The Hôtel de Cabrières-Sabatier d’Espeyran, a private town house, holds the Musée Fabre's department of Decorative Arts. It was bequeathed by Mme Frédéric Sabatier d'Espeyran in 1967 and is a unique snapshot of Montpellier's bourgeoisie society lifestyle during the second half of the 19th century. The building's preserved layout and interior decorations on the 1st floor enable us to glimpse the daily habits and routine of a noble family.
The period rooms on the 1st floor bring back to life the ceremonial apartments of Count Despous de Paul (1825 - 1899), with a rich link between artworks and period, to restore an authentic interior. The presentation and organisation of the furnishings and artworks on the 2nd floor recreate stylistic and chronologically coherent interiors from the Regency period until the early 19th century.
On the ground floor, the collections of ceramics, gold and silverware from the Musée Fabre contain some 500 pieces, acquired through donations, legacies, loans and acquisitions. Recent purchases of faience and work by Languedoc goldsmiths make this a benchmark collection for south of France applied arts.
