In the first half of the 19th century, one of the most impressive collections of Greek, Roman and Etruscan artefacts belonged to the French diplomat Edme-Antoine Durand. The son of a wealthy entrepreneur, Durand followed in his father's footsteps and became a wealthy merchant. He traveled a lot, most often to Italy, where at the end of the 18th century he began to buy jewelry, paintings and antiques. His collection was said to be one of the best collections of antiquities in Europe, which stood out for its beauty and diversity.
One of Durand's earliest significant acquisitions was a vase painted by the ancient Greek artist Aeson, a representative of red-figure vase painting. He replenished part of the collection through purchases at Parisian auctions, and some items were sold to him by historians and archaeologists. The love for the ancient world was so strong that Durand said goodbye to engravings by famous artists in order to continue buying antiques. However, in 1825, the collector agreed with King Charles X to sell more than 5,000 items to the Louvre.
Even after such a large deal, which brought Durand 480 thousand francs, the collector still had more than a hundred antique vases and many paintings, which he gradually put up for auction. In 1832, Durand got a job as a correspondent at the German Archaeological Institute. He traveled around Italy for several years until he fell ill during a trip to Florence. In 1835, Durand died, and a year later everything that was left was sold at auctions.
Among the artifacts purchased by the Louvre are several hundred items - small statues of people and ancient gods. These are mainly ceramic and bronze figurines in varying degrees of preservation. There are unidentified exhibits - fragments or very worn items. At the same time, many figurines are very well preserved.
Source:
collections.louvre.fr
