Georges Guestier

In 1936, the Cruse-Guestier collection, comprising “very beautiful paintings … magnificent furniture, and collections of porcelain and miniatures,” became part of the endowment of the Musée d’Art Ancien (Museum of Ancient Art). A scion of a dynasty of wine merchants, Georges Guestier (1860-1936) was for some time associated with the house of Barton & Guestier, before withdrawing from the wine business to devote himself to his art collections. A discerning, well-informed connoisseur, he transformed his townhouse, the Hôtel de Poissac on Rue Pierlot, into a kind of personal museum.

Upon his death, his entire collection was bequeathed to the museum, in his name and that of his late wife Marguerite Cruse. Initially displayed in the green sitting room, the Salon de Gascq, the Cruse-Guestier collection was officially unveiled by mayor Adrien Marquet, who commented, “This room now houses an assemblage that will offer visitors a striking tableau of a Bordeaux interior at the time of Louis XVI, which marked the high point of the 18th-century decorative arts in our city. These seats, sofas, bergères and armchairs are the very pieces that furnished the Hôtel de Poissac, which later became the Guestier residence, during that period.” With its marquetry furniture, Barye bronzes, candelabras, clocks, vases from the Compagnie des Indes (French East India Company) and family portraits, the Cruse-Guestier room reflects the aspirations and tastes of the affluent merchant class of early 20th-century Bordeaux.