(a Prince of France from 1807), in Fesch's birthplace.
Location
The Fesch museum is located in
Letizia Ramolino, mother of Napoleon, and of Cardinal Fesch.[4] The Bibliothèque Municipale, an adjacent building, contains rare antique books.[5] It was completed in 1837.
Jérôme Maglioli, Portrait of Cardinal Fesch, Musée Fesch.
History
Statue of Cardinal Joseph Fesch (Archbishop of Lyon 1802–39) in the forecourt of the museum
The initiative to build the museum was taken by Napoleon I's maternal uncle, cardinal Joseph Fesch (1763-1839), archbishop of
Lyons 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.[citation needed
]
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 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 Corsican architect Frassato directed this stage of construction. However, Fesch did not live to see the completed museum as he died in Rome in 1839.[6]
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.
Northern schools (mainly 17th century artists who sojourned in Italy):
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.[7]
Italian paintings
Sandro Botticelli, Madonna and Child held by an Angel under a garland
Sandro Botticelli, Madonna and Child held by an Angel under a garland
Giovanni Bellini, Madonna and Child
Cosmè Tura, Madonna and Child between a Martyr saint and saint Jerome
Lorenzo di Credi, Saint Francis of Assisi receiving the Stigmata
Niccolò Pisano, Holly Family
Santi di Tito, Holly Family
Titian, Man with a Glove
Veronese, Leda and the Swan
Giorgio Vasari, Saint Jerome
Ventura Salimbeni, The Trinity with saint Peter and saint Bernardine
Matthias Stomer, The Sacrifice of Abraham
Baciccio, Joseph recognised by his brothers
Corrado Giaquinto, Martyrdom of Saint Martha, Marius, Abacus and Audifax
Pietro da Cortona, Selfportrait
Corrado Giaquinto, Selfportrait
Marcello Bacciarelli, Selfportrait
Anton von Maron, Selfportrait
Anton Raphaël Mengs, Selfportrait
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