The Garde-Meuble de la Couronne

The Garde-Meuble de la Couronne was the forebear of the Mobilier national, today’s public body for managing France’s state furniture. This institution was in charge of royal furnishings, including tapestries, bronze works, weapons, items of furniture, and gold and silver ornaments.The palace now called the Hôtel de la Marine on Place de la Concorde was built in the 1760s to house this institution, its storage spaces, its repair workshops and the apartments of its Intendant.Discover the twists and turns of an iconic French institution from the country’s Ancien Régime.

At the time of the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne, it was fashionable to have a Louis XV chest of drawers at home. Why? Jean-Henri Riesener, the king’s cabinetmaker from 1774, was the reference specialist in making these items of furniture that all 18th-century noblemen were keen to have. His work is a full expression of the era’s refinement and opulence. His furniture could be found in the most beautiful rooms of the Palace of Versailles and in the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne, the future Hôtel de la Marine in Paris.