Housed in a mansion on Calle San Mateo built in the last quarter of the 18th century, the museum recreates the daily life and customs of the affluent classes during the Romantic period, providing a glimpse of society at the time and the leading lights of this cultural movement in Spain. As a house-museum, the items on display range from paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures to furniture, personal objects, photographs and decorative arts, all arranged as they would have been back in the day. Visitors are therefore transported to a typical setting at that moment in time when society was opening up to a new mindset that would eventually conquer every aspect of life, from politics to values and customs, through art and literature.
In view of the nature of the museum as a house, the refurbishment included tasks such as restoring woodwork, treating floors, walls and ceilings (cloth linings, wallpaper, recovery of the original shade of painted walls), replacing fabrics (curtains, including laces and voiles, upholstery of furnishings in the collection) and making new covers for fan coil units and fireplaces. Empty also installed the lighting (wiring, luminaires, spotlights and electric tracks) and made and installed the exhibition furniture (showcases, plinths, print frames, showcase frames, urns, fan holders, etc.) and the graphic elements (for the exhibition and the signage). Lastly, Empty assembled the collections in the rooms and adapted the foyer, ticket office, cloakroom and shop on the ground floor to offer a better service to visitors.
