The Fesch Museum

The Image of Fesch

Joseph Fesch, the patron cardinal, is a character whose objective biography does not exist yet at this day and whose legend seems to have confused the real personnality. And it is a pity...this man deserves that us to linger over his life, which is definitely, out of the ordinary.

At Fesch's, everything is done at the charge.
To marry the Ramolino widow, his father - a swiss lieutenant in the service of Genoa - renounces Protestantism to be converted to Catholicism.

His son, Joseph Fesch, after studies at the seminar of Aix en Provence, became, at 24 years old, archdeacon of Ajaccio, Joseph was the half-brother of Laetitia Bonaparte, Napoléon's mother who was thirteen years his senior, he was born, in Ajaccio, only six years before the one who, from his childhood bears a star on his brow. There is no doubt that the future cardinal has found, very soon, the sharp mind of its nephew who entered in the Pantheon of History.

In only just a generation, we change course but still remain in the bosom of the christendom. This time, it is true, lent itself to these transformations.

To answer a dynamic that he had adopted, the archdeacon was propelled vicar of the bishop of Corsica.

By faithfulness to the France, while Pascal Paoli has become the ally of the English, he leaved Corsica with Laetitia whose four of her seven children came with and got to Toulon where he took off his priest clothes to put on the military dress, he was just thirty years old.

He is put in charge (or he sees to himself!) of the armies' supplies. The office must be profitable for, from the state of poverty where he was at the moment he reached the mainland, in a short time, a fine financial affluence came to him. This singular priest had obviously an avowed taste for money.

Nine years later, he took up the religious life again that he will not leave anymore in future.

From there he did not miss the titles, the dignities, and honors.., and without a doubt its nephew is largely responsible for it. It is so true that at less than 40 years old he is invested archbishop of Lyons.

From there, he was a much involved actor in the history of its time.

This man, it is true is a may-sided one: negotiator, expert diplomat, wise politician, he could (only) fascinate by its alertness and by its apetite of power if we had not to add to these virtuosities a monomania for painting, engraving, sculpture, furniture, objects; in fact for all which is rare and precious, for all which excite the eye and stimulate the mind.

What is amazing is also this desire to possess.
His "Large Gallery", if we believe the inventory drawn up in 1839, has 16 00O canvasses (mainly from painters of the 16th and 17th centuries).
Morethan any museum of this time could hang to its picturerail !

This madness of the collection: "he was permanently running, the merchants, in quest of precious paintings", this frenzy of acquisition made him write his roman authorized representative: "You must not think to get mediocre paintings for me, I want some beautiful and good or nothing at all."

This immoderate love for painting comes from Italy where he was to spend most of his existence. Obviously, this country is impregnated, the culture, the language, the architecture, the forms, the frescos, all, justly, is in harmony with the sensitivity of the prelate.

And then, in this country, the paintings easily change of owners and the sacred works that the churches and the convents contain, are sometimes confiscated or putting on sale to escape to the plundering. It is said that the cardinal bought whole lots with the hope of bring back a rare piece... He feared, like a gambler, that a masterpiece got away from him. There is without a doubt, pride in this attitude of collector, a taste for keeping in his possession, at all costs, and, in the same time, the will to exercise a power over the others.

That is the way that, during his life, the cardinal was an art lover, lit up inside by the fire of the passion.

One century and half after his disappearance, the canvasses which are in the Museum bearing his name, attest all this.

Jérôme Camilly Journalist-Writer

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