Museum of Cognac-Jay (Musee Cognacq-Jay) description and photos - France: Paris (Topic)

Musee Cognacq-Jay description and photos - France: Paris. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Musee Cognacq-Jay.

Photo and description

The Museum of Cognac-Jets presents mainly pieces of French art of the 18th century, collected in the first quarter of the 20th century by Ernest Cognac and his wife Marie-Louise Same, the founders of the famous Parisian department store La Samaritaine. The museum is located in the Donon mansion.

Royal official Mederic Donon (16th century) built a mansion in the then fashionable district of Marais and lived there all his life. In the centuries that followed, the mansion - an imposing structure typical of the Marais with a high roof and a large ceremonial courtyard - was used commercially and completely disfigured. In 1974, Paris bought it and restored it specifically for the Cognac-Jay Museum.

Ernest Cognac is an example of a successful private enterprise. Left an orphan at the age of 12, he dropped out of school and began to earn a living from trade. Wandered around France, settled in Paris, where he started selling ties at Pont Neuf, and ended up opening a department store. It was he who introduced into the retail industry such innovations as fixed prices and the ability to try on clothes before buying.

Cognac offered customers mass-produced goods, but his own taste was more old-fashioned - together with his wife Marie-Louise, Ernest collected old paintings, furniture, art objects (mostly from the 18th century). The couple donated their unique collection to Paris: paintings by Boucher, Canaletto, Chardin, Fragonard, Watteau, a little Rembrandt, Corot, Cezanne, Degas, sculptures by Lemoine, Sali, Eben furniture.

Now the collection is located on four floors Donon's mansion. Examining the museum, it is easy to imagine how the aristocrats lived before the revolution, - lounging in luxurious armchairs, checking the time on an expensive mantel clock, writing letters on ivory-encrusted bureaus, sleeping in huge, truly royal beds (one of these is displayed on the fourth floor). Thanks to the large number of portraits, one can see what these people looked like, what they wore - the artists paid close attention to the details of clothing and jewelry. On the third floor, you can explore for a long time showcases with precious snuff boxes, tiny enamels, bottles, boxes and other cute things of a long bygone era of sophisticated delights.

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Topic: Museum of Cognac-Jay (Musee Cognacq-Jay) description and photos - France: Paris.