What is there
to see?

The Musée Cognacq-Jay houses a small but refined collection of 18th-century art and decorative objects. The collection includes paintings, sculptures, furniture, porcelain and decorative pieces gathered over the course of their lives by Ernest Cognacq and Marie-Louise Jay. Altogether, the collection contains more than 1,200 objects, although only a selection is displayed at any one time.

Contrary to what the name might suggest, the couple’s fortune did not come from the famous French spirit Cognac. Instead, they were the former owners of the department store Samaritaine, which still exists today. You can read more about this in the section “History”.

Set within the historic rooms of the Hôtel de Donon (16th century) in the heart of the Marais district, the museum offers visitors a glimpse into life during the Age of Enlightenment.

Highlights of the permanent collection include works by Antoine Watteau, Jean-Honoré Fragonard and François Boucher — the favourite painter of Madame de Pompadour. It is well worth bringing headphones and downloading the museum’s podcast tours via QR code, including a 45-minute highlights tour available in both French and English.

The majority of the collection consists of portrait paintings. During the Enlightenment, portraiture flourished as a symbol of social status. Whether aristocrats or wealthy members of the bourgeoisie, anyone of importance — and with sufficient means — commissioned portraits of themselves. Naturally, appearance played a central role in representing one’s status, which in turn gave a considerable boost to the fashion industry of the period.

Elegant side tables, embroidered sofas, painted porcelain, refined sculptures, opulent miniatures and many other decorative objects complete the collection.

Musée Cognacq-Jay
A bit of History

The museum owes its existence to the passion of two collectors: Ernest Cognacq, founder of the famous Parisian department store La Samaritaine, and his wife Marie-Louise Jay. Between 1885 and 1920, they assembled an impressive collection of more than 1,200 works of art and decorative objects.

The road to success, however, was far from easy. Born in 1839, Ernest Cognacq had to leave school at the age of twelve after the death of his father left the family in poverty. He worked as a travelling salesman before eventually moving to Paris, where he found employment in several department stores.

His first independent business, opened in 1867, went bankrupt. He then worked as a street vendor, saved what little money he could, and tried again — this time successfully. Together with his wife Marie-Louise, whom he married in 1872, he gradually built his way to the top. In 1891, he opened the first department store under the name “Samaritaine” near the Bois de Boulogne. A second store followed on Rue de Rivoli in 1910, where, after reopening in 2021, it now shines once again in renewed splendour.

Today, La Samaritaine belongs to the LVMH group, whose owner Bernard Arnault is also well known for his private art collections. His impressive collection of contemporary works can be seen at the Fondation Louis Vuitton near the Bois de Boulogne — bringing the story full circle.

Even during his lifetime, Cognacq wanted to make his collection accessible to the public. From 1925 onwards, selected works were displayed in rotating exhibitions at the Samaritaine branch on Boulevard des Capucines. One year before his death, he acquired engraved wooden panels to furnish a neighbouring building intended to house the future museum. The City of Paris, which inherited the collection in 1928, continued the project.

On 4 June 1929, President Gaston Doumergue officially inaugurated the Musée Cognacq-Jay.

In 1981, the department store closed and the building complex was sold. The Hôtel Donon, a Renaissance-style city mansion located in the heart of the Marais district, was chosen as the museum’s new home. Originally built in 1575 for Médéric Donon, the administrator of the Medici family’s properties, the building underwent extensive restoration work before the museum finally moved there in 1990.