Samuel Bernard, the renowned banker, powerful financier and benefactor, died ennobled on January 18, 1739, at the age of 88, with more than twenty seigneuries and châteaux to his name, but no property in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district. It was his eldest son, Jacques, superintendent of the Maison de la reine, who completed the construction of his magnificent mansion on rue du Bac in 1744. He thus left his apartments on Place des Victoires. The young owner spent lavishly, commissioning luxurious interiors and high-priced statues - notably that of Louis XIV, which was erected in the courtyard of honor - and this sumptuous spending led Jacques-Samuel Bernard to a scandalous bankruptcy a few years before his death in 1753.
The letter B, delicately carved above the porte cochère, was later applied to the name of Boulongne, who bought the property. Boulongne was not of aristocratic origin, and his salons were sometimes mixed with other guests.
The sumptuousness of the apartments in the Hôtel Bernard is but a reminder of the taste and wealth of its former occupants: the woodwork was sold in lots corresponding to the rooms in the building, and on auction day, prices sometimes reached 250,000 Francs.
However, the superb double door opening onto Rue du Bac has been preserved as a reminder of its former splendor. In the upper panels, the sculptures representing Justice and Truth form a highly successful relief work. The semi-circular pediment rounds off the monumental door with its slightly narrow lower letter B, crossed by a laurel branch. Finally, a large Hercules head forms a key above this carriage entrance.
Emile Deyrolle, the famous taxidermist, took up residence at 46 rue du Bac and helped make the address legendary.
Sources :
Vacquier, Jules. Author. Les Vieux hôtels de Paris : [3e série] : le Faubourg Saint-Germain : tome 1er : [Hôtels de Clermont Tonnerre, d'Orsay, Chanac de Pompadour, de Charolais de Mortemart, Gouffier de Thoix, de Galliffet, de Villeroi, de La Rochefoucauld, Doudeauville, Samuel Bernard, Béthune-Sully, des Invalides] : exterior and interior decorations : historical and descriptive notes (4th ed.)