SCALA REGIA #10
SPREADS AND
LIST OF CONTENTS
CHÂTEAU DU CHAMP-DE-BATAILLE
1.
TEARS OF GODS
BALTIC AMBER BETWEEN
MYTHS AND REALITY
Words by Laura Kugel
Photography by Guillaume Benoit
Special thanks to Galerie Kugel
Working in Paris alongside her father and uncle, Laura Kugel represents the sixth generation of a family of art dealers originating in early 19th-century Russia. Galerie Kugel offers a uniquely wide range of specialties, one of its focuses being Kunstkammer works of arts. The latest exhibition organised by the gallery delves into objects made of Baltic Amber between the 16th and 18th centuries: Amber: Treasures from the Baltic Sea, takes place from October 18th to December 16th, 2023. This article was largely based on the exhibition catalogue by Alexis Kugel and Rahul Kulka, published concurrently.
2.
FOUNDING FLAIR
MOUNT VERNON IN THE
AMERICAN IMAGINATION
Words by Spencer Gervasoni
Photography by Dale Goffigon
First things first, we deemed it natural that Mount Vernon should be the first American story ever to grace the pages of Scala Regia. A historical heritage deeply imbued in the fabric of the mythology of America, the mansion was the residence of the country’s first president, George Washington, and both a political affirmation and a laboratory of style for an emerging nation.
3.
THE INTERIORS OF
PIERRE BERGIAN
TRANSLATING IMPRESSIONS
AND FRAGMENTS INTO
ART AND ARCHITECTURE
Words by Pierre Bergian
As if transfigured through the fine mirror that is the sensibility of the artist and fixed forever in vigorous lines and jewel-like hues, the artwork of Pierre Bergian is both oneiric fantasy and loyal reflection of reality past and present. Nonchalant and erudite, convolute but orderly, it is a pleasure to the eye that we now invite you to discover.
4.
NEOCLASSICAL GALORE
THE INSIDES AND INSIGHTS
OF A PROJECT BY
PIERRE-HERVÉ WALBAUM
Words by Diogo Mayo
Photography by Francis Hammond
Issued from an old family of champagne makers, nothing in the bringing-up of Pierre-Hervé Walbaum could ever suggest that his future career choices would include short stints at Lanvin and Maison et Jardin. With a fondness for the arts and for everything beautiful, he first wanted to be an archeologist, then a diplomat, and after that a museum curator. In the end, soon after studying Beaux Arts, his younger self realized that he could have it all, and so he became an interior designer, for the tee of this office is to find beauty where beauty was lost, to bring appease where contentedness is lacking, and to create a narrative so fine and so educated that life itself will thrive from it with renewed confidence. With a body of work that crosses continents and covers countries such as Italy, Germany, Sweden, England, Portugal, Russia, Japan, Australia and the USA, Pierre- Hervé has opened for the editors of Scala Regia the door to one of his most recent tours de force, this time in Paris, in his native France.
5.
PAS DE DEUX
THE FASHION COVER STORY
Photography by Nicholás Efimtsev
Art direction by Diogo Mayo and Pierre Roffe
Special thanks to Pierre-Hervé Walbaum
Once again, the unceasing attractiveness of classical interiors has been summoned to create the cover story. And so, dazzling looks and Dolce & Gabbana couture tailoring have been brought together, in an unforgettable pas de deux, to be captured by Nicholás Efimtsev. The sum is exquisite beauty and exquisite tailoring, on a background of exception.
6.
CHAMBERS OF GOLD
A PHOTOGRAPHIC SERIES OF
STATE BEDS BY DAVID LEVENTI
Words by Marvin Heiferman
A bed, elevated from the ordinary to the extraordinary, transforms the mere bedchamber into a symbol of power. Fundamental change in the world political scenario has made public some spaces in which rulers of the past have granted entry only to privileged guests, into what were essentially reception rooms of the most intimate degree, and whereupon birth and death, tragedy and renewal, have been decided and witnessed. The photographer David Leventi’s wish to access the bedchambers of some of history’s mighty and powerful has been prompted, in his own words, by his curiosity surrounding “the notion that some element of genius or insight comes through sleep, at the most private of moments”.
7.
SCHOOL OF STYLE
THE EVERLASTING ALLURE OF
THE GOÛT ROTHSCHILD
Words by Paul Gallois
Special thanks to Christie's London
Not always great wealth goes hand in hand with great taste nor taste itself is ever easy to quantify. It can however be discerned in terms of quality since quality in turn is assessed through excellence, rarity, pristine craftsmanship and impeccable provenance. Criteria like this matches to perfection the astounding generations- long art collection amassed by the Rothschild family who, through the projection of a carefully curated self-image and the thrust of the princes of the Renaissance, succeeded in combining power and prestige in such idiosyncratic fashion that a term, that lives up to this day in the lexicon of interior design, had to be coined. Paul Gallois, Head of European Furniture at Christie’s London, guides us throughout the French familial branch’s 200-year-long contribution to the myth of the “Goût Rothschild”.
8.
CHÂTEAU DU
CHAMP-DE-BATAILLE
A PRINCELY SEAT IN THE
NORMAN COUNTRYSIDE
Words by Pierre Roffe
Photography by Francis Hammond
Similar to other times before during the editorial endeavours of our nuclear team, another long-awaited article has finally materialised. This time, it has evolved from a written letter sent to Jacques Garcia, directly to his Château du Champ-de-Bataille, the place of our focus. For the execution of such an article, we have counted on the participation of Francis Hammond, a longtime contributor to SR, who paid a visit to the house in the summer of 2023. This was followed by a visit from the editors, Diogo Mayo and Pierre Roffe, in November 2023, in order to pen the article, and an exclusive interview with the châtelain has enriched the text with several amusing thoughts.
SCALA REGIA, 2024
