The Maison Mantin (; ''"Mantin House"'') is a late 19th-century French
mansion located in the town of
Moulins (''Arrondissement de Moulins''
)
in the
Allier department of central
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
.
The mansion, shuttered for more than a century, opened its doors to the public in November 2010 as a museum.
History
Maison Mantin was commissioned by Louis Mantin, a wealthy man from Moulins, who wanted to showcase his art and antiques collection. It was designed by a noted local architect, René-Justin Moreau (April 28, 1858 - September 18, 1924), in collaboration with his father, Jean-Bélizaire Moreau (1828–1899), also an architect, and built in 1893.
Mantin bequeathed the mansion to the town of Moulins in his will, written before his death in 1905. The will stated that the house be kept intact, so as to show to visitors in 100 years "a specimen of a
bourgeois home of the nineteenth century".
Consequently, the house was kept shuttered for over a century, with all its original contents, and fell into disrepair. After extensive restoration, it was opened as a museum, and a showcase for the eclectic taste of its former owner.
The Building
The first draft of the architects' design for Maison Mantin was akin to a
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
mansion, but the final design was more picturesque, borrowing many of the elements of a seaside villa. The architect gave free rein to his taste for
eclecticism
Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories i ...
: in the study and dining room with wood paneling, and the neo-
renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
decor of the "room of the four seasons" with plaster decorations and paintings in the style of
Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...
; the modern bathroom has
stained glass and paintings in the
Art Nouveau style. The project is important in that it paved the way for the design trend of the "castle-villa".
The house incorporates the technological innovations of its period: electrical lighting, hot-and-cold faucets, overhead shower and flushing toilet.
The Collection
The museum contains a dizzying maze of paintings, books, photographs, miniature objects, stuffed animals, ceramics, minerals, carvings and rare and unusual objects gathered by Louis Mantin from his travels in different parts of the world.
The rich collection and the ornamentation of the house give it a unique character.
The museum also has a screening room.
Visitor Information
The entrance to La Maison Mantin is in common with the Anne de Beaujeu Museum, and permitted only with a guide-lecturer.
Photo gallery
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References
{{reflist
External links
Photos: Time Capsule Mansion Opened After 100 Years, National Geographic
Houses completed in 1893
Buildings and structures in Moulins, Allier
Houses in France
Museums established in 2010
Historic house museums in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Museums in Allier
2010 establishments in France