History of the decor

History of the decor

If you want to use this picture, please contact our library

The room’s decor comes from a mansion in Place Louis-le-Grand, now 16 Place Vendôme, built from 1723 to 1724 by the contractor Pierre Grandhomme. The octagonally shaped Place Louis-le-Grand was one of the major real estate developments in 18th-century Paris and today Place Vendôme is still graced with its elegant classical facades.

Place Vendôme
Photographie extraite du volume La place Vendôme dite aussi de Louis le Grand ou des Conquêtes, Paris, éd. Contet, Paris 1913

The mansion had several owners before it was acquired by Jean-Pierre Serres, from the Vivarais region (Ardèche), in 1785 and remained his property until 1805. Although we do not know the names of the artists who worked on this decor, we know that it was created while Jean-Pierre Serres was the mansion’s owner. It was dismantled in the early 20th century and acquired by the interior designer Eugène Barriol, who bequeathed it to the museum.

The mansion’s successive owners:

  • Pierre Grandhomme, contractor, 1723 to 1733
  • Barthélemy Moufle de La Thuilerie, paymaster of the French Navy, 1733 to 1753
  • Aymard-Félicien Boffin de La Sône, lieutenant general and colonel in the French Guards, 1753 to 1772
  • Noé de La Sône, governor of Bordeaux, 1772 to 1785
  • Jean-Pierre Serres, 1785 to 1806
  • Auguste-Pierre Serres, his son, 1806 to 1821
  • Louis-Gilbert Roche des Escures, 1821 to 1833
  • Damien-Etienne Roche, his son, 1833 to 1881
  • Ville family, 1881 to 1938