Titon-Laneuville Musée Français
Géricault Life
Inventaire après la décès de Jean-Louis Titon dit Laneuville (detail), 1 April, 1826. Image courtesy of the Archives Nationales (France) MC/ET/LXXXIV/840
Titon Laneuville was a painter, art-expert, and art-dealer – and an important figure in the Paris art world until his death in March, 1826. His inventaire is vital to our understanding of Laneuville and to Théodore Géricault and his world. We continue our discussion of the Musée français, the collection of high-quality engravings of the finest pieces in the Louvre museum.
Laneuville’s: “Musée Robillard – Avant la Lettre”
Inventaire Laneuville (detail), 1 April, 1826. Image courtesy of the Archives Nationales (France) MC/ET/LXXXIV/840
When Jean-Louis-Titon Laneuville died on March 26, 1826, the painter and art dealer left a large collection of paintings and engravings. Among the objets d’art we find, added to the inventaire, a collection of Musée Robillard engravings ‘before the letter’ valued at 1600 francs. Other evidence we have uncovered confirms that these engravings identified as ‘Musée Robillard’ are almost certainly Musée français engravings produced by Gericault relations Louis Robillard de Peronville and Pierre Laurent. (See my articles in the November and December issues of GLM to learn more about the Musée français.)
Both the valuation and the title Musée Robillard suggest as much. A handful of paintings listed in the inventory were priced at 3,000 francs. One by Jacques Ruysdael was priced at 3,500 francs. The majority of the paintings in the Laneuville’s inventory, however, were listed at prices well below 500 francs. Titon Laneuville’s collection of Musée Robillard – Musée français engravings, valued at 1600 francs, was therefore one of the more valuable items in his collection.
We have long known that Titon Laneuville supported Théodore Géricault’s development as a painter. When Géricault departed for Italy in the summer of 1816, he carried with him a number of letters of introduction. Jean-Louis-Titon Laneuville wrote one of these letters. Titon Laneuville also had connections to Jean-Baptiste Caruel and to Jacques-Florent Robillard and his family.
I have asserted that the production of the Musée français engravings played a critical role in Géricault’s decision to become an artist. I have confirmed that three individuals in Géricault’s life: Jean-Baptiste Caruel (his uncle), Jacques-Florent Robillard (his relation), and Jean-Louis-Titon Laneuville owned expensive collections of the Musée français engravings. As noted, Géricault was related to the individuals who produced the Musée français. This network of connections and the impact of the Musée français engravings on the arts community and the public of Paris during the years 1803 to 1809 offers compelling evidence that Théodore Géricault was fully aware of the family project; and that the excitement of the project – Paris, the Museum, the art, the artists, the expense, and commitment to excellence captivated the young man from Rouen – setting him upon his own career as an artist.