Want to discover the wonders of the Louvre but a little put off by the idea of facing the crowds? Since 1793, the date of its creation, the Parisian museum has lent thousands of works for long periods to museums, town halls and prefectures. The Aisne has not been forgotten. We are not promising you Liberty Leading the People, nor The Raft of the Medusa, but paintings and sculptures of good quality on deposit in the local museums. A different way of understanding the collections of a museum.
These deposits are listed on a map called “It’s exposed near you”. We searched, the Musée d'art et d'archeologie du Pays de Laon has several but also the Jeanne d'Aboville museum in La Fère as well as the Franco-American museum in Blérancourt. Vervins, Chauny and Guise had their share of deposits. Unfortunately, there has been no trace of it since the First World War.
The deposits of the Louvre concern paintings but also objects, such as a clock exhibited at the Musée du Pays de Laon
At the Pays de Laon art and archeology museum, rue Georges-Ermant, several paintings are deposits of the Louvre museum. However, all these wonders are not always visible. Due to lack of space, they are sometimes stored in reserves, others are brought out during temporary exhibitions. This is currently the case with the Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine, a 16th century painting, an Italian school whose author is unknown. This painting representing the Child Jesus putting the ring on the finger of Saint Catherine appears in the Give & Receive exhibition visible until January 18, 2025. This is therefore a great opportunity to discover it before it returns to the reserves at the end of the exhibition.
Another painting belonging to the Louvre is regularly exhibited at the museum, it is a portrait of a nun dating from the 17th century.e. century. This painting was attributed to the Louvre by the Office of Private Property and Interests in 1951, it was then deposited in 1955 at the Laon museum. Installed next to the famous Le Nain Brothers Concert, you can't miss it.
The deposits of the Louvre do not only concern paintings. The Pays de Laon art and archeology museum also houses a cartel, a cartel clock. This object dates from the mid-18th century.e century including the dial signed Desmaret in Laon. Jacques-Jean Desmaret was a watchmaker in Laon, we find traces of him in 1754 and 1760.
