COLLECTING PARIS | COGNACQ-JAY with Sylvia Sagona

The Musée Cognacq-Jay was established and donated to the city of Paris by the 19th century entrepreneur Théodore Cognacq and his former shop girl wife, Louise Jay, who jointly founded the landmark Parisian department store, the Samaritaine.

The elegant Hotel Donon in the Marais houses an exceptional collection of fine and decorative arts which includes snuffboxes, jewels and furniture, as well as paintings by Fragonard, Boucher, Watteau and Tiepolo.

Even more fascinating is the story behind the Samaritaine and how shopping was transformed into a vehicle for female emancipation.

Sylvia Sagona is Fellow of the School of Languages at the University of Melbourne (Department of French and Italian Studies) and specialises in 19th century French art and society.