Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Musée du Domaine départemental de Sceaux is housed in a castle built between 1856 and 1860 for the Duke and Duchess of Treviso, on the remains of a domain created in the 17th century by Jean-Baptiste Colbert. Owned by the Hauts-de-Seine department, it is located in the Parc de Sceaux, designed by André Le Nôtre, and includes several historic buildings: the pavilion of the Aurora (1672), the Orangerie d'Hardouin-Mansart (1686), and the Écuries de Colbert (1672-1674). His permanent collections illustrate the evolution of the estate through four key periods: Colbert (1670-1690), the Duchess of Maine (1700-1753), the Duke of Penthièvre (1775-1793), and the Treviso (1829-1923).

Founded in 1937 as a museum of the Île-de-France, it was conceived as a pendant of the Musée Carnavalet, dedicated to Paris, by Jean Robiquet, then curator of the latter. The first collections come in part from the Carnavalet reserves, enriched by donations (Dunoyer, Fautrier). Initially organized according to a topographical approach, the museum evolved towards a chronological museum after its renovation in 1994, highlighting the decorations of the Treviso castle and the history of the owners of the estate.

The current route, rethought after work between 2018 and 2019, offers a journey through the rooms of the castle (ground floor and floor) and the related buildings. There are major works: paintings by François de Troy, ceramics by Seals, furniture of the period, as well as interior reconstructions (dining room 18th, room "Neuilly"). The galleries are home to a remarkable collection of faiences and porcelain from Île-de-France (Saint-Cloud, Chantilly, Sèvres), while the graphic arts firm maintains 9,500 prints and 2,500 drawings, including works by Israel Silvestre or Honoré Daumier.

The estate celebrates in 2023 the centenary of its acquisition by the Seine department (1923), marked by a retrospective exhibition in the Écuries. The museum also preserves photographic archives (950 prints of Eugene Atget) and ancient books, available by appointment. Its park, restored for walks and canoeing in 1937, remains a classified landscape setting, reflecting the transformations of French taste from the 17th to the 19th century.

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