The Time Capsule House Opened After 100 Years

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception 

An eccentric wealthy civil servant, Louis Mantin, wrote a will stating that his house was to be closed then reopened to the public a hundred years after his death, shedding light on how people lived back in the 19th century. A veritable time capsule – albeit not of the buried sort!  

THE TIME CAPSULE

Louis Mantin's bedroom is a jewel of opulence with carved four poster bed, but most extreme are the walls covered in gilded leather. This material was made in 1812 and covered in silver leaf, then varnished in yellow to give a golden look. Next ... paintings created using simple colors were hung on them, generally telling a story.