Skip to main content

Main Building

Salon from 13, rue Royale, a house called "Hôtel Le Tellier"

1782-1785; with modifications in 1789
Constructed by Louis Le Tellier (French, died 1785) From the plans of his eldest son Pierre-Louis Le Tellier (French)

This reception room was located at the front of the house on the first floor, overlooking a street called the rue Royale. Created to link what is now the Place de la Concorde with the church of the Madeleine, the rue Royale was then on the western edge of the city. The house's façade is part of a comprehensive scheme for the street that Ange-Jacques Gabriel designed in 1759. In 1781 Louis Le Tellier acquired the land for numbers 9, 11, and 13. Each of the properties he built was composed of two lodgings, one on the street and another behind on a courtyard.

All three Le Tellier houses had similar plans and decorative details executed by the same craftsmen, including Louis Fixon the Younger, who provided the decorative wood panels and the plaster reliefs over the doors and mirrors.

In the Museum, the salon preserves its original, slightly asymmetrical proportions. The mantlepiece and the floor are not original to the room but are appropriate in date and style. The ceiling rosette is a recent cast of one in the salon of the Le Tellier house at 11, rue Royale.

Certain decorative elements, like the crowns and the archer's bows, are traditional in French ornamental design. Other motifs—the nereids supporting an urn and the women playing flutes—are derived from ancient art and reflect the fashionable Neoclassical taste. With its harmonious proportions and fine carving, the room is comparable to some of the simpler interiors in royal residences such as the Petit Trianon at Versailles.


Object Details

We are always open to learning more about our collections and updating the website. Does this record contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? Contact us here.

Please note that this particular artwork might not be on view when you visit. Don’t worry—we have plenty of exhibitions for you to explore.


Main Building