This room contains what is known as “chinoiserie”. These types of objects arrived in France from the 17th century thanks to ambassadors from Siam, now known as Thailand. Between 1684 and 1686, the ships that accompanied them were basically filled with gifts for King Louis XIV.

 

In this room...

Two lacquered panels with gold leaf. This double door dating from the 18th century came from the sacking of the Summer Palace in Peking by Anglo-French forces in 1860. The figures at the top left, set against the black background, seem to be members of an orchestra, which leads us to believe that this door would have come from the entrance to the palace opera house.

A folding screen. Covering one entire wall, this screen is decorated in a type of lacquer called “Coromandel”.
 
The Baumhauer chest of drawers. Created by the cabinetmaker Joseph Baumhauer in the 18th century, this chest of drawers is finished in chamomile lacquer, which takes its name from the colour it develops over time.

A collection of rose quartz and jade. Rose quartz is an extremely hard stone which can only be cut in one direction. If the craftsman does not respect the direction of the cut, it causes a crack which spreads through the stone and turns it milky. You can see the mark of one of these accidents in the muzzle of the dragon. The jades here are of the “mutton fat” type with their characteristic soapy appearance. In China, this stone is reserved for the Emperor as it is the purest and rarest, and therefore more expensive than gold.