The musée Fesch (officially, Palais Fesch-musée des beaux-arts) is the central museum of

fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...

Ajaccio Ajaccio (, , ; French: ; it, Aiaccio or ; co, Aiacciu , locally: ; la, Adiacium) is a French commune, prefecture of the department of Corse-du-Sud, and head office of the ''Collectivité territoriale de Corse'' (capital city of Corsica). ...

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

. Located within the gated Palais Fesch, it is in the town's Borgu d'Ajaccio quarter. It was established by

Napoleon I 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 uncle, cardinal Joseph Fesch (a Prince of France from 1807), in Fesch's birthplace.

Location

The Fesch museum is located in

, the birthplace of its founder, the cardinal Joseph Fesch. It is housed in the 19th-century Palais Fesch on Rue Cardinal Fesch. The Palais Fesch also houses a college of that name, which contains a large collection of pictures, though most of them are copies. There is also a library of 30,000 volumes, and a collection of Corsican minerals. The courtyard contains a bronze statue of Cardinal Fesch. In the right wing of the palace is the Chapelle Fesch, built in 1855, containing the tombs of Letizia Ramolino, mother of Napoleon, and of Cardinal Fesch. The Bibliothèque Municipale, an adjacent building, contains rare antique books. It was completed in 1837. Maglioli - Le cardinal Fesch

History

The initiative to build the museum was taken by Napoleon I's maternal uncle, cardinal Joseph Fesch (1763-1839), archbishop of

Lyons 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 th ...

and the primate of the Gauls. It was Fesch's wish to establish an Institute of Arts and Sciences in his hometown. Before he died in 1839, Fesch donated 1000 art works including 843 paintings, from his large collection of more than 17,000, to the museum. The museum was first designed in 1806 but construction started only in 1827 with the efforts of Mgr Péraldi, the cardinal's friend and agent. In 1829, the construction was interrupted by the then government of

Bourbons The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spanish ...

as it was considered a slight to the government because its opulent design and display and was done by Péraldi who had been exiled to Rome following the fall of the empire. The construction was resumed in 1833 and completed in 1852, the

n architect Frassato directed this stage of construction. However, Fesch did not live to see the completed museum as he died in Rome in 1839.

Features

Giacomo Antonio Boni Triunfo de David Musée Fesch Ajaccio

The most impressive painting collections at the museum are arranged in several halls in the specific periods of the Early Italian and Renaissance, the Roman Baroque and the Neapolitan Baroque. The museum contains one of France's finest collections of Italian old masters, including

Botticelli Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi ( – May 17, 1510), known as Sandro Botticelli (, ), was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 19th century, when he was rediscovered ...

Giovanni Bellini Giovanni Bellini (; c. 1430 – 26 November 1516) was an Italian Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of Venetian painters. He was raised in the household of Jacopo Bellini, formerly thought to have been his father ...

Cosmè Tura Cosmê Tura (c. 1430 – 1495), also known as Il Cosmè or Cosimo Tura (), was an Italian early-Renaissance (or Quattrocento) painter and considered one of the founders of the School of Ferrara (Painting), School of Ferrara. Biography Formati ...

, one of the most important Napoleonic collection of paintings and memorabilia and a Corsican Collection of paintings. The four-storey building which displays more than 400 works of the collection in 27 rooms features the Napoleonic Collection in the basement. Niveau 1 contains 16th and 17th century Italian paintings such as Botticelli's ''Virgin and Child'', Titian's ''

Man with a Glove ''Man with a Glove'' ( French: ''L'Homme au Gant'') is an oil-on-canvas portrait by the Italian Renaissance artist Titian, painted . It is part of the collections of the Musée du Louvre, Paris. History The work originates from the Gonzaga family ...

'', and

Paolo Veronese Paolo Caliari (152819 April 1588), known as Paolo Veronese ( , also , ), was an Italian Renaissance painter based in Venice, known for extremely large history paintings of religion and mythology, such as ''The Wedding at Cana'' (1563) and ''The ...

's ''

Leda and the Swan Leda and the Swan is a story and subject in art from Greek mythology in which the god Zeus, in the form of a swan, seduces or rapes Leda. According to later Greek mythology, Leda bore Helen and Polydeuces, children of Zeus, while at the sa ...

''. Niveau 2 features 17th- and 18th-century paintings, including Poussin's ''Midas à la source du fleuve Pactole'' and Recco's ''Ray on a Cauldron with Fish in a Basket'' while the Grand Gallery, also on this floor, hosts large canvases, such as Gregorio de Ferrari's ''Holly Family''.

