Museum of Arts and Metiers
We know that **our itinerary of things to do in Paris is getting longer and longer**, but that is precisely what we like most about Paris, that we will never get tired of visiting it.
It is not enough to know only the Louvre, we add six museums that you may not know (yet) to our list "Paris and its museums...Oh, lalà".
1.**SÈVRES NATIONAL CERAMICS MUSEUM**
Get to know this delicate pottery, one of the most important in Europe, in this museum located in the eponymous town, adjacent to Paris, on the banks of the Seine.
The museum was created early 19th century by Alexandre Brongniart , director of the manufacture, to value its history and craftsmanship.
still active, his manufacture continues to make objects like those created in 1740 , although his current production is more oriented towards contemporary aesthetics.
This museum keeps one of the largest collections in the world , made of more than 50,000 pieces, of which only part is exposed to the public. It is divided into thematic galleries covering different countries, periods and techniques, such as ancient Greece, Chinese and Islamic ceramics, Moorish earthenware, Japanese raku, Korean stoneware, contemporary ceramics and a collection of works by Luca della Robbia.
In the mornings he proposes to access the production ateliers of the Manufacture in which they show their savoir-faire and in the afternoon the day can be completed with a tour of the museum's permanent exhibition.
Where? Sevres, 2, Place de la Manufacture 92310
2.**MAXIM'S ART NOUVEAU**
The legend of ** Maxim's ** begins in May 1893, when the well-known courtesan Irma de Montigny begins to frequent this bistro of waiter Maxime Gaillard and makes it the Rendez-vous venue par excellence of the Belle Époque.
But it is on the occasion of Universal Exhibition of 1900_,_ when the restaurant becomes world famous thanks to the artists' meetings fashion of the time belonging to the movement of the Nancy School_._
Maxim's becomes a art nouveau temple, symbol of the party and the elegance of the moment, the place-to-be of the big names like Marcel Proust, Jean Cocteau and international vedettes like La Belle Otéro, Sacha Guitry followed by Maria Callas, Aristotle Onassis…
the couturier Pierre Cardin , known for his futuristic creations, has frequented Maxim's restaurant since the 1960s and bought it later, multiplying his shows and its fame. A great collector of Art Nouveau, he collects pieces from all over the world, from prestigious artists such as Majorelle, Gallé, Tiffany, Massier, Hector Guimard or Toulouse-Lautrec . The most beautiful creations of 1900.
Decorated by famous stylist, this 300 m² space presents a unique collection in France made up of 550 pieces of furniture and objects art of this exuberant movement. Today, they can be enjoyed in its intimate museum, recreating a courtesan's Belle Époque apartment.
To complete the experience, you can dine in its restaurant decorated with its superb and delicate decorations, wavy fauna and flora subtly tangled in which poppies, lily flowers, irises and some insects such as dragonflies or butterflies can be guessed.
Or why not attend one of the plays in your Theater René Gruau_._
Today, Maxim's remains in Parisian memory as a mythical place thanks to its priceless historical heritage.
Where? Rue Royale, 3, 75008
Chez Maxim's
3.**COGNACQ-JAY MUSEUM**
It is a magnificent Parisian museum that brings together the 18th century works acquired by Ernest Cognacq , founder of the elegant department store The Samaritaine , along with his wife Marie-Louise Jaÿ.
On his death they bequeath his exquisite estate to the city of Paris and the museum opens in 1929 , in a building adjoining La Samaritaine de Luxe. Later, in 1990, he moved to the Hotel de Donon, historic 16th century mansion in the Le Marais district, where it has remained ever since.
This imposing mansion with boiseries is the ideal setting to present the works by Watteau, Boucher, Quentin de La Tour, Greuze or Chardin and small objects and iconographic pieces, in a staging that reflects the lifestyle of the _haute société française _ 15th century III.
The Cognacq Jay Museum brimming with charm; both its interior decoration, with its elegant staircase with wrought iron handrails from the 17th century, and its patio, will transport you to the bourgeois society of the time and the customs of the philanthropic couple.
Nowadays, this artistic sample does not stop enriching itself thanks to the acquisitions made by collectors following the aesthetic line of the museum.
