A pastel by Alexandre Hesse for Lyon

1. Alexandre Hesse (1806-1879)
Head of an Oriental, c. 1868-1870
Black chalk, white chalk and pastel - 62 x 48.5 cm
Lyon, Musée des Beaux-Arts
Photo: Martial Couderette

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1/11/23 - Acquisition - Lyon, Musée des Beaux-Arts - While the dozens of sheets assembled during the Salon du Dessin were eagerly flown to faraway lands, others were content with a more modest journey, and thus the splendid Head of an Oriental by Alexandre Hesse (ill. 1) that we spotted on the stand of the Galerie De Bayser at the last Salon du Dessin was able to join the Lyon institution, which recently announced its acquisition. Financed by the Association of Friends of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, this acquisition is also particularly fortunate: in addition to its quality, which was mentioned in our article, this large sheet is a preparatory study for one of the figures in the very first secular décor commissioned from the painter Alexandre Hesse, whose current specialist is none other than Stéphane Paccoud, who since 2007 has been curator of the 19th-century painting and sculpture collections at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon. This bearded figure wearing a turban thus moves from one Palais de la Bourse to another, as it can be found on the ceiling of the Salle de la Corbeille (ill. 2 and 3) in Lyon’s Palais de la Bourse, also known as the Palais du Commerce. Built by the architect René Dardel on the Lyon peninsula at the beginning of the Second Empire, this sumptuous monument was inaugurated in 1860 by Napoleon III and Eugénie, but its decor was not completed until ten years later.

2. View of the ceiling by Alexandre Hesse for the Salle de la Corbeille in the Palais du Commerce in Lyon
Photo: Pierre Duforez

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3. View of the ceiling by Alexandre Hesse for the Salle de la Corbeille in the Palais du Commerce in Lyon (detail)
Photo: Pierre Duforez

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