The de Saisset Museum at
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...
opened in 1955, after Isabel de Saisset, the last member of a California pioneer family bequeathed her estate to the University of Santa Clara.
The museum owns nearly 10,000 art pieces and historical artifacts, including the work of early Californian artist and university alumnus
Ernest de Saisset and a considerable collection of California mission artifacts. The de Saisset recently completed a major renovation of its storage facilities and is open to the public free of charge.
About the museum
The building is located in front of
Mission Santa Clara de Asís
Mission Santa Clara de Asís ( es, Misión Santa Clara de Asís) is a Spanish mission in the city of Santa Clara, California. The mission, which was the eighth in California, was founded on January 12, 1777, by the Franciscan order. Named for ...
and has been a part of the University campus since 1955. It is one of only two museums in the
San Jose area accredited by the
American Alliance of Museums
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
.
The museum is housed in a three level building that conforms with the
Mission Style prevalent on the Santa Clara campus and bears the de Saisset
family crest
A crest is a component of a heraldic display, consisting of the device borne on top of the helm. Originating in the decorative sculptures worn by knights in tournaments and, to a lesser extent, battles, crests became solely pictorial after t ...
above the foyer door. The ground floor holds a foyer, several rooms for visiting exhibits, and a large lecture hall for presentations and activities. The upstairs includes room for exhibits from the permanent collection and a bathroom, and the basement displays historical artifacts, artwork from the permanent collection, and houses viewing drawers for many of the European prints.
History
de Saisset family
Pedro de Alcântara Brasileiro de Saisset was born in Paris, France, the illegitimate son of
Pedro I & IV,
King of Portugal
This is a list of Portuguese monarchs who ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal, in 1139, to the deposition of the Portuguese monarchy and creation of the Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution.
Through the n ...
and
Emperor of Brazil
The monarchs of Brazil (Portuguese: ''monarcas do Brasil'') were the imperial heads of state and hereditary rulers of Brazil from the House of Braganza that reigned from the creation of the Brazilian monarchy in 1815 as a constituent kingdom of ...
, and his mistress Henrietta Josephine Mees Saisset.
He emigrated from
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
near the time of the
gold rush
A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Z ...
intending to capitalize on the newfound wealth in the region. While in the area, he served as a consular representative in San Jose and founded the
Brush Electric Light company in San Jose, California.
While in San Jose, de Saisset married with Maria de Jesus (Jesusita) Palomares (1832–1907) and had four children together: Henrietta, Ernest, Pierre, and Isabel.
Of these children, Henrietta was the only one to marry, and none of the siblings had any children of their own. Ernest was the oldest of the children and began his education at
Santa Clara College
Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university's campus surrounds the historic Mis ...
when he was sixteen. He continued as a student for three years, showing potential in French and drawing. During the final year of his studies, Ernest studied painting with Fr. Bartholomew Tortone, who approved of his work. Since art instructors were in short supply in pioneer California, the de Saisset family sent Ernest to
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
for further study in art at
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...
.
In 1895, he returned to California; however, he died four years later in 1899.
Museum history
![Francisco_Pérez_Pacheco_(Barbieri,_1852)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Francisco_P%C3%A9rez_Pacheco_%28Barbieri%2C_1852%29.jpg)
Before her death in 1950, Isabel de Saisset informed the President and governing board of the University of Santa Clara of her wish to donate family real estate and the family art collection for the purpose of constructing a gallery and museum. Many of her personal items — jewels, silver, and tapestries — were also donated. Since that time, the museum has expanded its collections to include many objects from the United States and abroad.
The museum was opened in 1955.
"Highlights of the de Saisset’s permanent collection include
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
,
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
,
Rococo
Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...
, and 19th century prints by artists such as
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer (; ; hu, Ajtósi Adalbert; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer (without an umlaut) or Due ...
,
William Hogarth
William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraver, pictorial satirist, social critic, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like s ...
, and
Giovanni Battista Piranesi
Giovanni Battista (or Giambattista) Piranesi (; also known as simply Piranesi; 4 October 1720 – 9 November 1778) was an Italian Classical archaeologist, architect, and artist, famous for his etchings of Rome and of fictitious and atmospheric " ...
. Modernist prints in the de Saisset Collection include works by
Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall; russian: link=no, Марк Заха́рович Шага́л ; be, Марк Захаравіч Шагал . (born Moishe Shagal; 28 March 1985) was a Russian-French artist. An early modernism, modernist, he was associated with se ...
,
Henri Matisse
Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known prima ...
, and
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...
." The Museum also houses important collections of contemporary prints and photographs.
See also
*
Triton Museum of Art
The Triton Museum of Art is a contemporary art museum located at 1505 Warburton Avenue in Santa Clara, California.
History
The museum was founded in 1965 in San Jose, California, by rancher, lawyer and art patron W. Robert Morgan and his wife J ...
References
External links
deSaisset official websitede Saisset Family Papersat Santa Clara University
{{authority control
Arts at Santa Clara University
Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums
University museums in California
Art museums and galleries in California
History museums in California
Museums in Santa Clara, California
1955 establishments in California
Art in the San Francisco Bay Area