My friend is spending his summer in Paris as a curatorial stagiaire (intern) at the Musée du Louvre! I told him to be on the look out for any excellent or interesting calligraphy/lettering during his work. For the last week a half, he has been reconstructing a well-known private home in eighteenth century Paris (now destroyed) using a handwritten, 400 page inventory from 1788. The house belonged to the Duc de Richelieu.
"This is a tiny slice of the document, which is exciting for its inclusion of a very famous
Michelangelo sculpture (note the French phrase “originaux de Michel Ange” in the image), now in the Louvre’s permanent collection. The Duc’s great uncle, the Cardinal Richelieu, renowned art collector and statesmen had, upon his death in 1642, created a succession clause in his will. In other words, the Cardinal guaranteed that important heirlooms (i.e. the Michelangelo acquired in his lifetime) would descend in the family and could not be sold; this paragraph acknowledges that restriction over 150 years later. The Michelangelo sculpture remained with the house of Richelieu until 1794, when it was discovered by the new regime who then ‘apprehended’ it for the people of France." Isn't that neat!? So happy for him in this incredible internship opportunity!
