A Brill Calendar: April 27

Denon and the Spoils of War

When it comes to expanding the universe of scholarly inquiry, few military exploits rival Bonaparte’s expedition to Egypt.

If the little Corsican – not yet thirty years of age – would have restricted his entourage to warriors, his flamboyant and short presence in the country of the Pyramids in 1797 would have remained a quaint chapter at the start of a stunning career, but Napoleon was well aware of the fact that his personal public relations after the first decade of the French Revolution would benefit from an attractive ambience: not only soldiers and courtiers, but artists and scholars as well, could contribute to creating an unexampled style of ruling.

One of these men lacking experience in serving Mars was Dominique Vivant Denon (Chalon-sur-Saône, January 4 1747 – Paris, April 27 1825). During the last days of the ‘Ancien Régime’, this draughtsman & painter had travelled widely in Europe on diplomatic missions, developing a sharp eye for visual arts and antiquities. Once in Egypt he drew and sketched profusely; if need be even under enemy fire.

When the Corsican had become‘Empéreur’, Denon was appointed Director General of all museums in the imperial domain, including its pinnacle, the Louvre, main recipient of Bonaparte’s spoils of war. Denon’s reign over the national collection outlasted not only Napoleon’s rule but also the lifetime of the dethroned Emperor.

The spirit of inquiry obviously had ramifications for Leyden, especially as pivot of scholarly study of art and archaeology. During the short-lived ‘Kingdom of Holland’ (1806 – 1810) under Louis Bonaparte, the subsequent annexation by France (ending late in 1813) and return of a Prince of Orange, the foundations were built for a modern nation; remarkably enough embracing the civilization of a defeated French foe as a shining example; and Leyden became a city of museums & collections closely associated with academic research.