Paris’ Museum of Decorative Arts recreates a day in the life of the 18th-century elite

Will you be a count, duchess, or marquis? A lawyer, moralist, or woman of letters? The exhibition “A Day in the 18^th Century, Chronicle of a Parisian Townhouse,” at Paris’s Museum of Decorative Art (MAD) until July 5, offers visitors an immersive journey into a wealthy Parisian residence from the 1780s, the kind that once stood in this central neighborhood of the French capital. As you stroll around, Nothing prevents you from imagining yourself as a noble or a member of the haute bourgeoisie amid these meticulous reconstructions.

“People only spend money on buildings: Immense mansions rise from the ground as if by magic and entire new neighborhoods are made up solely of the most magnificent mansions. The craze for construction is far preferable to that for paintings or for women; it gives the city an air of grandeur and majesty,” wrote the writer Louis-Sébastien Mercier in 1782 in his Tableau de Paris (“Picture of Paris”). While once reserved for the aristocracy, by the 18^th century these Parisian hôtel particuliers – mansions with a grand entrance, courtyard and often a rear garden – had become the home of the bourgeoisie, celebrated philosophers, renowned scientists, major merchants and prominent actors.

“It is both a sanctuary of intimacy and a symbol of power to impress the outside world,” summarized co-curator Ariane James-Sarazin one morning in February, pointing to an oak-carved entrance pediment awaiting installation. Beyond the entrance, visitors follow a central corridor leading to the rooms and “can stroll through, as if on a promenade – a typically 18^th-century concept,” explained James-Sarazin. Even so, the exhibition route is designed to follow the rhythm of a day. You enter the bedroom in the gentle morning light, retreat to the boudoir in the afternoon, pray in the oratory at vespers, dine in the dining room around 9 pm and listen to harp or piano music until past midnight.

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