How France looks after its historical treasures

Precious and historical gems once reserved only for the sovereign are no longer restricted to decorating royal residences. 

They are taking centre stage in cultural institutions, museums and public buildings that belong to the republic across France and abroad.

However, this priceless collection requires protection and guardianship of the highest level, a role managed by Mobilier national.

This organisation is a pioneer in the restoration and creation of furniture and objects, and world renowned for its craftsmanship and heritage traditions.

“We conserve more than 100,000 objects, mainly from the 17th Century to the present day, in a wide variety of forms: furniture, seats, tapestries, carpets, clocks, lamps, vases, and more,” explained Emmanuel Pénicaut, its director of collections.

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Priceless royal furniture

Mobilier national boasts ceremonial furniture of royal origin and commissioned pieces once belonging to the likes of King Louis XIV, Napoleon I, Charles X and Louis-Philippe, as well as from 20th-Century designers. It also incorporates one of the largest collections of tapestries and carpets in the world, totalling over 5,000 pieces dating from the end of the 15th Century to the present day.

Divided into three categories, the collection contains cultural heritage items intended primarily for public display in castle museums, valuable cultural assets intended for furnishing state residences, and everyday objects used to furnish homes. 

“In June 2024, the Mobilier national reconstructed the throne room of King Louis XVIII in the musée du Louvre. It was originally created in 1817 at the Palais des Tuileries and we had preserved all the elements (throne canopy, bronze and gilded wooden torches, seats, carpets, textile hangings and more). 

“This was a fine project, which we had been preparing for several years. We had to identify each of the elements of these decorations, then restore them one by one. It involved all the teams in the collections department and we have published a book to keep the memory alive,” said Mr Pénicaut.

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Preserving historical collections

A public establishment which falls under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture, the Mobilier national has three main missions: To preserve and promote these collections, to pass on know-how, and to encourage contemporary creations.

To accomplish its missions, the institution has 600 storage sites throughout the world and over 240 experts working in its nine factories and workshops.

“The craftsmen and women who work in these workshops are of the highest calibre and perpetuate traditional skills,” explained Mr Pénicaut.

Managing the institution's collections and the people in charge of their study, conservation and installation is a role he cherishes.

“I know that I'll never stop discovering new pieces of furniture and objects, and marvelling at their style and quality.”

Spanning three centuries, one thing remains constant: “The general issues haven’t changed much. We still need to install furniture in places of power that demonstrates French expertise in the decorative arts, whether it's old or new. 

“We also need to ensure, through regular visits, that this furniture remains in place and is well maintained.”

Treasured pieces of furniture and tapestries belonging to the royal collection were initially documented during the 13th Century by a royal stewardship department of Ostel le Roy, which would oversee the royal collection, recording their transport and maintenance to the king, his family and the court.

“As this document shows, royal furniture was already being monitored and inventoried in the Middle Ages. However, we do not hold any furniture from royal collections dating from before the 17th Century: at the time of the Revolution, most of the objects that remained were deposited in the major Paris museums,” said Mr Pénicaut.

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Ornate tapestries

In 1604, Henry IV began to tackle spending on luxurious products manufactured abroad, specifically reducing the import of tapestries and carpets “required” for the royal households, opting to establish tapestry factories in and around Paris. 

In 1663, King Louis XIV and his First Minister of State Jean-Baptiste Colbert officially established an institution to care for the collection, called Le Garde-Meuble de la Couronne. Its purpose was entirely reserved for the king, to produce diplomatic gifts or for furnishing royal residences.

Before becoming Mobilier national during the fall of the second empire, its portfolio expanded from the first two tapestry factories: Manufacture de Gobelins, acquired in 1662 and specialising in a weaving techniques on a vertical loom, known as haute lisse, and Manufacture de Beauvais, purchased in 1664 and specialising in basse-lice, on a horizontal loom.

In charge of this organisation was Gédéon Berbier du Mets, while Charles Le Brun served as artistic director of the Gobelins factory. They employed painters, upholsterers, goldsmiths, founders, engravers and cabinet makers, steering the organisation through its golden age, producing 775 pieces (with 545 embellished with gold thread).

A third factory, Manufacture de la Savonnerie, was added in 1663, which excelled in the weaving of velvet carpets and used a knotted stitch technique known as "de Turquie".

A new branch was added to the Mobilier national when André Malraux created the l'Atelier de recherche et de création du Mobilier national (ARC) in 1964. 

It set Mobilier national on a new era of contemporary design and innovation and it has since created more than 700 pieces intended to enhance the decoration of public and cultural buildings, exhibited at the Galerie des Gobelins, or in museums.

Further workshops were opened in 1976, including the Atelier-conservatoire de la dentelle du Puy-en-Velay (Haute-Loire), where bobbin lace is popular, and Atelier de dentelle, Alençon (Orne), where the rare and intricate technique of point d’Alençon is practised. The latter was inducted onto Unesco’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010 after a successful application that Mobilier national collaborated on.

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Mobilier nationale's restoration workshops

The portfolio is complemented by restoration workshops that excel in techniques needed to restore wood (cabinetmaking, marquetry, varnishing and lacquering), and bronze (turning and chasing), plus a dyeing workshop that has 16,000 colour tones referenced in its colour chart.

When pieces from the collection are not on display at the factories or in public buildings, or being restored or safe in the reserve, they are often loaned for exhibitions around the world.

“Our exchanges with Great Britain go back a long way,” said Mr Pénicaut. 

“In 1912, for example, we organised a major exhibition of 17th-Century royal carpets and tapestries at the Victoria and Albert Museum, which, according to the archives, was a great success, despite the fog that covered London! 

“We regularly loan works for exhibitions in English museums, and two of our heritage curators were lucky enough to take part in a session of Royal Collections Studies in 2024.”

Another recent and memorable project involved restoring a masterpiece rescued from the Savonnerie at Notre-Dame during the fire: the choir carpet (tapis du chœur) given to the cathedral by monarch Louis Philippe in 1841, said Mr Pénicaut.

“Many of the objects we conserve are large – designed to furnish major monuments – and are also masterpieces of craftsmanship and technique. It would be inconceivable to rush their restoration. 

“For example, it took four years of work, for a team of two, to restore the choir carpet of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, which was entrusted to us in 2019 following the fire. 

“It also takes several years to weave tapestries and carpets, and usually several weeks to restore precious furniture.”

Mobilier national, a loyal custodian, will collaborate with Notre-Dame again this year when it reveals a new series of seven tapestries for public display.

Until then, the chapels will benefit from an exceptional collection of tapestries by some of the greatest 20th Century painters from the Mobilier national collection, one of the most exquisite in the world.

The factories and workshops belonging to Mobilier national often host exhibitions and are open to the public at certain times throughout the year, with the reserves open for exclusive requests. See mobiliernational.culture.gouv.fr for more information.

Emmanuel Pénicaut’s favourite pieces

1. I'm very fond of a tapestry card by Louis Billotey, Le départ des cavaliers, which was used in the early 1930s as a model for a tapestry. It's a beautiful scene, full of poetry, that I never tire of contemplating.

 2. I also appreciate the elegance and comfort of chairs from the early 19th Century. This model, which was in the Elysée Palace under the Empire, is a masterpiece of balance and elegance.

3. The inventiveness of clockmakers is always a source of amazement for me, as illustrated by this clock by Bailly, designed as a small theatre and evoking the goddess Ceres through a large sheaf of wheat.

4. Finally, I like a tapestry by André-Pierre Arnal, a contemporary interpretation of the 18th-Century "tapisserie à verdure". It was woven in 2016 and shows a plant landscape that is both mysterious and soothing.