Watercolor Drawing Of The Mulberry Courtyard At The School Of Fine Arts In Paris, 19th Century Architecture, Italy

Mulberry Courtyard at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris
French School, 19th Century

Ink and watercolor drawing, signed lower right (signature to be identified)

Dimensions:
View: 36 x 26 cm
With frame: 50 x 40 cm

Good condition; minor damage to the frame.

The so-called Mulberry Courtyard at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris corresponds to the former cloister of the Petits-Augustins convent, founded by Queen Margot in the early 17th century. At the end of the Revolution, the convent was converted into the Musée des Monuments Français, directed by the young painter Alexandre Lenoir (1761–1839). In 1816, Louis XVIII closed the museum and assigned the site to the Royal School of Fine Arts (École Royale des Beaux-Arts). Architects François Debret (1777–1850) and later his brother-in-law and student Félix Duban (1797–1870) transformed the buildings into a palace inspired by Italian and Neoclassical styles.

The square-shaped Mulberry Courtyard, named after the Chinese mulberry tree planted there by Alexandre Lenoir, lies to the right of the school’s main courtyard when entering from Rue Bonaparte. In 1836, Félix Duban redesigned it to resemble a Pompeian atrium, notably adding a central fountain. The walls of the covered gallery are adorned with a replica of the Panathenaic Frieze from the Parthenon, visible through the arcades.

All my listed items can be viewed in Issy-les-Moulineaux (near Paris).

For further information or high-resolution photographs, feel free to contact me at +33 6 12 51 35 29.