Where? Rue Elzevir, 8, 75003
The decoration of the Cognacq-Jay Museum will take you back to the 17th century
4.**MUSÉE DES ARTS ET METIERS**
Already when arriving at this museum by metro, surprising its station of the same name, a design by the Belgian François Schuiten, reminiscent of the fantastic science fiction novels of Jules Verne.
The Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers It was a training center that reconciled art and science, intended to instruct technicians and engineers aided by the demonstrations made from its revolutionary objects.
Its museum is one of the oldest in the world on this subject and its objective from the beginning is to promote the national industry and gather the models that will inspire inventors, researchers and the curious; thus preserving its scientific and technical wealth.
Situated in a renovated old priory, creates an almost magical environment where its pieces stand out in the old rooms of the monks, in the neo-Gothic decoration of its nave and the choir of its church.
Since 1802, it has brought together the collections of the physics cabinets of the aristocracy and the former Royal Academy of Sciences, as well as the machines and designs used throughout the 19th and 20th centuries; witnesses to the ingenuity of man and the adventurous spirit of the pioneers of the industrial age.
Said display It is organized into seven major themes (scientific instruments, materials, construction, communication, energy, mechanics and transport) subdivided in turn into four epochs.
you will discover the Ford T ; the locomotive of stephenson ; precision clocks Ferdinand Berthoud , measuring devices Leon Foucault ; a representation of the manufacture of textiles and glassware of Emile Galle ; architecture models; the Marly or Watt's machine , the first aircraft Clement Ader ; the first camera of the Lumière brothers…
In addition, it also houses the instruments of the laboratory of lavoisier , the theater of automata waves educational models of Madame de Genlis.
The museum offers cycles of conferences, general or thematic visits and some pedagogical ones for schoolchildren.
Where? Rue Reaumur, 60, 75003
The Ader Avion III, also called Aquilón or Eolo III is an experimental monoplane aircraft, designed between 1891 and 1897 by the French inventor Clément Ader, one of the fathers of aviation.
5.**MUSEE D'ENNERY**
In the 19th century, the marriage formed by Adolphe and Clemence d'Ennery they had this hôtel particulier built to showcase their magnificent compilation of asian art objects.
Later the couple donated their collection to the state with the premise of keeping the place intact, so their visit is an amazing journey through time and space.
It shows 6,300 variegated pieces in showcases and marquetry furniture, commissioned from one of the best-known cabinetmakers of the time; resulting in a true cabinet of curiosities dedicated to the art of the Far East.
This manifestation leaves guessing the taste for the East and the inspiration in Europe in the last third of the 19th century as well as the personality of its original owners, revealing how its pieces were assembled and exhibited in their time.
These objects come from Clemence's family , shopping at the end of the 19th century, from great parisian dealers and even of eclectic boutiques of the moment such as La Porte chinoise or Le Bon Marché.
These works of art form a true series that shows the history of the netsuke (Chinese and Japanese porcelain) ; of the More expensive , as well as of the eastern myths and the European look of them.
You can visit only on saturdays , with prior reservation of the ticket.
Where? Avenue Foch, 59, 75116
The Ennery Museum: an amazing journey through time and space to the Far East
6.**FRAGONARD MUSEUM**
Just 30 minutes from the center of Paris, in Maisons-Alfort at the National Veterinary School is this unique and ancient museum.
It is composed of 4,200 pieces divided into four rooms with a decadent air of a museum from the end of the 19th century that gives it a dose of mystery.
In the hall of comparative anatomy and teratology, each display case is dedicated to an anatomical system, presenting similar organs of the main domestic species and of some wild animals to allow students to learn about the various anatomies.
The skeleton room Under its high ceilings it houses numerous animal frames, some from the 18th century.
Exhibits numerous equine, bovine and porcine mandibles that were used for learning age determination by tooth wear or joint injuries.
The pathology room , is intended for past affections, currently non-existent, skulls or bones attacked by microbes or significant joint stiffness, proof of the forced labor that the beasts suffered when working the fields...
another one of his galleries exhibits stones and casts of tuberculosis lesions, anomalies and monstrosities Veterinary trainees need to know.
If you haven't passed out yet, you'll discover the Cabinet d'Alfort, a cabinet of curiosities which is accessed behind a heavy door in which the last testimonies of Fragonard's 18th century can be seen.
Where? Avenue du General de Gaulle, 7, 94700 Maisons-Alfort
One of the rooms of the Musée Fragonard