Up All Night in the 1700s

The “Century of Lights,” as the French called it, was an illuminating era of intellectual and technological advancement. But the 1700s was also literally a century of candlelight. In the glow of glittering chandeliers, Europeans stayed up later and later, pushing aside the veil of darkness to preen and play.

Fashionable parties centered on card playing. The rules of the game—and the etiquette—were unforgiving. But the flickering light, the gilded rooms, and the bejeweled dress softened the strictness. You can experience this enchantment here in Mia’s Grand Salon, as the light and sound shifts from day to night, mundane to magical.

Jean Gaillard de La Bouëxière, a royal tax collector under France’s King Louis XV, originated the paneled interior of this room in 1735, when he renovated a house for himself near the Place Vendôme, in Paris. The increasingly powerful royal government fueled his extravagant lifestyle and that of his peers, spreading public street lighting and easing access to imported stimulants like coffee, tea, and chocolate through expanded global trade—essential ingredients for late-night socializing.

This project is part of Living Rooms, an initiative to present Mia’s historic interiors and decorative arts collections in new ways.

Additional support provided by The Chipstone Foundation.