Louis Nicolas Philippe Auguste, comte de Forbin (
La Roque-d'Anthéron
La Roque-d'Anthéron (; Provençal: ''La Ròca d'Antarron'') is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southern France. Part of the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis, it is located on the de ...
,
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and large ...
, 19 August 1779 – Paris, 23 February 1841) was the French painter and
antiquary
An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...
who succeeded
Vivant Denon
Dominique Vivant, Baron Denon (4 January 1747 – 27 April 1825) was a French artist, writer, diplomat, author, and archaeologist. Denon was a diplomat for France under Louis XV and Louis XVI. He was appointed as the first Director of the Louvre ...
as curator of the
Musée du 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 ...
and the other museums of France.
Biography
Early life
Born at his family's château,
La Roque-d'Anthéron
La Roque-d'Anthéron (; Provençal: ''La Ròca d'Antarron'') is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southern France. Part of the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis, it is located on the de ...
, and a Chevallier of the
Order of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...
from birth, he drew before he learned to write. In his earliest training he formed a friendship with
François Marius Granet
François Marius Granet (17 December 1775 – 21 November 1849) was a French painter.
Biography
François Marius Granet was born on 17 December 1775 in Aix-en-Provence; his father was a small builder. As a boy his strong desires led his parents ...
that lasted through life. In the counter-revolutionary insurrection at
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
in 1793, where he was getting instruction from
Jean-Jacques de Boissieu
Jean-Jacques de Boissieu (Lyon 30 November 1736 – 1 March 1810 Lyon) was a French draughtsman, etcher and engraver
Biography
Boissieu was born at Lyon, and studied at the École Gratuite de Dessin in his home town, but was mostly self-taugh ...
, he lost his father, the marquis de
Pont-à-Mousson
Pont-à-Mousson () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. Its inhabitants are known as ''Mussipontains'' in French. It is an industrial town (mainly steel industry), situated on the river Moselle. Pont-à-Mouss ...
, and
his uncle, and was saved only by his youth. The marquise withdrew with her children quietly to
Vienne
Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.[Provence
Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...]
, weathering the extreme phases of the Revolution, while Forbin and Granet developed their art by drawing in the countryside. With the Directoire, it was secure for him to go to Paris, where his good looks and easy, elegant manner recommended him as well as his art. He called Granet to join him, and both entered the large studio of
Jacques-Louis David
Jacques-Louis David (; 30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in ...
, virtually a
neoclassical academy, where they matured their taste. Forbin's first submissions to the
Paris salon
The Salon (french: Salon), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art ...
were in 1796, 1799 and 1800.
Army
He was conscripted into the army, married an heiress, Mlle de Dortan, then gained leave from his regiment in 1802 to travel to Rome with Granet, where he fell into the facile manner of a highly accomplished dilettante, as he was received by the best of Francophile Roman society; in 1804 he was given the post of chamberlain to Emperor
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
's sister Princess
Pauline Borghese. They were lovers from 1805 to 1807, living together at the Place Forbin,
Cours Mirabeau
The Cours Mirabeau is a wide thoroughfare in Aix-en-Provence, France.
Overview
440 meters long and 42 meters wide, the Cours Mirabeau is one of the most popular and lively places in the town. It is lined with many cafés, one of the most famous ...
,
Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...
, from May to October 1807.
Rejoining the army, he served with distinction under
Junot in Portugal, and received the ''Croix d'honneur'', then served in the Austrian campaign of 1809, returning to Italy after the
peace of Schönbrunn. Here he produced his history paintings, ''Ines de Castro'' and ''The Taking of Granada'' as well as a sentimental novel, ''Charles Barimore'' (published anonymously, Paris 1810).
Museum career
With the
Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to:
France under the House of Bourbon:
* Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815)
Spain under the Spanish Bourbons:
* ...
, he was welcome in Paris to assume the post vacated by
Vivant-Denon
Dominique Vivant, Baron Denon (4 January 1747 – 27 April 1825) was a French artist, writer, diplomat, author, and archaeologist. Denon was a diplomat for France under Louis XV and Louis XVI. He was appointed as the first Director of the Louvr ...
, too indelibly stamped with Napoleonic connections; the comte de Forbin was appointed Director-General of Royal Museums at the
Musée Royal (the Louvre) and
Musée du Luxembourg
The Musée du Luxembourg () is a museum at 19 rue de Vaugirard in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. Established in 1750, it was initially an art museum located in the east wing of the Luxembourg Palace (the matching west wing housed the Marie de' M ...
, which were suddenly denuded of their Napoleonic trophies, which were returned to Italy. The Borghese collection of antiquities purchased from
Prince Camillo helped fill the void, and the former
Cabinet du Roi The Menus-Plaisirs du Roi () was, in the organisation of the French royal household under the Ancien Régime, the department of the Maison du Roi responsible for the "lesser pleasures of the King", which meant in practice that it was in charge of ...
and works of art in storage at
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...
