Le Musée Français, Recueil Complet Des Tableaux, Statues Et Bas-Reliefs, Qui Composent La Collection Nationale; Avec l'explication des Sujets, et des Discours historiques sur la Peinture, la Sculpture et la Gravure, Par S.-C. Croze-Magnan. Publiée Par Robillard-Peronville Et Laurent.
Paris,: De L'Imprimerie De L.-É. Herhan., XI = 1803. (-1809.)
Physical Description
4 vols.; 611 mm.
General Note
Vol. I: [10], 140, [194] p., [90] pl.: illus. - Vol. II: [4], 98, [186] p., [87] pl., illus. - Vol. III: [6], 60, [180] p., [88] pl.: illus. - Vol. IV: [6], 100, [186] p., [81] pl.: illus. - (In some copies the 'Discours Historiques' have been separated out to form a fifth volume.)
Contents
Vol. I: [Half-title, t.p., dedic.] - Avertissement Contenant Le Plan Général De L'Ouvrage - [Section title]; Explication De La Vignette - Discours Historique Sur La Peinture Ancienne - Première Série. Tableaux D'Histoire (Genre Et Portraits; Paysages; Statues Antiques) Contenus dans la première partie du tome Ier. (II, II, IV) [lists 70 paintings, 20 statues] - [Plates, with explanatory texts]. - Vol. II: [Half-t., t.p.(incl. dedic.)] - Discours Historique Sur La Sculpture Ancienne [section title; Explication De La Vignette; text] - Première Série. Tableaux D'Histoire (Genre Et Portraits; Paysages; Antiques) Contenus dans la seconde partie du Tome Ier. (II, III, IV) [lists 65 paintings, 22 statues] - [Plates, with explan. texts]. - Vol. III: [Half-t., t.-p. (incl. dedic.)] - Discours Historique Sur La Gravure En Taille-Douce Et Sur La Gravure En Bois [section title; Explication De La Vignette; text] - Première Série. Tableaux D'Histoire (Genre Et Portraits, Paysages, Antiques) Contenus dans la troisième partie du tome Ier. (III, IV) [lists 65 paintings, 23 statues] - [Plates, with explan. texts]. - Vol. IV: [Half-t., t.p. (incl. dedic.)] - Discours Historique Sur La Peinture Moderne [section title; Explication De La Vignette; text] - Première Série. Tableaux D'Histoire (Genre, Paysages, Antiques) Contenus dans la quatrième partie du tome Ier. (II, III, IV) [lists 61 paintings, 20 scultures] - [Plates, with explan. texts].
Responsibility Note
The plates are signed with the names of source-artist, draughtsman and engraver.
Draughtsmen were Prud'hon, Dutertre, Touzé, Marchais, Bouillon (or Boullion), Swebac(k) (or Swebach), Vallaert, Granger, Molinchon, Ingre(s), Cot(t)eau, Debret, Gallier, La badie, Bartolini, De(s)fontaines, Vincent, Fragon(n)ard (fils), Lefort, Cheri (or Chéry), Naigeon, Dubois, Fouché (or Foucher), Duchemin, Dabos, Mallet, Cardelli, Mo. Gandolfy, Beaujon, Gianni, Mullard, Gautherot, Génillon, Serangély, Lecuier, Defrey (or De Frey), Taurel, Henri Laurent, Harriette, Meunier, Odevaere, De Seine (or Desenne), Laguiche (La Guiche), Artaud, Chassela(t)s fils, Lemaire, Roger, A. Trocquet, Vignaud le jeune, Fred. Muller, La Neuville, Storelli, Gérard, Ducq, Van Dervald, Anastasie.
