The Chinoiserie style, which lasted throughout the eighteenth century, is illustrated here by a selection of furniture pieces and objects from various European countries. They are presented in a setting adorned with lacquer panels from the Lacquer Room in the Hôtel du Châtelet in Paris, built in the early 1770s by Mathurin Cherpitel. The range of lacquer colors used in Europe is represented by pieces including a vernis Martin commode attributed to Jean Desmoulin, a small vernis Martin commode with a red ground by Jacques Dubois and a blue vernis Martin lean-to writing desk that belonged to Madame de Pompadour.
A large display case, chiefly dedicated to ceramics, proposes a reflection on the way the different continents, countries and factories influenced each other in terms of Chinoiserie at a time when the number of faience production centers and porcelain factories was growing fast. The different styles and phases of Chinoiserie are represented with copies, interpretations and incredibily inventive pieces. The specific contribution of artists and ornamentalists such as Boucher and Pillement is highlighted.