Hôtel d'Ecquevilly, Private mansion in Le Marais, Paris, France

The Hôtel d'Ecquevilly sits at 60 rue de Turenne in the Marais and is a private mansion featuring an ornate entrance portal decorated with hunting scenes. The building contains a ceremonial staircase and a garden that extends toward the historic walls of Charles V.

Built in 1637, the mansion was bought in 1646 by Claude de Guénégaud, who extended its garden to the Charles V wall by removing part of rue Saint-Pierre. Chancellor Louis Boucherat acquired it in 1686 and had the garden laid out to plans by Le Nôtre. In 1733 Vincent Hennequin, marquis d'Ecquevilly and royal huntsman, bought it and placed a cartouche with the new name and the date 1734 on the entrance pediment.

The name Grand Veneur comes from Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, prince de Lamballe, Grand Veneur de France and owner in the 18th century. A cartouche on the entrance pediment, placed by Vincent Hennequin in 1734, carries the name Ecquevilly and the date of the alterations. Bas-reliefs inspired by hunting can be seen from the rue du Grand-Veneur.

The building now houses private apartments and art galleries, with the Emmanuel Perrotin gallery occupying a section of the space. The interior is not open to the public, but the sculpted hunting scenes on the facade can be viewed from the street.

The name Grand Veneur comes from Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, prince de Lamballe, Grand Veneur de France, who owned the mansion in the 18th century. The hunting bas-reliefs on the facade along rue du Grand-Veneur recall this office. The cartouche on the entrance pediment carries the name Ecquevilly and the date 1734.