Century-old French home/cabinet of curiosity opens as museum

Before Louis Mantin died in 1905, he willed his home/wunderkammer to the French town of Moulins with instructions that it must be opened 100 years later as a museum. After a $4.7 million restoration, the mansion is now open to the public. The BBC has a video tour and article about Le Maison Mantin:

The (home) is a remarkable time-capsule, combining rich fin-de-siecle furnishings, archaeological curios, skulls and other Masonic paraphernalia, a collection of stuffed birds, as well as the latest domestic gadgets such as electricity and a flushing loo.

"In the will, he says that he wants the people of Moulins in 100 years time to be able to see what was the life of a cultured gentleman of his day," said assistant curator Maud Leyoudec.

"A bachelor with no children, he was obsessed with death and the passage of time. It was his way of becoming eternal."

"The French house untouched for 100 years" (via Morbid Anatomy)

La Maison Mantin - Site du Conseil général de l'Allier

• [mtdna]

  Reminds me of this: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/8042281/Parisian-flat-containing-2.1-million-painting-lay-untouched-for-70-years.html

  • [g0d5m15t4k3]

    Yeah, that was an amazing article. This one was good too. I wish both had tons more of pictures as I will never get to see either in person.

• [Stampers345]

  “cultured gentleman..”

  christ, what an asshole. actually it’s pretty cool.

• [lewis stoole]

  i am surprised it was not looted.