In a completely refurbished museum, the oldest collection in the Nièvre presents objects that illustrate the passion of the curious collector that was Auguste Grasset. Several coherent sets are arranged on three levels around the monumental contemporary hall where the equestrian Saint-Eustache, a masterpiece of Nièvre earthenware (1734), welcomes the visitor.
Antiquity is mainly represented by an Egyptian collection, which, in the museum’s cellars, borders on a collection of weapons and ornaments from the South Pacific islands. On the first floor, a chronological tour combines art objects, sculptures and paintings from the Middle Ages to the pre-impressionists.
The recent Music Room unveils, in a subtle play of sound and light, some twenty curious instruments from the 17th to the 19th century, such as the ophicleid, the serinet, the tympanum or the pianoforte. Finally, the second level presents the beautiful collection of Nevers and Varzy earthenware, as well as a group of paintings by 19th century landscape artists.
