Grandson of the Count de Vassé, Octave de Rochebrune (1824-1900) is the artist who made his Château a veritable museum: repatriating various architectural fragments of the Château de Coulonges-les-Royaux, now in ruins, he assembled many ancient objects, pieces of art and original collections.
As a child, Octave de Rochebrune discovered his ability for drawing. Never ceasing to study and progress, he was particularly interested in learning from architectural reproductions of larger monuments and from 1845 he figures at many exhibitions.
The some friends, one being Benjamin Fillon with whom he studied archaeology, allowed him to discover the magnificent etchings engraved by Charles Meryon displayed on several monuments in Paris. This was to be the revelation of a new passion.
Octave de Rochebrune installed all the necessary materials for his art in one of the rooms in the Château along with the presses which one can admire during a visit. Methodically and with much patience he learned to engrave, preparing varnishes and learning to use the acids, he started to produce complete works inspired by the churches, château and countryside in his surroundings.
From 1861, he enlarged his field of investigation and travelled throughout the Vendee leaving precious documents about his native countryside. Following this, he took to engraving on a larger scale, such monuments as: Chambord, Blois, Chenonceaux... with masterful precision, he produced impressionable works of a rare quality.
It is his descendents who now preserve this vast dwelling and make it possible for us to discover during the summer months.
