The Orléans Collection exhibition is accompanied by an outstanding catalogue, available in both hardcover and softcover through the Shop at NOMA (Sales will begin in mid-October). This magnificent new volume presents for the first time in over a century a comprehensive analysis of the extraordinary paintings collection of Philippe II, duc d’Orléans (1674–1623), regent of France and namesake of the city of New Orleans. The celebrated Orléans collection assembled over 500 masterpieces of European art—including works by Raphael, Veronese, Titian, Poussin, Rubens, and Rembrandt. NOMA’s exhibition reunites a representative group of around forty works from Philippe’s collection, gathered from museums and galleries across the US and throughout Europe.
The catalogue reveals the complex story of the collection’s formation and character, Philippe’s identity as a collector, and the impact of the sales of the collection in London during the French Revolution. While consolidating existing scholarship on the collection, new research is also provided on topics including the grand redecoration of Philippe’s Palais-Royal residence; the diplomatic and idiosyncratic display of the collection in public and private spaces; and the impact this renowned collection had on visitors, contemporary artists, and collectors in Paris. A comprehensive appendix traces the pictures from Philippe’s possession to their present locations.
This volume is both a celebration of the tricentennial of the city of New Orleans and a major contribution to art historical scholarship. It features contributions by internationally recognized scholars: Vanessa I. Schmid, New Orleans Museum of Art; Françoise Mardrus, Musée du Louvre; Nicole Garnier-Pelle, Musée Condé; Alexandre Dupilet, independent historian; Xavier F. Salomon, The Frick Collection; Rachel McGarry, Minneapolis Institute of Art; Julia I. Armstrong-Totten, formerly of the Getty’s Project for the Study of Collecting and Provenance Research; Kelsey Brosnan, New Orleans Museum of Art; and Jean-François Bédard, Syracuse University.
Front cover illustration: Lodovico Carracci (Italian, 1555–1619), The Dream of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, c. 1593. Oil on canvas, 138.8 × 110.5 cm (54 5/8 × 43 1/2 in.). Detail of cat. 33
View sample pages from The Orléans Collection catalogue at this link.