Musée d'Art et d'Histoire

The Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Provence is the main museum of Grasse's past beyond perfume, and it is housed in a fine eighteenth-century town house, the Hôtel de Clapiers-Cabris, on the rue Mirabeau. The mansion has a link to French history: it was the home of the Marquise de Cabris, sister of the revolutionary orator Mirabeau, who stayed in Grasse, and the street takes its name from him. The building has the grace of a noble house of the period, with tall rooms, painted woodwork, stucco ceilings and a garden terrace, so the setting is half the pleasure of the visit.

The museum was created in the early twentieth century to bring together the traditions of eastern Provence, and its displays range widely. Archaeology comes first, with prehistoric finds and objects from the Roman period, when this part of Provence was a rich and settled province, and from the Middle Ages. Everyday life is the second great theme, shown through furniture, tools, costumes, jewellery and the typical household objects of the region, and some rooms are arranged as reconstructions of Provençal interiors, giving a sense of how people lived from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. Fine and decorative arts make up the third group, with paintings, sculpture, ceramics, textiles and weapons. Provençal faience, the glazed earthenware made in towns across the region, shows the local taste for bright colour and rustic design.

The visit moves across three levels, and from the upper windows you can look out over the gardens and the roofs of the old town toward the sea. The museum gives a good context for understanding Grasse itself, which grew rich first through leather and then through the perfume trade, and the displays touch on both. The painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard, born in Grasse in 1732, has a link to the town, and other local art and craft is shown here, although the Villa-Musée Fragonard, a separate site, holds his work.

The museum sits close to the other sights of the old town. The Église Notre-Dame-du-Puy, the Place aux Aires and the Rue de la République are within a short walk, and the Musée International de la Parfumerie, the Musée du Parfum Fragonard, the Jardin des Parfums et des Plantes and the factories of Fragonard and Marsan show the perfume side. The Parc de la Paix provides a quiet place to rest.

Allow an hour or so. It suits families, history lovers and travellers who want to see Grasse beyond its scents. Opening hours and admission arrangements change, and entry has been very cheap or free for many visitors, so check the current details before you go.