Le Garde-Meuble Et L'invention Du Mobilier Historique Au Xixe Siècle Du Palais Au Musée

From Napoleon I to Napoleon III, the monarchies of the 19th century settled in the palaces and decorations of the Ancien Régime in order to consolidate a legitimacy that had become fragile. To satisfy this intention, the Mobilier de la Couronne, heir to the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne and ancestor of the current Mobilier national, reconstituted and administered a unique collection of historical furniture. Little considered under the First Empire and the Restoration, the furniture of the 17th and 18th centuries was brought up to date by Louis-Philippe and his sons, then by the Empress Eugénie. The first historicist furnishings and the first reconstructions of interiors were born. The masterpieces of cabinet-making, woodwork and gilded bronze were given a new heritage value, which justified their exhibition.

From the Trianons to the Louvre, via the short-lived Musée du Garde-Meuble, this book brings to light the history of a collection that is unique in the world, bringing to life the historic interiors of the Tuileries, Saint-Cloud, Fontainebleau, Compiègne and Pau.