. The suites of paintings by
Rubens
Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...
and
Le Sueur from the
Palais du Luxembourg
The Luxembourg Palace (french: Palais du Luxembourg, ) is at 15 Rue de Vaugirard in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It was originally built (1615–1645) to the designs of the French architect Salomon de Brosse to be the royal residence of the ...
now came to the Louvre, and the remnants of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic musée des Augustins, as the works that had been sequestered from churches were returned to them.
The ''
Institut de France
The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute m ...
'' was now reorganized, and in 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, ...
the comte de Forbin received a seat, by royal order, 16 April 1816. Forbin was made a commander of the
Legion of Honor
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
and an honorary Gentleman of the King's Bedchamber.
Travel in the Levant
Forbin boarded the frigate ''Cléopâtra'' for an expedition to the Levant to purchase Greek and Roman works of art. The company, which departed from
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
22 August 1817, was composed of Forbin, his cousin, abbé
Charles-Marie-Auguste-Joseph de Forbin-Janson, later
Bishop of Nancy
The Diocese of Nancy and Toul (Latin: ''Dioecesis Nanceiensis et Tullensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Nancy et de Toul'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. After a considerable political strugg ...
, the architect
Jean-Nicolas Huyot
Jean-Nicholas Huyot (December 25, 1780, Paris – August 2, 1840, Paris) was a French architect, best known for his 1833 continuation of the Arc de Triomphe from the plans of Jean Chalgrin.
Biography
Son of a builder, Huyot attended the Écol ...
, the painter
Pierre Prévost, later known for his landscape panoramas, and a young painter, Cochereau, Prévost's nephew, who was taken on to provide architectural drawings and renditions of sites, but succumbed before the expedition reached Athens; almost unnoticed was a young man who swiftly took Cochereau's place,
Louis Maurice Adolphe Linant de Bellefonds
Louis Maurice Adolphe Linant de Bellefonds better known as Linant Pasha (Lorient, France, 23 November 1799 – Cairo 9 July 1883) was an explorer of Egypt and, as the chief engineer of Egypt's public works, 1831–1869, an influential engineer of ...
, destined for a career in Egypt. The party visited
Melos
Milos or Melos (; el, label=Modern Greek, Μήλος, Mílos, ; grc, Μῆλος, Mêlos) is a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, just north of the Sea of Crete. Milos is the southwesternmost island in the Cyclades group.
The ''Venus d ...
, where Huyot had the misfortune to break his leg and could not join the company at Athens, Constantinople, Smyrna, Ephesus,
Acre
The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imp ...
, Syria, Caesarea, Ascalon on the coast of Palestine, with a side trip to Jerusalem the Dead Sea and the River Jordan, and finally Egypt. After the 13-day journey from the port of Jaffa "which had been one continued series of privations and disagreeable incidents of every kind", Forbin observed of
Damietta
Damietta ( arz, دمياط ' ; cop, ⲧⲁⲙⲓⲁϯ, Tamiati) is a port city and the capital of the Damietta Governorate in Egypt, a former bishopric and present multiple Catholic titular see. It is located at the Damietta branch, an easter ...
,
The streets are narrow and unpaved, and the houses made of bricks, but the whole are half destroyed. You cannot walk in the town, without being under apprehensions of some worm-eaten post or projecting part of a building falling on you: the whole surface is covered with dust and rottenness; the mosques have lost their gates, and the minarets threaten to crush the passenger with dilapidated and half broken down arches.
They returned by the Nile to Cairo, where they disembarked in December 1818. Forbin provided a detailed illustration of
Giovanni Belzoni
Giovanni Battista Belzoni (; 5 November 1778 – 3 December 1823), sometimes known as The Great Belzoni, was a prolific Italian explorer and pioneer archaeologist of Egyptian antiquities. He is known for his removal to England of the seven-ton ...
's plans for penetration of the
"second pyramid". The ''Voyage dans le Levant'' was published in 1819, with 80 plates. Another result was Forbin's modestly titled account of the voyage, illustrated with
lithograph
Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...
s from his drawings, ''Livre de croquis d'un voyageur'' ("Sketchbook of a Traveller").
Career in museums
Some remnants of Antiquity from the tour entered the Louvre, but the coup was the acquisition of the
Venus de Milo
The ''Venus de Milo'' (; el, Αφροδίτη της Μήλου, Afrodíti tis Mílou) is an ancient Greek sculpture that was created during the Hellenistic period, sometime between 150 and 125 BC. It is one of the most famous works of ancient ...
, discovered in 1820. The Director-General of Royal Museums was able to get
Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...
to set aside political distaste and authorize the purchase of David's ''Rape of the Sabine Women'' and ''Thermopyle'' for the Louvre, and, even more daring
Théodore Géricault
Jean-Louis André Théodore Géricault (; 26 September 1791 – 26 January 1824) was a French painter and lithographer, whose best-known painting is ''The Raft of the Medusa''. Although he died young, he was one of the pioneers of the Romantic ...
