The Orléans Collection

With essays by Julia I. Armstrong-Totten, Jean-François Bédard, Kelsey Brosnan, Alexandre Dupilet, Nicole Garnier-Pelle, Françoise Mardrus, Rachel McGarry, and Xavier F. Salomon

This magnificent new volume presents for the first time in over a century a comprehensive analysis of the extraordinary paintings collection of Philippe II, duc d’Orléans (1674–1723), regent of France and namesake of the city of New Orleans. The celebrated Orléans collection assembled over 500 masterpieces of European art—including works by Raphael, Veronese, Titian, Poussin, Rubens, and Rembrandt, gathered from museums and galleries across the US and throughout Europe.

The catalogue reveals the complex story of the collection’s formation and character, Philippe’s identity as a collector, and the impact of the sales of the collection in London during the French Revolution. While consolidating existing scholarship on the collection, new research is also provided on topics including the grand redecoration of Philippe’s Palais-Royal residence; the diplomatic and idiosyncratic display of the collection in public and private spaces; and the impact this renowned collection had on visitors, contemporary artists, and collectors in Paris. A comprehensive appendix traces the pictures from Philippe’s possession to their present locations.

This volume is both a celebration of the tricentennial of the city of New Orleans and a major contribution to art historical scholarship. It features contributions by internationally recognized scholars: Vanessa I. Schmid, New Orleans Museum of Art; Françoise Mardrus, Musée du Louvre; Nicole Garnier-Pelle, Musée Condé; Alexandre Dupilet, independent historian; Xavier F. Salomon, The Frick Collection; Rachel McGarry, Minneapolis Institute of Art; Julia I. Armstrong-Totten, formerly of the Getty’s Project for the Study of Collecting and Provenance Research; Kelsey Brosnan, New Orleans Museum of Art; and Jean-François Bédard, Syracuse University

The accompanying exhibition is on view at the New Orleans Museum of Art until January 27th, 2019.

Author biographies

Vanessa I. Schmid is senior research curator for European Art, New Orleans Museum of Art

Julia I. Armstrong-Totten is an independent scholar formerly of the Getty’s Project for the Study of Collecting and Provenance

Jean-François Bédard is an associate professor at Syracuse University

Kelsey Brosnan is Doris Zemurray Stone Curatorial Fellow for European Art, New Orleans Museum of Art

Alexandre Dupilet is a historian Nicole Garnier-Pelle is chief curator at the Musée Condé

Rachel McGarry is associate curator of Prints and Drawings, Minneapolis Institute of Art

Françoise Mardrus is director of the Centre Dominique-Vivant Denon, Musée du Louvre

Xavier F. Salomon is Peter Jay Sharp Curator at The Frick Collection

Table of Contents

1. Foreword, Preface and Acknowledgments
2. The Orléans Collection and Its Publics by Vanessa I. Schmid
3. Catalogue nos. 1–6
4. Philippe II d’Orléans, Absolute Regent by Alexandre Dupilet
5. Catalogue nos. 7–11
6. Philippe II d’Orléans’s Collecting by Françoise Mardrus
7. Catalogue nos. 12–18
8. Antoine Coypel and the Regent by Nicole Garnier-Pelle
9. The Refurbishment of the Palais-Royal during the Regency by Jean-François Bédard
10. The Regent’s Collection of Venetian Paintings by Xavier F. Salomon
11. Catalogue nos. 19–21
12. New Trends and Old: Rubens and the Dutch and Flemish School at the Palais-Royal by Vanessa I. Schmid
13. Catalogue nos. 22–29
14. The Emergence of the Bolognese School: The Collection of the Duc d’Orléans by Rachel McGarry
15. Catalogue nos. 30–36
16. Contemporary Artists at the Palais-Royal by Kelsey Brosnan
17. The Orléans Phenomenon in Great Britain by Julia Armstrong-Totten
18. Appendix: The Orléans Collection by Julia Armstrong-Totten
19. Previous Owners as Listed by Dubois de Saint-Gelais by Vanessa I. Schmid with Kelsey Brosnan
20. Chronology by Kelsey Brosnan
21. Checklist
22. Selected Bibliography
23. Index