Musée des Beaux-Arts et de la Dentelle

The Musée des Beaux-Arts et de la Dentelle, better known as the Musée Mandet, is the main art museum of Riom, a small historic town in the Puy-de-Dôme department of Auvergne in France, a few kilometres north of Clermont-Ferrand. It occupies a pair of old town houses of the kind that line the streets of the centre, and like much of Riom they are built of dark volcanic stone quarried nearby, giving the whole old quarter its distinctive grey-black look. The museum's name comes from Francisque Mandet, a local collector whose bequest laid the foundations of the collection.

The museum belongs to a town with real weight in French history. Riom was long the judicial and administrative capital of the Auvergne region, and the lawyers, magistrates and officials who lived here built substantial private mansions, called hôtels particuliers, around courtyards and stairways. Visiting the museum therefore combines art with a view of how a provincial elite lived: tall rooms, wide staircases, carved doorways and quiet inner courts.

The collections cover European painting, sculpture and decorative arts over several centuries. They include works of the Flemish, Dutch, Italian and French schools, and furniture, ceramics and objects that show how rooms were furnished in this region. Some rooms are arranged by period and style, so that a visit moves roughly through time, and temporary exhibitions add variety. The museum is not large, and a visit takes an hour or two, which makes it easy to combine with other sights.

For textile lovers, lace also have a place in the museum's story, in keeping with its full name and the long craft tradition of lace and cloth in the Auvergne. The details of what is shown change with exhibitions, so it is worth checking at the entrance for the current displays.

Riom is a rewarding town to walk around. The old centre is compact, and the Église Saint-Austremoine, the Vieux Riom streets with their stone mansions and the Marché de Riom are all within easy reach. The Musée du Jouet, the toy museum, is another family-friendly stop. Travellers staying in Clermont-Ferrand or exploring the Chaîne des Puys can reach Riom quickly by train or car and make a half-day of it.

The museum suits visitors who enjoy small regional collections, historic architecture and a quiet pace. It is a good choice on a rainy day, and children who like looking for details in paintings and old objects will find enough to hold their attention.