The Rothschild Room - 18th-century French salon

This grand salon conveys the Rococo elegance of the eighteenth century through its decor, furnishings, and objets d'art. It belonged to a second-generation member of the new aristocracy, the Count de Courbet, and was part of his Paris townhouse on the rue de Bac, designed by Francois Debias-Aubry between 1741 and 1745. The room's original paneling was part of another townhouse, that of Jacques-Samuel Bernard, one of France's leading financiers in the 1750s. In the 1880s the salon came into the possession of the first Baron Edmond de Rothschild, known in Zionist history as HaNadiv (The Benefactor). Over the doors in the four corners are allegorical depictions of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, while two Gobelin tapestries depict mythological scenes from a series titled "Love of the Gods" made for Louis XV. Portraits by Jacques Aved and by Jean-Marc Nattier and a marble statue by Guillaume Coustou exemplify the mythological-allegorical tendencies of the period. Three large mirrors reflect the candlelit candelabras and appear to enlarge the room, adding to the atmosphere of opulence and splendor. The salon is entered through an Empire-style anteroom, which houses a small collection of period porcelain.