Italian school

* Early Italian and Renaissance:

Bernardo Daddi Bernardo Daddi ( 1280 – 1348) was an early Italian Renaissance painter and the leading painter of Florence of his generation. He was one of the artists who contributed to the revolutionary art of the Renaissance, which broke away from the conven ...

Niccolò di Tommaso Niccolò di Tommaso (active 1346–1376) was an Italian painter active in Florence, Naples and Pistoia. He is documented as joining the Arte dei Medici e Speziali around 1346. He shows the influence of Maso di Banco, but worked with Nardo di Cion ...

, Sandro Botticelli,

, Lorenzo di Credi,

Niccolò Pisano Nicola Pisano (also called ''Niccolò Pisano'', ''Nicola de Apulia'' or ''Nicola Pisanus''; c. 1220/1225 – c. 1284) was an Italian sculpture, sculptor whose work is noted for its classical Ancient Rome, Roman sculptural style. Pisano is someti ...

Mariotto di Nardo Mariotto di Nardo di Cione (''fl''. 1388–1424) was a Republic of Florence, Florentine painter in the Florentine Gothic style. He worked at the Duomo (Florence), Duomo of Florence, the church of Santa Maria Maggiore (Florence), Santa Maria Ma ...

, Cosimo Rosselli,

Jacopo del Sellaio Jacopo del Sellaio (1441/42–1493), was an Italian painter of the early Renaissance, active in his native Florence. His real name was Jacopo di Arcangelo. He worked in an eclectic style based on those of Botticelli, Filippino Lippi, and Domenic ...

, Giovanni Boccati,

Liberale da Verona Liberale da Verona (1441–1526) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance period, active mainly in Verona. In popular culture: In the British TV series ''Inspector Morse (TV series), Inspector Morse'', in the episode "The Death of the Self ...

, Francesco Francia, Perugino. ** 16th century:

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...

Fra Bartolomeo Fra Bartolomeo or Bartolommeo (, , ; 28 March 1472 – 31 October 1517), also known as Bartolommeo di Pagholo, Bartolommeo di S. Marco, and his original nickname Baccio della Porta, was an Italian Renaissance painter of religious subjects. ...

Bartolomeo Veneto Bartolomeo Veneto (active 1502–31) was an List of Italian painters, Italian painter who worked in Venice, the Veneto (the mainland), and Lombardy. During his time in Venice, he studied under Gentile Bellini. The little information available ...

, Jacopo da Empoli,

Dosso Dossi Giovanni di Niccolò de Luteri, better known as Dosso Dossi ( 1489–1542), was an Italian Renaissance painter who belonged to the School of Ferrara, painting in a style mainly influenced by Venetian painting, in particular Giorgione and early T ...

, Bernardino Luini,

Baccio Bandinelli Baccio Bandinelli (also called Bartolommeo Brandini; 12 November 1493 – shortly before 7 February 1560), was an Italian Renaissance sculptor, draughtsman, and painter. Biography Bandinelli was the son of a prominent Florentine goldsmith, ...

Luca Longhi Luca Longhi (14 January 1507 – August 12, 1580) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance or Mannerist period, active in and near Ravenna, where he mainly produced religious paintings and portraits. Biography It is unclear who his mas ...

, Titian,

Veronese Veronese is the Italian word denoting someone or something from Verona, Italy and may refer to: * Veronese Riddle, a popular riddle in the Middle Ages * ''Veronese'' (moth), a moth genus in the family Crambidae * Monte Veronese, an Italian chees ...

, Giorgio Vasari, Santi di Tito. * 17th century:

Pietro da Cortona Pietro da Cortona (; 1 November 1596 or 159716 May 1669) was an Italian Baroque painter and architect. Along with his contemporaries and rivals Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini, he was one of the key figures in the emergence of Roman ...

, Guercino,

Salvatore Rosa Salvator Rosa (1615 –1673) is best known today as an Italian Baroque painter, whose romanticized landscapes and history paintings, often set in dark and untamed nature, exerted considerable influence from the 17th century into the early 19th ...

, Luca Giordano,

Andrea Pozzo Andrea Pozzo (; Latinized version: ''Andreas Puteus''; 30 November 1642 – 31 August 1709) was an Italian Jesuit brother, Baroque painter, architect, decorator, stage designer, and art theoretician. Pozzo was best known for his grandiose fresc ...

, Ludovico Carracci,

Giovanni Lanfranco Giovanni Lanfranco (26 January 1582 – 30 November 1647) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. Biography Giovanni Gaspare Lanfranco was born in Parma, the third son of Stefano and Cornelia Lanfranchi, and was placed as a page in the ho ...