The engravers were Pierre Audouin, J.G. Muller, Ch. Dutten(h)ofer (also listed as Duthenoffer), (J.B.) Raph. Urbain Massard, Morel, Lavallée (or Lavalé), V. Pillement fils, Baquoy (or Baquoi), Guérin, L. Garreau, Desaulx, Bovinet, Muller fils, Delignon, Duplessi-Bertaux, Dupréel, J. Mathieu, Aug. Desnoyers, Pauquet, Duparc, H. Guttenberg (or Guttemberg), Philippe Triere, Malbe(s)te, Pierre Laurent, Pierre Fontana, Lorieux, E. Morace, Petrus Bettelini, N. Thomas, R. Daudet, B.A. Nicollet, Levasseur (listed as Le Vasseur), Claessens, Jac. Schmuzer, N.F.J. Masquellier (or Masquelier) (le jeune), Lienard, Fr. Rosaspina, Dequevauvill(i)er(s), J. Vendramini (de Londres), Caquet, B.L. Henriques (or Henriquez), N. Lemire, Péré(e), A. Romanet, Patas, Robert Delaunay, Ant. Morghen, Helman, Mo. Gandolfi (or Gandolfy), Avril fils, Joseph Longhi (or Longhy), Guerin, Bouilliard, J. de Frey (or Defrey), Ab. Girardet, Massard père, Niquet frères, Hulk, Ingous jeune (listed as Ingouf), Chataigner, L. Croutelle, Chastillon, S.C. Miger, Henri Laurent, Aloys Kessler, Louis Michel Halbou (listed as Halbon), C.F. Stoelzel, Baltard, M.G. Eichler, Pierron, Mce. Blot, P. Fontana, Godefroy, G.R. Levillain, F. Schroeder, Schulfe, Duval, Paris, Mougeot, Esquivel, Richomme, Alexandre Tardieu, Bouillard, François Bartolozzi 'à l'age de 82 ans', Lignon, Courbe, Beisson, Niquet l'ainé, Reindel, P. Bellefonds, J. Godefroy (Godefroi), Giovacchino Cantini, Godefroy père, Fosseyeux (Fossoyeux), F. Geissler, Avril père, Haldenvang, Jos. Demeulemeester (listed as De Meulemeester), J. Calendi, Pierron, J.B. Massard, Massard père, Ulmer, J.B.H. Bourgois, H.G. Chatillon, E.G. Krüger, C.G. Schultze, Fortier, Felix Massard, Bervic, Victor Texier, Ribault, T. Kruger, N. Outkine, Boutrois, Ingouf jeune, Ponce, J.A. Darnstadt, Metzger, Petit, Alexr. Massard, Jos. Fischer, Abram, Varin, F. Lignon, I.S. Klauber, Aubert.
Headpieces, tailpieces, and the title-page vignette of Volume I are signed as drawn by J.M. Moreau le jeune and engraved by J.B.R.V. Massard, J.B. Simonet, E. De Ghandt or P. Baquoy. The vignette on the title-pages of Volumes II-IV is signed as engraved by Pierre Laurent 'l'un des Editeurs de cet Ouvrage'.
Some plates carry the imprint of the printer, Ramboz.
The work is dedicated by the Editeurs, Robillard Peronville and Laurent, Vol. I to 'Bonaparte Citoyen Premier Consul', Vol. II to 'L'Empereur', Vols. III and IV to 'L'Empereur Et Roi'.
References
On reproductive engraving in general see The image multiplied: five centuries of printed reproductions of paintings and drawings, ed. S. Lambert [exhibition catalogue] (1987).
On the publication history of this work see George D. McKee, The Musée Français and the Musée Royal: a history of the publication of an album of fine engravings, unpublished MA thesis, University of Chicago, 1981 (copy deposited at Bibliothèque nationale, Paris).
On the Louvre collections, especially under Napoleon, see La jeunesse des musées: les musées de France au XIXe siècle, ed. C. Georgel [exhibition catalogue] (1994); A. McClellan, Inventing the Louvre (1994); Palaces of art, ed. G. Waterfield [exhibition catalogue] (1992); R. Huyghe, 'Napoléon et l'art', in Le grand livre de Napoléon, ed. J. Mistler (1981); C. Gould, Trophy of conquest (1965).
On Emeric-David: M.A. Shedd, Emeric-David and the criticism of ancient sculpture [dissertation, Univy. California, Berkeley] (1980).
Summary Note
The 'Avertissement' of Volume I states that the work will be issued to subscribers in livraisons, which will form four volumes.
Publication-dates are given on the four titlepages: Volume I, 'an XI (1803)' (this appears also on one plate and on the 'Discours' headpiece, but the tailpiece carries the date 1805); Volume II, An XIII = 1805 (but one plate carries the date 1806, and the 'Discours' headpiece 1804); Volume III, 1807 (this appears also on the 'Discours' tailpiece but the headpiece carries the date 1806); Volume IV, 1809 (with the 'Discours' headpiece reading '1808').
