the country estate of Comte
Henry Greffulhe near Foutenailles, outside Paris. As an architectural
setting for the Salon of Princess Elisabeth de Caraman-Chimay,
La Comtesse Greffulhe, this exquisite room was the scene
of the supreme social and cultral flowering of the fin-de-seicle
refinement. Le Grand Salon was the scene of the last great ball
of European royalty prior to World War I. Guests of Le Grand Salon
included Czar Nicholas of Russia, Caruso, Pasteur, Curie,
Wagner, Marconi and Proust. |