Bernardino Drovetti

Bernardino Michele Maria Drovetti ( born January 4, 1776 in Barbania, Italy, † March 5, 1852 in Turin) was a diplomat and lawyer and was better known as French consul and collector of Egyptian art.

Family and Education

His parents were called Giorgio Francesco Drovetti and Anna Vittoria Vacca. Bernardino's older brother Giuseppe was a lawyer, his younger brother Luigi priest. He also had a sister, nothing is known of the but on. Drovetti Collegio delle Provincie attended in Turin and studied law at the university there. The home of Drovetti was at his birth to the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, which was taken in 1796 by Napoleon. Drovetti was thus, like all his family, a French citizen.

After completing his studies in Turin, he joined the army. Prior to the annexation of Piedmont by France Drovetti was involved in the formation of a provisional government. So it was that he first was an officer in the War Office of Piedmont, and later first officer of Piedmont Hussars, which were then incorporated into the French army. In the spring of 1801 the young Drovetti Minister of War and Chief of Staff in Piedmont Piedmont Division in the French army was. Later that year he was appointed as a judge to Turin, where he remained in office until 1803. He left Turin, when Napoleon sent him in the role of Commissioner for Foreign Relations in 1803 to Egypt.

In Egypt

In the spring of 1803 Napoleon appointed Matthieu de Lesseps ( 1771-1832 ) to Drovettis superiors in Egypt. Lesseps and Drovetti were sent as a diplomat to Egypt to observe the situation there for France. The Mamelukes were originally Turkish slaves who had been converted to Islam, and with the founding of the Bahri dynasty in 1250 to power in Egypt were. Despite the defeat by the Ottoman Empire in 1517, the Mamluk governors remained on the Egyptian expedition in the Battle of the Pyramids of Giza in 1798 conquered by the French troops of Egypt. After Napoleon had left Egypt in 1799 and again in 1803 again sent diplomats to Egypt, the Ottoman Empire won the meantime influence and fought with the Mamelukes, who had befriended the UK, for supremacy. But the British army had now pulled back from Egypt.

The Turks put Ali Pasha as a viceroy. Drovetti dealt with him only in so far as the French were sure interests. 1815 Drovetti handed the post to his successor, but remained in Egypt, undertook journeys and remained politically active. 1829 Drovetti was reinstated as Consul General of France in Egypt, but his interest in antiquities and excavations remained. Various agents searched his behalf and made ​​excavations.

During his time in Egypt Drovetti built up his own collection. As a traveler and collector of the famous Giovanni Battista Belzoni was his greatest rival, as Henry Salt. Salt and Drovetti had a kind of respectful relationship but nevertheless Salt Drovetti not trust. The reason for the fight between Drovetti and Belzoni was certainly due to the fact that there was a rivalry between the British and French agents on the purchase of antiques for the country. Drovetti was the agent for France and the UK Salt and Belzoni had done this. So there was some dispute as to the obelisk had been found at Philae or around the opening and exploration of the temple of Abu Simbel.

In his travels Drovetti came with other "travelers " in contact, among them Jean Jacques Rifaud, Frédéric Cailliaud, Robert Richardson, Baron v. Sack, Alessandro Ricci, Enegildo Frediani, Carlo Vidua, Edouard Montule, Franz Christian Gau and Linant de Belle Fund; continue with Edme Jomard and Jean Dubois Ayme.

Rifaud and Cailliaud were his traveling companion especially in the early days in Egypt. Not much is known about Rifaud, Cailliaud however, was a French mineralogist, geologist and rock collector. As a result of his collaboration with Drovetti he met the viceroy of Egypt Ali Pasha know to find the emerald mines of the Ptolemies which the mineralogy of the government hired him with the job. Salt and Drovetti did some expeditions together, Edme Jomard took part in the expedition that found the Rosetta stone by which the decipherment of hieroglyphs was possible.

With Caillaud and Rifaud Drovetti toured the northern Nubia and explored while the second cataract of the Nile and the temple of Abu Simbel. Drovettis collection was enormous, although he had not found anything themselves, but had bought from other excavators as well as local Arabs many pieces, which later went to various museums. Although he made the most of the excavations in the Thebes, which was divided between him and Henry Salt, his expeditions have taken him even after Fayum, Tanis and Abydos.

The legacy

Drovetti was indeed born as an Italian, but always committed in his service fully France. However, he always sold his antiques to the highest bidder. His demands for its Egyptology collection were exorbitant. He offered it to France and the Kingdom of Sardinia - Piedmont. Carlo Vidua who negotiated for the Piedmont, was awarded the contract in the end. The collection went to the University of Turin and provided the foundation for the museum in Turin.

Also, in the Museum of Egyptian Art in Munich, find objects that were purchased before 1830 by Drovettis mediation for the Bavarian King Ludwig I..

Writings

  • Lettres de Bernardino Drovetti, consul de France à Alexandrie: (1803 - 1830). Ed u come. by Sylvie Guichard. Maisonneuve & Larose, Paris 2003, ISBN 2-7068-1743-7.
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