Arts, Decorative Arts, Museums, Travel

VC Museum Visits: The ‘Green Salon’ at the Carnavalet Museum

In the wake of the recent closing of the Carnavalet Museum for renovations, we’re touring some of its Versailles Century-related exhibits. Today we inspect what I’ve dubbed the ‘Green Salon.’

The ‘Green Salon’ in the Carnavalet Museum.

You see that info placard in the centre? I usually photograph such things as a memory aid, but for some reason I forgot to snap it. The official name of this room, not to mention its provenance, was on that placard. All memory of it is gone, and the museum’s website says nothing about it. Hence I’ve dubbed it simply the ‘Green Salon,’ after the mint-green trim on the boiseries. It’s obviously from some Louis XV-era aristocratic residence in Paris, but if you know which one, please comment below.

I did, however, take close-up photos of the information about that exquisite pair of fauteuils, or armchairs. In fact, they’re identified as fauteuils á la reine, dating from around 1760. The name of the furniture maker is not given.

The fauteuil on the right in the 'Green Salon.'

The fauteuil on the right side of the mantlepiece in the ‘Green Salon.’

This pair of chairs is part of the Bouvier legacy, donated in 1965.

The fauteuil on the left side of the mantel in the 'Green Salon.'

The fauteuil on the left side of the mantelpiece in the ‘Green Salon.’

I also photographed a console table garnished with a bust and two Chinese vases.

A console table in the ‘Green Salon.’

The marble top appears to be the same type of marble as the mantlepiece, indicating the hand of a single architect/designer. In the 18th century, architects often designed the furniture for their buildings, thus in effect executing a complete work of built art.