Audio GuideMusée Cognacq-Jay
Collection amassed by founders of La Samaritaine department store, including works by Canaletto.
Museum
Paris, France
Welcome to Musée Cognacq-Jay, a small yet enchanting museum nestled in the heart of Paris in the third arrondissement. Housed in the historic Hôtel de Donon, built nearly four hundred years ago in the late sixteenth century, the museum delights visitors with its striking high roof and unique attic that resembles an inverted ship’s hull.
This museum is the generous legacy of Ernest Cognacq and his wife, Marie-Louise Jay, founders of the famed La Samaritaine department store. After Ernest passed away in nineteen twenty-eight, their remarkable collection was donated to the City of Paris. Inaugurated a year later and relocated in nineteen ninety, the museum now displays about one thousand art objects.
The collection focuses on the elegance of eighteenth-century art and decorative arts, offering masterpieces by celebrated artists such as Rembrandt, Canaletto, Chardin, and Watteau, as well as sculptures by Houdon and Clodion. You will find an inspiring mix of paintings, sculptures, fine furniture, porcelain, and other refined items that capture the spirit of the Enlightenment.
Set in the vibrant Marais district, the museum features authentic period rooms with original woodwork and furnishings. Regular temporary exhibitions add a contemporary twist to this elegant slice of history, making every visit a unique journey into Paris’s cultural heritage.
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