Empress Eugenie’s Chinese drawing room

Arranged by Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, in 1863 on the ground floor of the Gros Pavillon of the château, the Chinese Museum of Fontainebleau exhibits remarkable collections of artwork and furniture from the Far East, showcasing the fashion of the era.

The 800 or so objects on display - 300 of which come from the Sack of the Summer Palace of Beijing in 1860 - originate from China, Japan, Cambodia and Korea. They reveal the eclectic taste of nineteenth-century art collectors. The antechamber and two salons are decorated with Chinese objects, but also feature a billiard table and a piano because this was the place where the Empress enjoyed hosting guests and working. The ceiling and walls of the Chinese museum are decorated with lacquer panels and screens from the eighteenth century.

This priceless collection can also be discovered in augmented reality using a touch pad. The HistoPad offers an interactive exploration of the exposed collections and objects that have disappeared, as well as a recontextualisation of the major pieces in their original decor in the Summer Palace of Beijing. It also allows a virtual tour of Empress Eugenie’s Salon des Laques.

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