Baciccio Giovanni Battista Gaulli (8 May 1639 – 2 April 1709), also known as Baciccio or Baciccia (Genoese nicknames for ''Giovanni Battista''), was an Italian artist working in the High Baroque and early Rococo periods. He is best known for his grand ...

, Carlo Maratta,

Cavaliere D'arpino Giuseppe Cesari (14 February 1568 – 3 July 1640) was an Italian Mannerist painter, also named Il Giuseppino and called ''Cavaliere d'Arpino'', because he was created ''Cavaliere di Cristo'' by his patron Pope Clement VIII. He was much patroniz ...

, Mattia Preti,

Carlo Saraceni Carlo Saraceni (1579 – 16 June 1620) was an Italian early-Baroque painter, whose reputation as a "first-class painter of the second rank" was improved with the publication of a modern monograph in 1968. Life Though he was born and died in ...

, Paolo Porpora, Antonio Tempesta,

Giovanni Battista Ruoppolo Giovan Battista Ruoppolo (1629–1693) was a Neapolitan painter of still-lifes. Life He was a pupil of Paolo Porpora (1617–1673), a contemporary of Salvatore Rosa. Additional Porpora pupils who formed a school of still-life painters in Naples ...

, Ventura Salimbeni, Gregorio de Ferrari, Giacomo Boni,

Rutilio Manetti Rutilio di Lorenzo Manetti (c. 1571 – 22 July 1639) was an Italian painter of late-Mannerism or proto-Baroque, active mainly in Siena. Biography He was influenced and/or taught by the local artists Francesco Vanni and Ventura Salimbeni. He is k ...

Francesco Guarino Francesco Guarino or Guarini (1611 – 1651 or 1654) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in the mountainous area east of Naples called Irpinia, and in other areas of the Kingdom of Naples, chiefly Campania, Apulia, and M ...

, Carlo Sellitto, Antonio Gherardi,

Giuseppe Recco __NOTOC__ Giuseppe Recco (1634 – 29 May 1695) was an Italian painter in the Baroque style. He specialized in a variety of still lifes. Career Born in Naples, he likely apprenticed with his family, including his father Giacomo Recco and u ...

Pietro Paolini Pietro Paolini, called il Lucchese (3 June 1603 – 12 April 1681) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. Working in Rome, Venice and finally his native Lucca, he was a follower of Caravaggio to whose work he responded in a very personal ...

Evaristo Baschenis Evaristo Baschenis (7 December 1617 – 16 March 1677) was an Italian Baroque painter of the 17th century, active mainly around his native city of Bergamo. Biography He was born to a family of artists. He is best known for still lifes, most com ...

Micco Spadaro Domenico Gargiulo called Micco Spadaro ( – ) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, mainly active in Naples and known for his landscapes, genre scenes, and history paintings. Life Domenico Gargiulo was the son of a sword maker. Th ...

Ciro Ferri Ciro Ferri (1634 – 13 September 1689) was an Italian Baroque sculptor and painter, the chief pupil and successor of Pietro da Cortona. He was born in Rome, where he began working under Cortona and with a team of artists in the extensive fresc ...

, Carlo Cignani,

Ludovico Cigoli Lodovico Cardi (21 September 1559 – 8 June 1613), also known as Cigoli, was an Italian painter and architect of the late Mannerist and early Baroque period, trained and active in his early career in Florence, and spending the last nine years ...

Francesco Noletti Francesco Noletti, also known as Francesco Fieravino (1611, Valletta? - 4 December 1654, Rome) was an Italian still-life painter. He was often referred to by his nickname, ''Il Maltese''. Biography A native of Malta, he was first recorded workin ...

Andrea Belvedere Abate Andrea Belvedere (born 1646) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. Life and Work It is believed that the painter was born not in 1646, as De Dominici reported, but around 1652, based on the discovery, by Prota Giurleo, of the ac ...

Filippo Vitale Filippo is an Italian male given name, which is the equivalent of the English name Philip, from the Greek ''Philippos'', meaning "amante dei cavalli".''Behind the Name''"Given Name Philip" Retrieved on 23 January 2016. The female variant is Fil ...

Giuseppe Ghezzi Giuseppe Ghezzi (November 6, 1634–1721) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Rome. Biography Born in Comunanza, in the Marche (then part of the Papal States), he was the son of the painter Sebastiano Ghezzi, a painte ...

. * 18th century:

Sebastiano Ricci Sebastiano Ricci (1 August 165915 May 1734) was an Italian painter of the late Baroque school of Venice. About the same age as Piazzetta, and an elder contemporary of Tiepolo, he represents a late version of the vigorous and luminous Cortonesqu ...

