- Maison Mantin
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The Maison Mantin ("Mantin House") is a late 19th-century French mansion[1] located in the town of Moulins (aka Arrondissement de Moulins[2]) in the Allier department of central France.
The mansion, shuttered for more than a century, opened its doors to the public in November 2010 as a museum.[3]
Contents
History
Louis Mantin (1851 - 1905).
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.[4]
Mantin bequethed 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".[1]
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.[3]
The Building
The first draft of the architects' design for Maison Mantin was akin to a Gothic 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: in the study and dining room with wood paneling, and the neo-renaissance decor of the "room of the four seasons" with plaster decorations and paintings in the style of Louis XVIII; 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".[4]
The house incorporates the technological innovations of its period: electrical lighting, hot-and-cold faucets, overhead shower and flushing toilet.[3]
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.[1]
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 only with a guide-lecturer.
References
- ^ a b c "La restauration de la Maison Mantin est achevée". Patrimoine de France. http://www.patrimoinedefrance.fr/La-restauration-de-la-Maison. Retrieved 2011-03-09.
- ^ "Arrondissement de Moulins: France". Geographical names. http://geographic.org/geographic_names/name.php?uni=-2082002&fid=1913&c=france. Retrieved 2011-03-09.
- ^ a b c "Time-warp mansion opens its doors after century in the dark". CNN, International Edition. http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/02/18/france.timewarp.house/index.html?iref=allsearch. Retrieved 2011-03-09.
- ^ a b "100 ans d’architecture à Moulins, René Moreau, architecte". Musée du Bâtiment. http://musee-batiment.planet-allier.com/rene_moreau_web.pdf. Retrieved 2011-03-09.
External Links
Categories:- Buildings and structures completed in 1893
- Buildings and structures in Allier
- Houses in France
- Museums established in 2010
- Museums in France
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