's ''
The Raft of the Medusa
''The Raft of the Medusa'' (french: Le Radeau de la Méduse ) – originally titled ''Scène de Naufrage'' (''Shipwreck Scene'') – is an oil painting of 1818–19 by the French Romantic painter and lithographer Théodore Géricault (1791 ...
'', which Forbin had been pressing as a royal purchase, and which was eventually bought from the painter's heirs in 1824.
Under his guidance post-Renaissance sculptures were brought together and exhibited as the ''musée d'Angoulême'', from the rooms that had served Napoleon's Council of State were exorcised new decorative paintings and allegorical ceilings by the most current painters (1825–1827),
[David A. Wisner, "Law, legislative politics and royal patromnage in the Bourbon restoration: the commission to decorate the ''Conseil d'État'' chambers, 1825–1827" ''French History'' (1998) 12.2 pp 149–171.] and a ''musée Charles X'' opened in 1827 to display Etruscan and Egyptian antiquities. The palais du Luxembourg was opened as a museum of contemporary art purchased by the State. Plaster casts of antique sculptures, designed to inspire students, were actively sought.
Decline
At the end of 1828 the comte de Forbin suffered a partial stroke, from which he never fully recovered. His intellectual faculties were affected, and his memory. He withdrew into a studious solitude, retouching — and spoiling — the paintings of his youth.
Louis-Philippe
Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate List of French monarchs#House of Orléans, July Monarchy (1830–1848), monarch of France.
As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, h ...
extended to him the position of director of the royal museums, but
Alphonse de Cailleux, who had been his administrative assistant for some time, was actually in charge. A second attack, 12 February 1841, left him paralysed and he died soon afterwards. Cailleux succeeded him in his Louvre post.
A commemorative ''Portefeuille'' of forty-five his drawings, with an appreciative text by his brother-in-law M. de Marcellus, was published in 1843.
Bibliography
* ''l'Éruption du Vésuve''
* la ''Mort de Pline''
* la ''Vision d'Ossian''
* la ''Procession des Pénitents noirs''
* une ''Scène de l'Inquisition''
* ''Inès de Castro''
* le ''Campo Santode Pise''
* le ''Cloître de
Santa Maria Novella
Santa Maria Novella is a church in Florence, Italy, situated opposite, and lending its name to, the city's main railway station. Chronologically, it is the first great basilica in Florence, and is the city's principal Dominican church.
The chu ...
à
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
''
See also
*
Jean-Jacques de Boissieu
Jean-Jacques de Boissieu (Lyon 30 November 1736 – 1 March 1810 Lyon) was a French draughtsman, etcher and engraver
Biography
Boissieu was born at Lyon, and studied at the École Gratuite de Dessin in his home town, but was mostly self-taugh ...
Notes
References
* Louvet, L. (1858)
"Forbin (Louis-Nicolas-Philippe-Auguste, comte de)" in ''
Nouvelle biographie universelle Nouvelle is a French word, the feminine form of "new". It may refer to:
;Places
* Nouvelle, Quebec, a municipality in Quebec, Canada
* Nouvelle-Église, a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department, France
* Port-la-Nouvelle, a commune in the Aude dep ...
'', edited by
Ferdinand Hoefer
Jean Chrétien Ferdinand Hoefer (German: ''Ferdinand Höfer'', 21 April 1811, Döschnitz – 4 May 1878) was a German-French physician and lexicographer. He is now known for his many works on the history of science.
Selected works
*''Élément ...
, vol. 18, columns 151–157. Paris:
Firmin Didot
Firmin Didot (; 14 April 176424 April 1836) was a French printer, engraver, and type founder.
Early life
Firmin Didot was born in Paris into a family of printers founded by François Didot, the father of 11 children. Firmin was one of his gra ...
. A full list of his paintings follows the memoir.
* Louis du Chalard & Antoine Gautier, « Les panoramas orientaux du peintre Pierre Prévost (1764–1823) », in ''Orients, Bulletin de l'association des anciens élèves et amis des langues orientales'', juin 2010, p. 85-108.
Further reading
* Grinhard, Olivier, "Un émule de Chateaubriand : le comte de Forbin, voyageur et écrivain" ''Chateaubriand en Orient: Itinéraire de Paris à Jérusalem. 1806–1807'' Exhibition catalogue, 2006.
* Angrand, P. ''Le comte Forbin et le Louvre en 1819'' (Lausanne) 1972,
External links
Louis Nicolas Philippe Auguste de Forbinon
data.bnf.fr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forbin, Louis Nicolas Philippe Auguste de
Auguste de Forbin
1779 births
1841 deaths
People from Bouches-du-Rhône
18th-century French painters
French male painters
19th-century French painters
French archaeologists
Directors of the Louvre
Pupils of Jacques-Louis David
Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur
18th-century French male artists