During the 19th century, artists were following the eclecticism theory. The goal of this artistic movement was to use the best of what was made in the past. The Neo-Renaissance style is one of its applications. The 19th century artists were looking for inspiration from the Italian primitives, the Cinquecento and the Fontainebleau School. These works nourished the fine arts and decorative arts from the 1830s until the late 1860s.
Furnitures became highly architected, made in carved dark wood. The type of cabinets with two bodies called "Henri II" were particularly appreciated at the time.
Michel Joseph Napoléon Liénard (1810-1870) was a renowned interior decorator of the Neo-Renaissance style. He works on restoration projects with the architect Jacques Félix Duban (1797-1870).
Marquise de Paiva(1819-1884) received as a gift a splendid mansion on the Champs-Elysées. It is one of the most magnificent examples of this style. The greatest artists of their time were part of this project, such as : the architect Pierre Manguin (1815-1869), the painter Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904), or the sculptor Carrier-Belleuse (1824-1887).
