Chinese porcelain

An exceptional set of Far Eastern ceramics can be found in the apartments of the Palais Rohan. It comes from the collection of the fourth and last Strasbourg Prince-Bishop of the Rohan family. Louis-René de Rohan acquired these pieces to adorn the Chinese Pavilion at his château in Saverne. During the French Revolution, the collection was transferred to Strasbourg's "departmental" Museum. Under the Empire, it was moved to the apartments of the Rohan palace, then occupied by Napoleon and Josephine.
When Louis-René de Rohan put together this set of ceramics, the European aristocracy was still fascinated by the Orient. Interiors were being furnished with silks, lacquers and porcelains. The ceramics visible today in the Palais Rohan apartments are precious items, some of them rare or of considerable size.
Four large roller vases placed in the Bishops' Room have bronze bases crafted by a Parisian bronzier, thus adding a French touch to these exotic objects. One pair of vases shows a painted scene, depicting a traditional Chinese family in a house opening onto a garden. This type of scene was a source of inspiration for Western painters and ceramists making chinoiseries.