Provence Costume and Jewelry Museum

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2 Rue Jean Ossola, Grasse, France 06130

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by TianjinPaul

Rotherham, United Kingdom

December 2, 2012

Best of IgoUgo The Costume and Jewellery Museum in Grasse is one of a series of museums and exhibitions funded by the Fragaonnard perfume company, which is head-quartered in Grasse. It was established by the Fragonnard company to showcase some of the clothes worn ...Read more The Costume and Jewellery Museum in Grasse is one of a series of museums and exhibitions funded by the Fragaonnard perfume company, which is head-quartered in Grasse. It was established by the Fragonnard company to showcase some of the clothes worn by young women in the 1800s and jewellery seen in France at the same time. If I am honest, when I saw the entrance to this museum and the description of its contents, I did not feel too excited. It didn't really look like it was going to be quite my cup of tea. However, as I was with my mother who was visiting the Cote d'Azur for just one week, I thought we may as well see what was on offer. The fact that admission was free also encouraged

I will start the review with the actual contents of the museum. Its main exhibit is a series of costumes worn by young French ladies. There are lots of large and voluminous dresses, plenty of chintzy patterns and several bonnets. If I am honest, this left me completely cold. The majority of the outfits were day-ti-day clothing. There was nothing particularly lavish or extravagant that you might have expected to find at Royal galas or aristocratic events. Whilst everything was very nice and very well-maintained, it was rather bland and uninteresting.

I could ramble on about the intricacies of the different costumes ad-nauseum. However, I imagine that it would bore the reader to tears - it would certainly have that effect on me. So, instead, I am going to talk about the presentation of the outfits, which was astounding, incongruous and just a touch frightening. The museum is located in an old town house in Grasse that dates back to the 1700s. The decor and the subject of the museum reflect this. Yet, the models on which the costumes were displayed looked like something from a science fiction movie. The mannequins were white and faceless. They were housed in shiny plastic cases that were linked to the roof by giant tubes. It genuinely looked like we were on an alien spacecraft where wierd and wonderful creatures were being incubated. How anyone thought it was an appropriate way to display the outfits, I do not know.

We hurried through the costume section because it rather frightened my mother. This led us to the jewellery section. Thankfully, this was a little more in keeping with the surroundings. The room was panelled with dark wood and had several small display cases bolted to the wall. In each of these was displayed a beautiful piece of jewellery. The majority of these were far more beautiful than anything in the costume section and looked genuinely resplendent as the right reflected of the gold and precious stones. My mother was very much taken by the jewels, but I was left a little cold. I did, though, love the display of antique cloak fasteners. These could easily have bee mistaken for belt buckles, but were wonderfully unusual. I could not help but imagine the French aristocrats that would have sported them.

The Jewellery and Costume museum was a bizarre sight. As it was next to other museums such as the Fragonard Museum and the Fragaonard perfume factory, it was major detour to the see it. But, I would not have visited it otherwise. The displays were not hugely interesting and the, quite frankly, ridiculous presentation of the material made it a disappointing visit. It was free to enter. Close

From journal Grasse and St Paul with Mumsie

Provence Costume and Jewelry Museum

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