Civilian and sacred silversmith

From the early seventeenth century to today, over 500 gold and silver are displayed at the museum of the Visitation, sometimes embellished with enamel and jewels, forming a coherent and unique in France in its historical continuity.

All periods and styles of decorative arts are represented, from the luxuriance of the Louis XIII to the clean lines of modern art through the Baroque, the Archaeological inspiration and Art Nouveau.

If the majority of pieces were made for liturgical use, 20% of the collections are made of civilian silversmith, rare and sought, ordered or given as dowry to the Visitation, and some of them from the Court of France, Spain and Savoy.

The most creative centers of French goldsmith, and many of the great silversmiths of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (Cahier, Poussielgue Rusand, Calliat, Favier, Cheret …) are represented, giving this set a consistency unmatched in France. You can only discover it in Moulins by visiting the museum of the Visitation.

The latter specificity of these collections is the diversity of goldsmiths and geographical origins (France, Europe and the same China), which allows to compare schools or styles.

A safe room is reserved for the presentation of silverware in a chronological