EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW AND PHOTOS
INVITES US INTO THE BRITTANY CHATEAU LOVED BY HER FAMILY FOR GENERATIONS
Gallerist Princess Diane de Polignac traces her love of art back to her childhood and the magical 600-year-old chateau in Brittany where she grew up. Set in woodland within sound of the ocean, it is full of light, illuminating a treasure trove of paintings and tapestries. Many of the pictures are portraits of Diane’s family, who have been at Kerbastic for generations.
“As a child, I was fascinated by the art and furniture. I wondered where they came from, how they were made, and by whom… everything interested me. It was my first step into that world,” she tells us.
Today, Diane, the daughter of Prince Alain de Polignac and Princess Nathalie de Ligne de la Trémoïlle, is as much in love with Kerbastic as ever. Here, she welcomes us alongside her daughter Ariane, 18, and 22-yearold Max, son of her husband Baron Stanislas de Nervo, to share with us the chateau’s story – and her own chapter in it.
Diane, what are the origins of your dynasty?
“The Polignac family dates back to the tenth century. It was King Louis XVI who named them Dukes in the late 1700s, and by 1840, they had become Princes.
“A few figures have particularly stood out. Cardinal Melchior de Polignac was a diplomat and poet who distinguished himself as French ambassador to the Holy See during the reign of the Sun King, Louis XIV.
“On the female side we have Gabrielle, Duchesse de Polignac. She was a favourite of Queen Marie Antoinette, who appointed her lady-in-waiting and governess to the royal children – a very prestigious position at court.
“When the French Revolution broke out in 1789, the Duchess and her family emigrated to Vienna, where she lived until her death aged just 43.”
The Polignacs originate in the Auvergne region of central France, where their original fortress still stands. How did this Breton chateau come into your family?
“Through a marriage that took place in 1851. Ever since then, we’ve been bound to Kerbastic by a great love. Each generation has enlarged and improved the proper
