Paris - Palais du Louvre - PA00085992 - 671

Joseph-Henry Barbet de Jouy (16 July 1812,

Canteleu Canteleu () is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in north-western France. Geography A small town of forestry and light industry situated by the banks of the river Seine, just northwest and over the river from the ...

– 26 May 1896,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...

) was a French archaeologist, art historian, and curator.

Biography

His father was the industrialist, . From 1832 to 1840, he studied at both the

Faculty of Law of Paris The Faculty of Law of Paris (french: Faculté de droit de Paris), called from the late 1950s to 1970 the Faculty of Law and Economics of Paris, is the second-oldest faculty of law in the world and one of the four and eventually five faculties ...

, and the architecture section of the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centur ...

. In 1850, he began working in the department of

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

and

Renaissance art Renaissance art (1350 – 1620 AD) is the painting, sculpture, and decorative arts of the period of European history known as the Renaissance, which emerged as a distinct style in Italy in about AD 1400, in parallel with developments which occ ...

at the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

. Following a trip to Italy in 1855, he was named Assistant Curator, then promoted to Curator in 1863, and his duties were expanded to include the collection in the associated

Musée des Souverains The ''Musée des Souverains'' (''Museum of Sovereigns'') was a history-themed museum of objects associated with former French monarchs. It was created by the future Napoleon III as a separate section within the Louvre Palace, with the aim to glor ...

. At this time, he also wrote several major studies; notably ''Description des sculptures modernes'' (1856), ''Mosaiques chrétiennes des basiliques et églises de Rome'' (1857), and ''Fontes du primatice, dans le jardin de l'Empereur aux Tuilleries'' (1860), which earned him the title of Knight in the Legion of Honor. From 1870 to 1871, he was given responsibility for the museum's security. In 1871, during

Bloody Week The ''semaine sanglante'' ("") was a weeklong battle in Paris from 21 to 28 May 1871, during which the French Army recaptured the city from the Paris Commune. This was the final battle of the Paris Commune. Following the Treaty of Frankfurt ...

, the

Communards The Communards () were members and supporters of the short-lived 1871 Paris Commune formed in the wake of the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. After the suppression of the Commune by the French Army in May 1871, 43,000 Communards w ...

set fire to the Palais-Royal and the

Tuilleries The Tuileries Palace (french: Palais des Tuileries, ) was a royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine, directly in front of the Louvre. It was the usual Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from ...

, placing the Louvre in danger. Thanks to the persistence of Jouy and , a Commander in the

Chasseurs ''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry () or light cavalry () to denote troops trained for rapid action. History This branch of the French Army or ...

, who placed his men at Jouy's disposal, the fire was prevented from spreading. Jean Sévillia, "Quand la Commune incendiait le Louvre", In: ''

Le Figaro ''Le Figaro'' () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It is headquartered on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The oldest national newspaper in France, ''Le Figaro'' is one of three French newspapers of r ...

''
Online
Sigoyer was killed the next day. Jouy is considered a cultural hero in France for his efforts to save the Louvre, and an entrance to the museum has been named after him. When peace had been restored, he was appointed Conservator for what is now known as the

Réunion des Musées Nationaux The Réunion des Musées Nationaux (RMN) is a French cultural umbrella organisation, an établissement public à caractère industriel et commercial (EPIC), formed in 2011, through the merger of the Paris National Museums and the Grand Palais. It ...

(1871-1879) and, finally, Director of the Louvre (1879-1881). He was elected to the

Académie des Beaux-Arts An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

in 1880, where he took Seat #10 in the "Unattached" section.

References

External links

Biographical data
from the Comité des travaux historiques et scientifiques @ La France Savante {{DEFAULTSORT:Barbet De Jouy, Henry 1812 births 1896 deaths French curators French art historians Knights of the Legion of Honour Officers of the Legion of Honour Members of the Académie des beaux-arts Louvre People from Seine-Maritime

Biography

References

Further reading

External links