BARBET DE JOUY (Joseph Henry) - Lot 234

BARBET DE JOUY (Joseph Henry) Canteleu, 1812 - Paris, 1896. Archaeologist, curator and administrator of national museums. Elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1880. L.A.S. "JH Barbet de Jouy" addressed to a gentleman. December 11, 1857. 1 1/2 pages in-8 on watermarked laid paper. Interesting autograph letter about taking possession of an apartment and interior remodeling work. Barbet de Jouy discusses the delays in delivery of the apartment, initially delayed by the workmen, then finally resolved after the installation of a ramp: "...the ramp was installed yesterday, so I have no reason to want another day than the 10th and I consider myself to have taken possession..." He therefore acknowledges that he owes the first instalment of rent from November 10, in accordance with the agreement between the parties. The letter also mentions carpentry and decoration work still in progress: "I am having some carpentry work done for my own account...". A charming account of the daily life and domestic preoccupations of a future great administrator of national museums, revealing with precision rental practices and interior design issues under the Second Empire. Beautiful autograph signature by Barbet de Jouy. Curator of the Musée du Louvre from 1852 to 1863, then administrator of the national museums from 1879 to 1881, Joseph Henry Barbet de Jouy played a major role in the organization and enrichment of French public collections in the 19th century.