The wainscot on the chimney side and Hall of Honour side has been put back. The panels of the admirals on the Place de la Concorde side are in better condition than those opposite (Jean Bart and Duquesne). They have simply been put back in the centre of the framework of verticals and horizontals.








The panels on the northern side (Tourville and Duguay-Trouin) are not in such good condition and are recessed into the wall. They consist of an assembly of 9 to
10 small boards held together at the back by four screw-fixed cross members. To prevent there being too great a space between the boards, as well as to avoid loss of paint, the panels will be kept in their existing condition and the open joints filled in with ‘Dutchmen’ (thin slivers of wood) bonded to the tongues with fish glue.

Restoration of the doors (in the workshop) will be complete by the end of March.

The backgrounds of the panels of the admirals are clear and coats of light beige paint have been applied.
The original shades are to be retained. Microjoints in the panels of the admirals on the Concorde side will be retained in dark areas and attenuated in light areas.

According to the cost estimate given by painter Chaillot de Prusse in 1786, the espagnolette bolts on the doors were to be “painted blue, with gilded knots. The handle and knob of the lock are gilt”. Based on this evidence, further research is under way to determine the original colour of the door hardware.

Cameos, which were first carved in Mesopotamia in 4000 BC, were very popular until the fall of the Roman Empire. They came into vogue again in Italy in the 14th century, and were especially admired by the nobility who wore them on rings.

But it was at the end of the 18^th century, and especially in the 19^th, that cameos became very fashionable. Traditionally they represent mythological figures, most frequently Venus, Mercury, and Diane.

The decoration chosen for the background of the cameos evokes heraldry and coats of arms.
Five-petalled florets alternate with lozenges on horizontal hatching.

It was observed that one of the cameos in the Hall of Honour has been restored previously, for it was remade out of plaster, not with carton-pierre.

An "N" can be seen on a cornice on the Golden Gallery side. It probably dates from the Second Empire. It is set inside a laurel wreath.

This imperial cipher will be restored and gilded.
Its destruction is probably linked to the political vicissitudes of Napoleon or of the pro-Napoleonic parties during the 19^th century.

Restoration of this symbol of power will reinstate a page in the history of the room.

This issue was a subject of much debate by the scientific committee. Should only the 18^th century aspects of the building be restored, or also its successive phases? In the event it was decided to rehabilitate the "N" since it expresses the degree to which these rooms incarnate the grand decoration of the
19^th century.

Golden Galery

In the Golden Gallery the background of the cameos features a square grid studded with quincunxes. Multiplication of the different motifs creates different levels of perspective and an impression of depth against which the plant motifs stand out more strongly.