The Museum of Aquitaine ( French: ''Musée d'Aquitaine'') is a collection of objects and documents from the history of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

and

Aquitaine Aquitaine (, ; ; ; ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne (), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former Regions of France, administrative region. Since 1 January 2016 it has been part of the administ ...

History

In the 16th century, the site of the Musée d'Aquitaine housed the convent of the Feuillants. Destroyed during the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

, it became a high school which burned down in 1871, then a university. In 1960, the

Lapidary Lapidary () is the practice of shaping rock (geology), stone, minerals, or gemstones into decorative items such as cabochons, engraved gems (including cameo (carving), cameos), and faceted designs. A person who practices lapidary techniques of ...

Museum (created in 1783 by the Academy of Bordeaux) changed its primary vocation and brought together the collections of other museums (Prehistoric and Ethnographic Museum, Museum of Arms and Ancient Objects). It took the name of Museum of Aquitaine in 1962. Initially, the museum shared the premises of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux, in a building designed by Charles Burguet. In 1980, the Archaeological Society of Bordeaux signed an agreement with the city of Bordeaux to deposit the majority of its collections at the Museum of Aquitaine. Within the framework of this agreement, the museum's mission is to make these collections known without alienating their property. Then, on January 9, 1987, the museum moved into the premises of the former Faculty of Letters and Sciences, a building built in the 1880s by the municipal architect Charles Durand and located in place of the former convents of the Feuillants and the Visitation. At the start of the 21st century, the Musée d'Aquitaine had 111,919 visitors in 2003, 88,738 in 2004, 99,880 in 2005, 101,897 in 2006, and 93,661 in 2007.

Location

In the center of Bordeaux, close to

Tour Pey-Berland The Tour Pey-Berland (Pey Berland Tower), named for its patron Pey Berland, is the separate bell tower of the Bordeaux Cathedral, in Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Depar ...

and St. Andrew's Cathedral, the museum is accessible by line B of the tramway de Bordeaux from station Musée d'Aquitaine.

Collections

The different collections include more than 70,000 pieces. They trace the history of Bordeaux and Aquitaine from Prehistory to today. 5,000 pieces of art from

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

also testify to the harbor history of the city. The museum has permanent collections and temporary exhibitions. The permanent collections are on two floors. On the ground floor are pieces on Prehistory, Protohistory,

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

, the

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

and the

Modern Era The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500 ...

. At level 1, there are eighteenth century pieces (Atlantic trade and slavery), world cultures, nineteenth and twentieth centuries (Bordeaux port-e-du monde, 1800–1939). In 2009, the Aquitaine Museum opened new permanent rooms dedicated to the role of Bordeaux in the slave trade. Rooms devoted to the nineteenth were reopened in February 2014.

Notable pieces

* The Venus of Laussel * The Gallic Gold

torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational analogue of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). The symbol for torque is typically \boldsymbol\tau, the lowercase Greek letter ''tau''. Wh ...

* The

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty grave, tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although t ...

Michel de Montaigne Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne ( ; ; ; 28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), commonly known as Michel de Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularising the the essay ...

Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, ; ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 1598 – 28 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor ...

, '' Bust of Cardinal Escoubleau de Sourdis'' * Bronze Statue of Hercules File:Venus-de-Laussel-vue-generale-noir.jpg, Venus of Laussel File:Trésor de Tayac - Torque - Musée d'Aquitaine - 60.17.2.jpg, Gallic Gold

File:Musée d'Aquitaine - intérieur - monument funéraire de Michel de Montaigne (Bordeaux).jpg,

Cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty grave, tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although t ...

File:Statue d'Hercule - Musée d'Aquitaine - 60.17.1.jpg, Statue of

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

File:Statue-fétiche Fon-Musée d'Aquitaine (1).jpg, Fon fetish, Musée d'Aquitaine. File:Vitrail aux armes de Bordeaux.jpg, Stained-glass window with the arms of Bordeaux

References

Museums in Bordeaux Local museums in France Archaeological museums in France Slavery museums {{Gironde-geo-stub