Interior view

In 1635, the lord of the Vrilliere - Louis Ph�lipeaux, acquired a small ground left vacant by Richelieu. He decided to build a mansion under the direction of Fran�ois Mansart. One of the rooms - the large gallery on the first floor with the imposing dimensions (40 x 6.5 m) - was to serve as a room to exhibit his exceptional collection of Italian paintings. The vault was painted in 1645 by Fran�ois Perrier, and ten paintings by the greatest masters, such as Poussin, Guercino, Pietro da Cortona) were placed in white paneling enhanced with gold.

In 1713, the Count of Toulouse acquired the house which was renamed H�tel de Toulouse. The new owner, who was the illegitimate son of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan, appealed to Robert de Cotte, the king’s first architect, to arrange the place as a princely residence.

In the pure Regency spirit, gold invades the large gallery (the Galerie Dor�e) and its decorative elements were reviewed to illustrate the themes dear to the Count of Toulouse: hunting and fishing. In 1793, after the Revolution, these properties were declared national property and the works were scattered among various museums. The Galerie Dor�e then served as a paper store for the Imprimerie Nationale. The Banque de France bought the hotel in 1808. In 1870, the state of the Gallery required a complete restoration, the fresco of the vault was then copied and the regency woodwork reinstated in the decor.