Fun Fact #443

 Fun Fact #443

Restoration Nation

In 1802, First Consul Napoleon appointed Vivant Denon –better known as “Napoleon’s Eye”-- as the Head of the Louvre, and Royal Art Collections where he organized France’s growing array of Art, Literature, and Science Museums.He also went with the Military on their conquests where he was well known for using his knack for duplicity to convince locals to reveal the locations of famous art, and remove any obstacles in his way of obtaining it. 

Yet most Key to Denon’s job was to make the art look as good as possible in order to reflect “The Might of France” and he needed Art restoration of a higher quality than was available at the time. Thus he employed Robert Picault, Madame Marie-Jacob Godefroid, Jean-Louis and François-Toussaint Hacquin as the first four professional art restorers in recorded history. In time they developed better techniques (Particularly for Lining and Transfering) laying the groundwork for the modern profession.  

Fun Sidenote: To better get awareness and show why they were important, Picult and Hacquin began teaching these skills to others whom they’d pit against each other in “Concours” (Public restoration Competitions on similar works of art) which gained international attention. Concours would grow and begin being held in other nations across 5 continents with the best being offered a job in France until WW1 making it one of the first truly transcontinental “sports”.

Image of Barron Dominique Vivant, Baron Denon