In Nantes, the reopening of the Dobrée museum brings back to life 2,400 pieces, from prehistory to the 20th century
We come there attracted by the heart of Anne of Brittany. Then, once there, the visitor falls under the spell of an attractive island of buildings… and finally finds himself wandering for hours among very rich collections. After thirteen years of closure, the Dobrée museum, in Nantes (Loire-Atlantique), has just been returned to the public of the port city. “The former residents of Nantes are relieved, they believed that the museum would never reopen,” jokes Virginie Dupuy, responsible for the conservation of the collections. As for the new ones – the city’s population has increased considerably recently – they discovered the existence of another flagship museum, alongside that of Fine Arts. »
History through objects
At the origin of the museum is a rich collector, Thomas Dobrée (1810-1895), who designed the astonishing main building, decorated with animals, and who displays his motto in old Breton on the facade: “The unknown devours me. » It is with this appetizer offered to the curious that visitors set off to discover admirably showcased collections. “We do not have paintings by Monet or the great masters, but objects which form an immense cabinet of curiosities,” emphasizes Virginie Dupuy. Like in an Ali Baba’s cave, History is told throughout the rooms and the 2,400 pieces on display, some of which are for the first time.
From prehistory to the 20th century, there is something for everyone, with a particularly extensive archaeological section. Example with this ceremonial ax buried with its prestigious holder around 4600 BC: it accompanied the deceased on his journey to the afterlife. Made from a semi-precious stone from Italy, it proves the reality of exchanges from this ancient period. A leap into Antiquity and we discover bronze tableware, dating from 70 BC, decorated with Roman motifs, such as a swan’s head as a handle. Contrary to popular belief, Romanization did not wait for the arrival of Caesar’s legions to extend into western Gaul. Here now, among the Viking swords found in the Loire, is the one that belonged to a high dignitary, while the Scandinavian peoples were sowing terror along the river.
An inexhaustible attraction
Further on, the museum exhibits numerous objects from the revolutionary period. This is the case with the death mask of François Athanase Charette, a royalist general at the head of the counter-revolutionary insurgents, which recalls that the “king of Vendée” was the object of veneration. His face was cast the day after his execution, March 29, 1796, and the door in front of which he was shot, also exposed, retains the bullet holes.
A single visit does not exhaust the wealth of the museum reopened at the end of a renovation path full of pitfalls (first contested project, several administrative appeals taken up to the Council of State). The superb result highlights the rich heritage while linking buildings from different centuries: a 15th century manor house, a large neo-Romanesque house from the 19th century, brutalism from the 20th century, and even a steel addition from the 21st century. A little too eclectic on paper? This does not prevent a great harmony from reigning throughout, to be contemplated from the new Anglo-Norman garden.