On 7 and 8 June 2026, the auction house Millon will conduct an on-site sale of nearly 1,000 lots from Château de La Verdière.
Furniture, tapestries, works of art, paintings, lighting fixtures and historical memorabilia will be presented in the very rooms for which they were selected, following two public viewing days on 5 and 6 June 2026. Acquired in the early 2000s by Frédéric Champavère when it was in a state of severe disrepair, the château has undergone an extensive restoration programme spanning more than twenty years. Today, this thousand-year-old landmark overlooking the village of La Verdière is preparing to enter a new chapter in its history.
"When I acquired it, it was a masterpiece in peril. Today, it is safeguarded for generations to come," recalls Frédéric Champavère, owner of Château de La Verdière.
The architectural restoration was followed by a painstaking re-creation of the interiors, inspired by the history of the estate. To restore coherence to the rooms, Frédéric Champavère drew in particular on the château’s historic inventories of 1779 and 1842, retracing the original function of each space and reviving the spirit of a grand ceremonial residence as envisioned in the eighteenth century by Louis-Roch de Forbin d’Oppède.
A Sale Designed as a Journey Through the Château
The auction has been conceived as a route through the château’s state rooms, bedrooms, galleries and reception areas. Rather than being displayed out of context, the works will remain within the settings for which they were chosen.
Visitors are welcomed by a significant hexagonal lantern dating from the second half of the eighteenth century, estimated at €1,500–2,000, alongside a Venetian carved wood console table, lacquered in blue and gilded, estimated at €2,000–2,500, both introducing the decorative taste that runs throughout the collection. On the staircase leading to the principal floor, an eighteenth-century Italian polychrome carved wooden thurifer angel, estimated at €1,500–2,000, accompanies the ascent to the reception rooms.
The Cabinet of Curiosities brings together a number of objects selected for their materials and singular character, including a seventeenth-century Southern German cabinet in walnut and ebonised wood with pietra paesina stone panels, estimated at €5,000–7,000. Further along, the Forbin Gallery creates a dialogue between family heritage and the collector’s eye, notably through a bust of the corsair Claude de Forbin, ship models and a large Louis XVI-style display cabinet.
The Cabinet of Curiosities.
Tapestries, Grand Decorative Works and Formal Furniture
The drawing rooms and ballroom contain some of the sale’s most important highlights. In the Grand Salon, an Antwerp tapestry from the second half of the eighteenth century, probably produced in the workshop of Jan Frans Cornelissen and depicting an Allegory of Peace, is estimated at €6,000–8,000. It is displayed alongside a seventeenth-century “jasmine” chest of drawers inspired by the work of the Hache family.
In the Chinese Blue Salon, a bombe commode in alabaster attracts attention for both the rarity of its material and its unusual character. The ballroom forms one of the most spectacular ensembles in the château, featuring in particular a set of eight tapestries fragments dedicated to Diana and Apollo, estimated at €40,000–60,000, together with three Murano chandeliers in eighteenth-century style.
In the more intimate rooms, the sale reveals other facets of château life: writing, prayer, music-making, entertaining guests and everyday living. Among the most remarkable pieces is a rare early seventeenth-century embroidery known as an entretaillure, depicting a royal music lesson with the young Louis XIII holding his lute. Distinguished by its subject matter, technique and tapestry-like format, it is one of the most notable works in the sale.
Other significant lots include a seventeenth-century Mazarin desk, a large four-poster bed from the first half of the eighteenth century, a Charles X-period harp by Sébastien and Pierre Érard, and Le Parfum des roses by André Brasilier, estimated at €15,000–20,000. The presence of modern works serves as a reminder that La Verdière was not recreated as a static museum, but as a living place shaped by successive eras.
Lot 390
ANTWERP?
Late 17th Century
The Story of Diana and Apollo
A set of eight tapestries or tapestry fragments, with wool warp and wool and silk weft.
Estimate € 40,000 - 60,000
The End of One Chapter, the Beginning of Another
"This sale is exceptional in many respects: for its scale, for the quality of the pieces on offer, and also because it takes place in situ, at the very heart of a château steeped in a thousand years of history. It is a rare opportunity to acquire works that were selected to interact with such a unique setting," emphasises Delphine Orts.
The Heritage of Château de La Verdière Through an Immersive 3D Tour
As part of an ongoing effort to showcase the château’s current interiors while preserving their memory—and to give everyone the opportunity to discover this extraordinary property—a virtual tour has been created. Visitors can freely explore the salons, galleries and apartments of this Provençal gem, shaped by more than a thousand years of history, and examine every room in remarkable detail.
This unique experience also offers the opportunity to admire the exceptional collections and furnishings soon to be offered for sale. Murano chandeliers, rare tapestries, antique furniture and works of art continue to resonate with the spirit of the château. It is an exclusive invitation to discover the distinctive atmosphere of Provence’s largest privately owned château, where heritage, emotion and the art of living come together.
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