Maison Hannon

Welcome to the house that belonged to Marie and Édouard Hannon, whose portraits are displayed here. For a long time, this was described as a private mansion; although that is not actually the case, it is an imposing town house. Built between 1902 and 1904, it was designed by the architect Jules Brunfaut. Brunfaut adopted a different approach when using the space typically available in the houses in Brussels. He placed the stairwell, a functional space, in the darkest part of the house, arranging the living areas in a circle around it so that they would benefit from the natural light flowing in from the windows in the façade. Therefore, the main reception rooms, such as the drawing rooms and the winter garden, look onto the Avenue Brugmann, while the dining room on the ground floor and the couple’s bedroom look onto the garden.

Filled with golden light and shimmering colours, the main hall boasts a monumental fresco, created by the French artist Paul Baudouin. Fresco painting is an ancient technique; for Baudouin, this was a way of reviving and surpassing that art, while it enabled Édouard Hannon to display his admiration for Classical Antiquity. The work is spread out in the manner of a tapestry, giving spectators the impression that they are standing at the edge of a wood; it even seems to invite us to step inside the decor. An allegory of deeply fulfilling love, the fresco shows the Hannon couple, depicted as two shepherds, gazing at a female figure who is scattering roses; these represent the joys of life. The setting sun of late summer is suggested through the orangecoloured tints of its reflection in the waves of the blue ocean. The six women seen whirling upwards, holding lyres, symbolise the harmony of nature; that same harmony is evident throughout the house.

Of all the areas in the house, this surely has the most vitality. It is set at an elevated level and juts out from the exterior, enabling natural light to flood into the main hall and stairway. This light nourishes the plants grown there and is echoed in the metallic elements, which were originally gilded. All the stained glass work in the house was created by the French master glassmaker Raphaël Evaldre. A student of Louis Comfort Tiffany, he popularised American glass in Belgium. This is a genuine winter garden, in the technical sense of the term; the structure is made of metal, and light streams in through its glass and stained glass windows. It is equipped with a slate plant container and built-in radiators, enabling exotic, precious plant species, imported from Japan, to be grown here.

Attentive visitors will notice fragments of painted decorations on the ceiling and the upper parts of the walls. These fragments were rediscovered in 2024, and will serve as the basis for the restitution of the ornaments planned in the coming months.

The two rooms you will see here are examples of the “French style” of living. The main drawing room, which is located at the corner of the building, was used to receive guests, whereas the small drawing room was reserved for family use. This convention reflects the French origins of Marie Debard, the lady of the house. In Belgium, only the main drawing room was traditionally located on the ground floor, while the secondary drawing room was on the first floor, and was an extension of the master bedroom. You can find this arrangement at the Horta Museum, which is situated not far from here, in the Rue Américaine. This reception room opens extensively onto the exterior, not only to offer views of the prestigious Avenue Brugmann, but also to increase its own visibility. The bevelled glass here allowed guests to see the plants in the winter garden and, on the side adjacent to the family drawing room, the collection of precious glassware designed by the Frenchman Émile Gallé, a master Art Nouveau creator.

The frescos here, like the one in the stairwell, were created by the painter Paul Baudouin. Classical Antiquity is evoked here too, this time through the red background, known as “Pompeian red”, and the ancient Roman clothing. The scenes depicted here represent the celebration of the senses when the fruit harvest is gathered at the end of summer. The wall on the left hand side shows apple trees in blossom , followed by images of fruit gathering and cider pressing. The ceiling echoes this flowery scene. The wall on the right hand side shows a female lute-player together with a woman dressed in an orange tunic, holding a glass of beer in her right hand and a jug in her left. Another woman, dressed in green, is seen dozing at the foot of a hop plant. Hop cones , which are harvested at the end of summer, are used both to brew beer and, at the same time, to relieve sadness…

As you can see, there are no framed pictures on the walls here, and the environment is practically monochrome. In France, this type of room is known as a “salon des dames”, or “ladies’ room”, the idea being that it allowed their outfits to shine. Yet in fact, the restrained decor here was chiefly intended to showcase the precious objects adorning the room, namely, the most remarkable examples of glassware and woodwork produced by Émile Gallé, a native of Lorraine. The Hannons collected his creations. This furniture series is known as the Ombelles, and was the Gallé company’s most popular model. As their name indicates, these pieces represent umbellifers, or umbrellashaped flowers. With this design, the Gallé firm amalgamated the French and Japanese styles. This model fits in well with the decorative environment in the house. On the right, you can see a column bearing a gilded sculpture of a woman lifting her veil. This work was created in 1899 by the Frenchman Louis-Ernest Barrias and is entitled Nature Unveiling Herself before Science. The sculpture perfectly encapsulates the Hannon’s world.

The bookcase in the centre of the room also has a distinctly Asian appearance. It is engraved with verses by Émile Verhaeren, taken from his poetry collection entitled Heures claires :

L’instant est si beau de lumière,
Dans le jardin, autour de nous ;
L’instant est si rare de lumière première,
Dans notre cœur, au fond de nous.

Tout nous prêche de n’attendre plus rien
De ce qui vient ou passe,
Avec des chansons lasses
Et des bras las par les chemins.

Et de rester les doux qui bénissons le jour.

Now cross the hall to discover the dining room.

The dining room was a private space, where the hosts received their close friends and family members. 

We invite you to start your visit of the temporary exhibition Echoes of Dreams and the world of the Hannon family here.

As you go up the stairs, you will notice that a landing has been created on the sixth stair, allowing a pause in the climb. Besides providing greater stability, it served another purpose, as the couple liked to recite poetry there – verses by Verhaeren, as well as songs from Homer’s The Iliad. You are clearly in a house that belonged to a highly cultured pair! 

You are invited to continue the exhibition tour on the first floor: in the bathroom, on your right, you will discover different perspectives on the world.