Around 1735, Jean Gaillard de la Bouëxière built himself a mansion in the Place Vendôme, then a suburb of Paris that was popular among financial types (he was a royal tax collector). This salon was his party room. Its chic style and opulent materials showed that Jean Gaillard could afford to play as hard as he worked. Here, he and his guests enjoyed music and other diversions at a time when leisure—how, when, and whom you entertained—said everything about you.

The decorative carvings of the hunt, musical instruments, and personified continents perfectly conveyed his refined interests and his privileged position within the French government. The luxurious gold-covered plaster and carved wood, crystal, and mirrors reflected not only his wealth but also the candles in the room, amplifying the light so that his parties could carry on late into the night.

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Grand Salon from the Hôtel de la Bouëxière, c. 1735

France

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