Maison dite Maison Frugès
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison dite Maison Frugès, located in Bordeaux (Gironde), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Bordeaux, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.8427, -0.5865
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00083404
A jewel of Bordeaux Art Deco, the Maison Frugès conceals behind its 19th-century façade a richly ornate interior crafted by Edgar Brandt, Daum, and the greatest artisans of the early 20th century.
History
In the heart of Bordeaux, the Maison Frugès is one of the most fascinating examples of the encounter between industrial fortune and artistic patronage in France between the wars. Behind an exterior revisited in a resolutely eclectic and orientalist style lies an exceptional interior, a veritable cabinet of modernist curiosities, where every surface, every light fixture and every piece of ironwork reveals a total aesthetic ambition. What distinguishes this monument from similar Bordeaux town houses is precisely the coherence of the overall project: Henry Frugès didn't simply want to decorate a residence, he wanted to create a living museum of the decorative arts and techniques of his time. This encyclopaedic vision is reflected in the reasoned accumulation of masterpieces of craftsmanship, from the sumptuous mosaics in the bathroom to the prestigious ironwork by Edgar Brandt and the blown-glass chandeliers by the Daum brothers. The tour immerses visitors in the hushed atmosphere of a bourgeois interior captured in its creative élan. Here, a sculpted frieze evokes the major trends of late Art Nouveau; there, a monumental mask reminds us that G. Schnegg, a renowned sculptor, also contributed to this collective project. The light, filtered through Daum glassware, bathes each room in an intimate golden hue. The architectural setting, halfway between the Second Empire and the first bold steps of modernism, lends a singular creative tension to the whole. This was a time of transition, at exactly the right moment when the French bourgeoisie, enriched by industry, was seeking to define its own aesthetic, neither truly academic nor yet fully avant-garde. The Maison Frugès embodies this magnificent hesitation with a rare elegance.
Architecture
The architecture of the Maison Frugès is the result of the superimposition of two distinct layers of time: the original 1878 envelope, in the eclectic style typical of the Second Empire bourgeoisie, and the thorough overhaul undertaken between 1913 and 1927 by Pierre Ferret and Lucien Cazieux. The exterior betrays this dual nature, with orientalist ornamentation that contrasts with the rigour of the original massing. Decorative elements with exotic references - geometric motifs, stylised friezes, unusual treatment of the openings - give the façade a resolutely singular character in the Bordeaux context. The interior is the real masterpiece of the whole. Each space has been designed as an autonomous decorative entity, while contributing to an overall stylistic unity. Edgar Brandt's wrought iron and brasswork adorn the railings, gates and door frames with a technical mastery and formal elegance characteristic of the emerging Art Deco style. The Daum light fittings diffuse a warm, colourful light, like medieval stained-glass windows revisited by industrial modernity. The bathroom, entirely covered in polychrome mosaics by Gentil et Bourdet, represents the apogee of this decorative ambition: the glazed tiles form geometric compositions of exceptional precision and chromatic richness. The materials used reflect the period's taste for high-level craftsmanship: cut stone on the façade, blown glass, wrought iron, glazed earthenware, stucco and plasterwork on the interior. The whole bears witness to a conception of architecture as a total work of art, inherited from Art Nouveau and prefiguring the great Art Deco creations of the 1920s and 1930s.
Related Figures
Henry Frugès — industriel sucrier bordelais, maître d'ouvrage et mécène de la transformation de la demeurePierre Ferret — architecte bordelais chargé de la refonte architecturale entre 1913 et 1927Lucien Cazieux — décorateur responsable de la conception des intérieurs éclectiquesEdgar Brandt — maître ferronnier Art déco, auteur des ferronneries d'exception de la maisonG. Schnegg — sculpteur auteur de la frise et du masque décoratifsDaum (maison) — verrerie lorraine de Nancy ayant fourni les lustres et luminairesGentil et Bourdet — ateliers de mosaïque de Boulogne-Billancourt auteurs des revêtements de la salle de bains
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison dite Maison Frugès located?
Maison dite Maison Frugès is located in Bordeaux, Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
Is Maison dite Maison Frugès open to visitors?
Maison dite Maison Frugès is currently closed to visitors.