Henri Cernuschi (; ; 19 February 1821 – 11 May 1896) was a major French-Italian banker, economist and Asian art collector, who began public life as a politician in Italy in 1848–1850.

Life

Cernuschi was born of wealthy parents at

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, and was destined for the legal profession. During his studies he became involved in the revolutionary movement. He played a conspicuous part in the insurrection at Milan in 1848, and also in the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

, where he had a seat in the Assembly. On the collapse of the revolutionary government he was arrested (1850), but managed to escape to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, where he engaged in commerce and banking, became naturalized, and acquired a large fortune. He took a prominent part in opposing the Socialist movement, and in April 1870, having subscribed a large sum to the funds of a committee formed to combat the Napoleonic plebiscite, had to leave the country. In September the formation of the Third Republic enabled Cernuschi to return, but he soon left

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

to travel in the

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

. He returned with a fine art collection that he would constantly expand upon for the remainder of his life. Cernuschi died at

Menton Menton (; in classical norm or in Mistralian norm, , ; ; or depending on the orthography) is a Commune in France, commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italia ...

in May 1896, and was interred at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

Legacy

Cernuschi bequeathed his collection to the city of Paris, as well as his private residence at No 7. avenue Velasquez on the edge of Parc Monceau in the 8th arrondissement to be used as a museum. Open to the public today, the Cernuschi Museum collection includes Chinese art, funeral statuary, painted 8th-century silks, neolithic terracottas (3rd millennium BC),

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese art (mostly bronze objects and sculptures, ceramics, paravents), ancient

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

n bronze objects, an Amithaba

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

from the 8th Century, plus examples of

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

Works

As a banker, Cernuschi is best known for his publications on financial questions, more especially

bimetallism Bimetallism, also known as the bimetallic standard, is a monetary standard in which the value of the monetary unit is defined as equivalent to certain quantities of two metals, typically gold and silver, creating a fixed Exchange rate, rate of ...

. Of the latter he was an ardent champion, and the word itself is commonly supposed to have originated with him—at least in its English form it is first found in his ''Silver Vindicated'' (1876). Among his other works were: ''Mécanique de l'échange'' (1861); ''Illusion des sociétés coopératives'' (1886); ''Le Bimétallisme en Angleterre'' (1879); ''Le Grand Procès de l'Union latine'' (1884).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cernuschi, Henri 1821 births 1896 deaths Politicians from Milan French economists People of the Revolutions of 1848 French bankers French art collectors Museum founders Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery 19th-century French businesspeople