We pursue our continuing series of visits to the Carnavalet Museum this week. Today’s destination: a drawing room formerly in the hôtel particulier of the Dukes of Uzès.* Its most noteworthy feature is a set of splendid boiseries, or carved panels.
View of a drawing room salvaged from the hôtel d’Uzès.
The boiseries of this drawing room were designed and executed in 1767 under the supervision of the architect Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, who was also responsible for the decoration of the Café Militaire, as explained in a previous post.
Another view of the drawing room from the hôtel d’Uzès. The bust is of the composer Gluck.
The furniture is not original to the room. The pieces are, however, of the period, and represent the work of the great masters of the day. The console table visible in the picture above, for instance, is one of a pair by the master Rabaudin. Its date is not known, but Rabaudin died in 1774. Its neo-classical form would indicate it was completed later in the master’s life.
One of a pair of console tables by J. Rabaudin.
The room also contains a handsome fireplace with a marble mantlepiece.
The fireplace.
The garniture of the mantlepiece includes a clock and a pair of circa 1785 Sèvres vases. Let’s take a closer look at the clock.
The clock. The smaller figure is Louis XVI.
The 2 figures on the clock are Louis XVI (left) and the goddess Minerva (right). Louis XVI was only 19 when he came to the throne. Presumably it was felt that he needed the Goddess of Wisdom’s counsel.
Though they were beautiful as they were, I do remember thinking to myself that the boiseries needed a good cleaning. We’ll miss the Carnavalet for the 3 years that it’s going to be closed, but it needs this refurbishment. I look forward to seeing these wonderful boiseries again in 2019, a-gleam from their cleaning!
Most of the information in this post comes from the info placards on site. The museum’s website also has a brief write-up in French. Find it here: http://www.carnavalet.paris.fr/en/collections/salon-de-compagnie-de-l-hotel-d-uzes
Which room at the Carnavalet is your favourite? Let me know in the comments.
*The dukedom of Uzès is the oldest extant French dukedom. The Crussol family have held it since 1565.
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