Francesco Solimena Francesco Solimena (4 October 1657 – 3 April 1747) was a prolific Italian painter of the Baroque era, one of an established family of painters and draughtsmen. Biography Francesco Solimena was born in Canale di Serino in the province of ...

, Corrado Giaquinto, Giovanni Paolo Pannini, Sebastiano Conca,

Andrea Procaccini Andrea Procaccini (14 January 1671 – 1734) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active in Rome as well as in Spain. Biography Procaccini was born in Rome. He trained in the studio of Carlo Maratta. He painted the prophet ''Daniel' ...

Marco Benefial Marco Benefial (25 April 1684 – 9 April 1764) "Marco Benefial (Getty Museum)" (history), The Getty Museum, 2006, webpage: GM-Benefial. was an Italian, proto- Neoclassical painter, mainly active in Rome. Benefial is best known for h ...

Francesco Trevisani 200px, ''Portrait of Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni ''by Francesco Trevisani. The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham">Barnard_Castle.html" ;"title="Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle">Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham, England. Frances ...

Luigi Garzi Luigi Garzi (1638 – 1721) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, whose work displayed heavy influences of the Bolognese painter, Guido Reni. Biography Born in Pistoia. He started learning from a poorly known landscape painter, Salomo ...

, Marcello Bacciarelli,

Benedetto Luti Benedetto Luti (17 November 1666 – 17 June 1724) was an Italian painter. Early life Luti was born in Florence on 17 November 1666. Career In 1691, he moved to Rome, where he was patronized by Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, an en ...

, etc.

Other schools

Midas à la source du fleuve Pactole Ajaccio Palais Fech-Musée des Beaux-Arts

* French school:

Nicolas Poussin Nicolas Poussin (, , ; June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was the leading painter of the classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome. Most of his works were on religious and mythological subjects painted for a ...

, Simon Vouet, Gaspard Dughet, Nicolas Tournier,

Claude Vignon Claude Vignon (19 May 1593 – 10 May 1670) was a French painter, printmaker and illustrator who worked in a wide range of genres.Paola Pacht Bassani. "Vignon, Claude." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 2 November ...

, Étienne Parrocel,

Pierre Subleyras Pierre Subleyras (; November 25, 1699 – May 28, 1749) was a French painter, active during the late- Baroque and early- Neoclassic period, mainly in Italy. Life Subleyras was born in Saint-Gilles-du-Gard, France. He left France in 1728, havi ...

Charles-Joseph Natoire Charles-Joseph Natoire (3 March 1700 – 23 August 1777) was a French painter in the Rococo manner, a pupil of François Lemoyne and director of the French Academy in Rome, 1751–1775. Considered during his lifetime the equal of François Bouc ...

, Claude Joseph Vernet, Jacques Sablet, Louis Léopold Boilly, Alexandre Cabanel,

Carolus-Duran Charles Auguste Émile Durand, known as Carolus-Duran (Lille 4 July 1837 – 17 February 1917 Paris), was a French painter and art instructor. He is noted for his stylish depictions of members of high society in Third Republic France. Biograph ...

, etc. * Northern schools (mainly 17th century artists who sojourned in Italy): Van Dyck, Willem van Aelst, Nicolaes Berchem,

Govert Flinck Govert (or Govaert) Teuniszoon Flinck (25 January 16152 February 1660) was a Dutch painter of the Dutch Golden Age. Life Born at Kleve, capital of the Duchy of Cleves, which was occupied at the time by the United Provinces, he was apprenticed by ...

, Jan Frans van Bloemen,

Matthias Stomer Matthias Stom or Matthias Stomer (c. 1600 – after 1652) was a Dutch, or possibly Flemish, painter who is only known for the works he produced during his residence in Italy. He was influenced by the work of non-Italian followers of Caravaggio i ...

, Adam Elsheimer, Hendrick Goltzius,

David de Koninck David de Coninck or David de Koninck, also known as Rammelaer (ca. 1644, Antwerp – after 1701, probably Brussels) was a Flemish painter who specialised in still lifes and landscapes with animals and hunting scenes. Recognised as a leading ani ...

Jan Miel Jan Miel (1599 in Beveren-Waas – April 1664 in Turin) was a Flemish painter and engraver who was active in Italy. He initially formed part of the circle of Dutch and Flemish genre painters in Rome who are referred to as the 'Bamboccianti' ...

, Jan Vonck,

Johann Karl Loth Johann Carl Loth (Baptized 8 August 1632 – 6 October 1698) was a German Baroque painter who spent most of his life in Venice. His name is also rendered as Johann Karl, Karel and, in Italy, Carlotto or Carlo Lotti.Matthijs Bril Matthijs Bril or Matthijs Bril the Younger (1550 – 8 June 1583) was a Flemish painter and draughtsman of landscapes A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made feat ...

