A neighbourhood of mansions from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the prestigious Marais district is full of museums which have taken up residence in these beautiful buildings. The Cognacq-Jay Museum is the result of a bequest by the Cognacq-Jays, the couple who founded the Parisian department store La Samaritaine, and is located in the Donon Mansion, an elegant mansion and listed Historic Monument dating back to the end of the 16th century. This important collection of 18th-century artworks and art objects, assembled between 1895 and 1925 by Ernest Cognacq and his wife Marie-Louise Jaÿ, was bequeathed to the City of Paris in 1928.
Paintings by Canaletto, Boucher, Fragonard, Greuze, Tiepolo and Rembrandt, pastels by La Tour, sculptures by Houdon and Clodion, porcelains by Saxe, hallmark-bearing furniture and goldsmithery can be admired on your visit.
Good to know: access to the permanent collections is free! In addition, general or themed lecture tours, workshops, activity tours and trails around the Marais district are available for adults and children.
