Museum of Applied Arts in Strasbourg

Brief information

This museum occupies the first floor of the Rohan Palace, the former residence of the prince-bishops, so decorative art is shown here not in neutral galleries but alongside restored ceremonial apartments. What matters is not only the collection of objects, but also the setting itself: it helps explain the environment for which the furniture, faience, chandeliers, and ornaments were created.

The museum is arranged as a juxtaposition of two parts. One presents the apartments of the cardinals from the Rohan dynasty; the other presents Strasbourg decorative art from the early French period, from 1681 to 1871. The apartments were reconstructed close to the appearance they had before the palace was bombed in 1870 and 1944. As a result, the restored interior here becomes an exhibit in its own right: it shows not only the taste of an era, but also what had to be brought back after destruction.

What to notice first

It is worth comparing the rooms’ decoration and the objects in the collection as parts of a single environment. Stucco, frescoes, trompe-l’oeil, and tapestries function as the fixed shell of the apartments: they create a palace-like stage rather than merely decorating the walls. Chandeliers, rocaille furniture, paintings on canvas and wood continue the same language in objects that can be related to the space around them.

A separate focus is on objects that show local craftsmanship. Strasbourg faience, products from the Niderviller factory, and works by the jewelers Kirstein and Imlin connect the museum not only with the palace but also with the city’s workshops. Authentic and imitation “Chinese-style” figurines add another clue: in the reconstructed apartments, one can notice how European Rococo incorporated the fashion for Far Eastern motifs. Nearby there is a museum presenting decorative art from earlier generations, so what matters here is precisely the selected segment of Strasbourg’s history.