Abraham Janssens Abraham Janssens I, Abraham Janssen I or Abraham Janssens van Nuyssen (1575–1632) was a Flemish painter, who is known principally for his large religious and mythological works, which show the influence of Caravaggio. He was the leading histor ...

Frans Badens Frans BadensFrans Badens
at the

Daniel Seyter Daniel Seiter, Saiter, or Seyter (c.1642/1647–1705) was a Viennese-born painter of the Baroque, who trained and worked in Italy. Biography According to Houbraken, Seiter was born on the border of Switzerland and brought up in Vienna. It i ...

Philipp Peter Roos Philipp Peter Roos (later surnamed Rosa di Tivoli; 1655–1706) was a German Baroque painter, active in and near Rome from 1677 onward. Biography He was born in Frankfurt am Main and learned to paint from his father, the landscape painter Joha ...

, Johannes Glauber,

Bartholomeus Spranger Bartholomeus Spranger or Bartholomaeus SprangerBartholomeus Spranger
at the

Caspar van Wittel Caspar van Wittel or Gaspar van Wittel (born Jasper Adriaensz van Wittel; 1652 or 1653 – September 13, 1736), known in Italian as Gaspar Vanvitelli () or (), was a Dutch painter and draughtsman who had a long career in Rome. He played a p ...

Anton von Maron Anton may refer to: People *Anton (given name), including a list of people with the given name *Anton (surname) Places *Anton Municipality, Bulgaria **Anton, Sofia Province, a village *Antón District, Panama **Antón, a town and capital of th ...

or Anton Raphaël Mengs. * Corsican school (19th and 20th centuries): Tony Agostini, Jean-Baptiste Bassoul, Émile Brod, Léon-Charles Canniccioni, Jacques-Martin Capponi, Paul Chocarne-Moreau, François Corbellini, Catherine Empis, Dominique Frassati, Alfred de La Rocca, Jérôme Maglioli, Jean-Luc Multedo, Paul-Mathieu Novellini, Lucien Peri, Ludwig Pietzch, etc.Palais Fesch, corsican paintings
website musee-fesch.com. File:Sandro Botticelli - Madonna and Child with an Angel - WGA02683.jpg, Sandro Botticelli, ''Madonna and Child held by an Angel under a garland'' File:Bellini-Vierge-à-l-Enfant-Ajaccio,Fesch.jpg,

, ''Madonna and Child'' File:Tura, Cosmè-Vierge à l'enfant et deux saints-Ajaccio, musée Fesch.jpg,

, ''Madonna and Child between a Martyr saint and saint Jerome'' File:Ajaccio Di Credi St Francois.JPG, Lorenzo di Credi, ''Saint Francis of Assisi receiving the Stigmata '' File:Ajaccio Pisano vierge saint.JPG, Niccolò Pisano, ''Holly Family'' File:Ajaccio Di Tito Ste Famille.JPG, Santi di Tito, ''Holly Family'' File:Tiziano, ritratto del museo fesch.jpg, Titian, ''Man with a Glove'' File:Leda et le cygne par Paolo Veronese 2.jpg,

, ''Leda and the Swan'' File:Ajaccio Vasari St Jerome 2.JPG, Giorgio Vasari, ''Saint Jerome'' File:Ajaccio Salimbeni Trinite.JPG, Ventura Salimbeni, ''The Trinity with saint Peter and saint Bernardine'' File:Matthias Stom - Le sacrifice d'Abraham.jpg,

, ''The Sacrifice of Abraham'' File:Ajaccio Baciccio Joseph.JPG,

, ''Joseph recognised by his brothers'' File:CGiaquinto-MariusAudifax.jpg, Corrado Giaquinto, ''Martyrdom of Saint Martha, Marius, Abacus and Audifax'' File:Ajaccio Da Cortona Autoportrait.JPG,

, ''Selfportrait'' File:Corrado Giaquinto - Autoportrait (Palais Fesch).jpg, Corrado Giaquinto, ''Selfportrait'' File:Ajaccio Bacciarelli autoportrait.JPG, Marcello Bacciarelli, ''Selfportrait'' File:Von-Maron-Autoportrait-Fesch,Ajaccio.jpg,

, ''Selfportrait'' File:Ajaccio Mengs autoportrait.JPG, Anton Raphaël Mengs, ''Selfportrait''

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Musee Fesch Ajaccio First French Empire Faesch family Museums in Corsica Napoleon museums Art museums and galleries in France Buildings and structures in Corse-du-Sud Tourist attractions in Corse-du-Sud