A must-see
article | Reading time3 min
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Discover this room steeped in history, where music still has its place
Before and after the music: The story of a salon
Originally, this room served as a summer drawing room, providing access to the apartments located on either side. Later, around 1840, Jacques-Maurice Grosjean converted it into a gymnasium for his grandchildren!
At the request of Louis Cahen d’Anvers, the room was transformed into a more intimate salon displaying family portraits. It also hosted numerous important family events, most notably the wedding of Alice Cahen d'Anvers in 1898. It was also the setting for musical performances, such as the one held in 1908 attended by Prince Albert I of Monaco.
In the 1960s, after the château had become a presidential residence, the salon served as the venue for official luncheons hosted by heads of state in honor of General de Gaulle.
© Reproduced with permission from Camille Padilla / CMN
An evocative setting
This room mirrors the shape and layout of the grand salon on the ground floor. Its windows offer an exceptional view of the gardens.
Under Ernest Santerre, who owned the château from 1858 to 1895, the room was transformed into a music room.
Much of the original décor remains, including the wood panelling designed by the château’s 18th century architect, Bullet de Chamblain.
During the late 19th century restoration carried out by Walter Destailleurs for the Cahen d’Anvers family, 18th century still-life paintings were installed above the doorways, and the ceiling was adorned with a painted *trompe-l’œil* sky. The ceiling’s earlier decoration had been severely damaged when the attic level was lowered at the behest of Jacques-Maurice Grosjean (around 1831).
Walter Destailleurs was also responsible for the cornice framing the painted ceiling. It is decorated with *putti*, musicians depicted in the classical style, and musical instruments (including lutes, lyres, harps, and clarinets). These decorative elements reflect the room’s use by the Cahen d’Anvers family in the early 20th century.
© Sophie Alexandre / Centre des Monuments Nationaux
The Cahen d’Anvers: A taste for the arts
Portraits of Louis Cahen d’Anvers and his wife Louise are displayed in this room. These paintings were commissioned from two renowned Belle Époque artists: Léon Bonnat painted the portrait of Louis—his close friend—in 1901, while Charles Carolus-Duran painted Louise in 1874, capturing her at the age of twenty-nine.
As members of a prominent dynasty of bankers and art patrons, the Cahen d’Anvers family used this drawing room to entertain friends and artists. The celebrated Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted a portrait of their daughter Irène, also known as *The Little Girl with the Blue Ribbon* (1880). Although the family had owned the estate since 1895, it was their son Charles who donated the Champs-sur-Marne estate to the State in 1935; indeed, it was in this very room that he officially and symbolically handed over the keys to the château to a State representative.
© Pascal Lemaître / Centre des monuments nationaux
The Erard piano
This grand piano, made by the Érard firm, dates back to 1875. As forerunners of modern grand pianos, Érard instruments allow for faster note repetition, thereby facilitating virtuosity. Artists such as Franz Liszt and Maurice Ravel owned one.
To this day, the piano is still used for concerts as part of the château’s cultural program.
© SEC Château de Champs-sur-Marne / CMN
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