On the title-pages of Volumes III and IV the name of S.-C. Croze-Magnon is replaced by those of E.-Q. Visconti and T.-B. Émeric-David. On the titlepage of Volume IV the name of the printer L.-E. Herhan is replaced by that of Mame Frères.
The work describes modern paintings and ancient statues. The statues are chiefly of mythological subjects; the pictures are stated in the 'Avertissement' to be of three sorts - history paintings (including religious works), genre and portraits, and landscapes (including seascapes). Despite this analytic preamble the livraisons were issued each containing a few plates of each type of painting and of ancient statues - though the 'Avertissement' points out that subscribers may arrange and bind the plates and their explanatory texts according to personal preference.
When these volumes were issued, the holdings of the Louvre (formerly the royal collections of France) were being made yet more comprehensive by the addition of Napoleon's trophies of war from many parts of Europe. Several plates (for example, Charles-Clément Bervic's celebrated engraving of the Laocoön in Volume IV) show works which were afterwards repatriated.
The plates show ancient statues, and paintings by Raphael (11), Terburg (Terbourg) (3), Domenichino (7), Giulio Romano (2), Karel Dujardin (5), Nicolas Poussin (10), Philippe Wouverman(s) (7), L. de La Hire (4), D. Teniers (8), Salvator Rosa, P. da Cortona (2), Van der Meulen (5), P.P. Rubens (6), Jos. van Craesbek, Guercino, Le Nain, Guido Reni (8), J. Le Duc, Parmesan, Le Prince, Nicolas Berchem (Berghem) (4), C. Maratta, de Witte, Pésarese, J. Jordaens (2), Solimena, A. Van der Werff (4), Lanfranco, Michau, Ag. Carracci, Adrien Van Ostade (6), Moyse Valentin (3), Ruisdael (2), Rembrandt (15), J. Vernet (10), Le Sueur (8), Pynacker, Pre. Mignard, Bourdon (3), Coning, Netscher père, Metzu (2), Giorgione (2), Adrien Van de Velde(n) (3), Vander Heyden, Leonardo da Vinci (2), J. Winants (2), Jean Van Goyen, P.F. Mola (3), Gme. Heus, Zustris, Paul Potter (2), Morilos, Bartholomée Breenberg (2), Philippe Lauri, Bamboche (2), Giuseppe Cesari Le Josepin, Lucatelli, Herman Swanevelt (2), Romanelli, Orizzonte (2), Philippe Champagne (2), Jouvenet, Drouais, Asselyn, Gaspar Poussin (2), Paul Panini(2), Albane, Gerard Dov (Dow) (2), Titian (3), David Teniers le jeune (2), Correggio, I.M. Crespi, Annibal Carracci (2), Paul Bril(l) (2), Alexandre Veronese, Kuyp (2), Spada, Van der Leeuw, Procaccini, J. Steen, Le Bolognese, Bartolomeo di San Marco, Bega, Cignani, Van Dyck (3), Feti, Charles Le Brun (2), Stella, Claude Lorrain (3), Gaspard Crayer, Bolognese, Murillo, Patel (2), Joseph Ribera, Caravaggio, Frederic Moucheron, A. Sacchi, Backuizen, Jean Van Hagen, Jan Stein, Jean Miel, J. Van Huysum (2), Peeter Neeffs, Schidone, Adrien de Vois, Flinck, H. van Steinwick fils, Bartholome Douven, Bol.
Provenance
Purchased for RA Library in 1870 (see 'Librarian's Report for the year 1870', RA Annual Report, Appendix No. 6, p. 26).
Copy Note
The title page of Volume I is inscribed in pencil in an unknown hand, 'J: A: Hart RA For the Royal Academy'.
Binding Note
19th-century half red morocco, marbled-papered boards; gilt-decorated spines lettered 'Musée Français Tom. I(-IV)'; Vols. II-IV rebacked in 20th century retaining earlier spine-strips.
Mythology, Greek - Iconography
Christian art and symbolism - Iconography
History paintings - Genre - Portraits - Landscapes (representations) - Paintings, European - History
Sculpture, Greek - Sculpture, Roman
Collections - Art galleries - Museums - France - Paris - 19th century
Catalogues - Art history - France - 19th century
Pictorial works - France - 19th century