From Royal to National: The Louvre Museum and the Bibliotheque Nationale [Hardcover]

Bette W. Oliver (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 28, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0739114220 | ISBN-13: 978-0739114223

Bette Oliver's book From Royal to National offers a comprehensive and innovative look into the effects of the French Revolution on the nation's culture and identity. As a direct result of the Revolution of 1789, institutions previously under the crown's jurisdiction were made into public symbols of nationalism. Through the creation of both the Louvre and the Bibliotheque Nationale, the Revolutionary Government worked to preserve great cultural works and establish Paris as the cultural epicenter of the Western world.

Oliver delicately reveals the foresight and challenges these scholars and specialists faced in safeguarding the valuable artworks and literature from various raiding parties, including repeated attempts at vandalism and the Terror of 1793-4. From Royal to National is a rich text that will resonate among students of French culture, as well as those interested in dynamics of art history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Throughout the text, Oliver moves fluidly between providing a detailed...historical overview of major political events. (H-France Review, September 2008 )

By juxtaposing the historical trajectories of the Louvre and the Biblothéque nationale, Bette Oliver makes a unique contribution to the study of French culture from 1789 to 1815. In this slim volume she offers a fascinating presentation of the events and individuals responsible for transforming two royal collections in public institutions that have become enduring symbols of France. (Libraries and The Cultural Record )

About the Author

Bette W. Oliver is an independent scholar living in Austin, Texas. She holds a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 110 pages
• Publisher: Lexington Books (December 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739114220
• ISBN-13: 978-0739114223
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,001,659 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Collectors and Their Collections: The Louvre and the National Library of France, June 24, 2007

By 

J. David Markham (Olympia, Washington USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From Royal to National: The Louvre Museum and the Bibliotheque Nationale (Paperback)

Bette Oliver has written what to my knowledge is the first comprehensive look at the development of what we know today as the Louvre and the Biblioteque National (National Library). Both institutions were developed during times of turmoil. The good news was that during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods a number of items were, ahem, donated to the cause from various places in Europe. The bad news was that some of the more radical Revolutionaries during the Terror (1793-1794) would have destroyed much of what had been collected, and other people would have been quite happy to see much of the collection put elsewhere, especially in their own collections! In the end, though, both institutions accumulated major collections of priceless cultural artifacts that helped establish Paris as one of the major cultural centers of the western world.

This is a short book, less than one hundred pages. Yet Bette Oliver (who, I should admit I know through our mutual participation in historical conferences and who I consider a friend) tells the story in a compelling and complete way. I was especially interested in the fate of material after the second fall of Napoleon. Interestingly, a number of items were returned not to the place from where they were liberated by Napoleon, but to places from where they had previously been liberated! Bette Oliver's writing style is easy to read and always interesting. This book fills in a fascinating part of the story of this epoch and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the period.

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