Early Modern · Architecture

Musée Cognacq-Jay

Paris

Musée Cognacq-Jay is an art museum of the City of Paris based on a collection formed between 1900 and 1925 by Théodore-Ernest Cognacq and Marie-Louise Jaÿ. The collection was given to the City of Paris by Théodore-Ernest Cognacq at his death. The museum was inaugurated in 1929 at 25 boulevard des Capucines in a building conceived by the Cognacq couple. In 1990, the City of Paris moved the collection to Hôtel Donon in the Marais.

Today, the collection is displayed in twenty paneled rooms in Louis XV and Louis XVI styles. It contains about 1,200 items, with an emphasis on 18th-century France fine art and decorative objects. The holdings include European and Chinese ceramics, jewels, snuffboxes, paintings, sculptures, and fine furniture. The collection also includes works by artists such as Louis-Léopold Boilly, François Boucher, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Jean-Antoine Watteau, Jean-Antoine Houdon, and Jean-Baptiste Greuze, as well as two paintings by Rembrandt and works representing the 19th century by Camille Corot, Paul Cézanne, and Edgar Degas. The renovation of Hôtel Donon was led by Bernard Fonquernie, with interior renovation by Reoven Vardi.

Map showing the location of Musée Cognacq-Jay in Paris
Location of Musée Cognacq-Jay in Paris

Nearby Objects

History and Setting of the Musée Cognacq-Jay

The collection was formed between 1900 and 1925 by Theodore-Ernest Cognacq and Marie-Louise Jaÿ. After Cognacq's death, he gave the collection to the City of Paris, which inaugurated the Musee Cognacq-Jay at 25 boulevard des Capucines in 1929. The building at that address was conceived by the Cognacq couple. In 1990, the City of Paris moved the collection to the Hotel Donon in the Marais, where it is displayed in twenty paneled rooms styled in Louis XV and Louis XVI forms. The renovation of the Hotel Donon was led by Bernard Fonquernie, and the interior renovation was carried out by Reoven Vardi.

The Collection at Musee Cognacq-Jay

The Cognacq-Jay Museum collection contains about 1,200 items, with a strong emphasis on 18th century French fine art and decorative objects. It includes European and Chinese ceramics, jewels, and snuffboxes, as well as paintings by Louis-Leopold Boilly, Francois Boucher, Canaletto, Jean-Simeon Chardin, Jean-Honore Fragonard, Jean-Baptiste Greuze, Maurice Quentin de La Tour, Sir Thomas Lawrence, Hubert Robert, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, and Jean-Antoine Watteau. The collection also includes sculptures by Jean-Antoine Houdon, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, and Jacques-Francois-Joseph Saly, along with fine furniture attributed to Jean-Francois Oeben and Roger Vandercruse Lacroix. Two paintings by Rembrandt represent the 17th century, while works by Camille Corot, Paul Cezanne, and Edgar Degas represent the 19th century. The museum is part of the Cognacq-Jay Museum, one of the 14 museums incorporated into Paris Musees since 1 January 2013. In November 2024, several artefacts were stolen after thieves broke open a display case with axes and bats.