Architecture display
Oriental Architecture

Oriental Architecture: knowledge and interpretation

Room 17

The Musée d'Orsay collections of architectural drawings and photographs reveal how the Orient acquired such great importance in the French architectural culture of the 19th century. The traditional study trip led architects to discover Byzantine and Arabic art, either by observing traces of these civilisations in Italy and Spain or, directly by visiting Asia Minor and later North Africa.

Record drawings of archaeological remains, picturesque views and photographs contributed to creating a new body of historical knowledge and enriching the creativity of architects. These "Orientalist" creations took many forms. From the Byzantine Orient to the variety of expressions of Arabic art, architects exhibited great diversity in their references, their approaches and their motivation.
Whilst the Byzantine cupola, the symbol of the origins of Christianity, influenced rationalist architects, Islamic decoration fascinated those more interested in decoration. French architects were also involved in the urban development of countries subject to European influence, bringing together western references and local culture.

Oriental Architecture: the Egyptian example

Room 21

19th century Egypt was an intensely cosmopolitan country and was imbued, in the wake of Bonaparte’s Expedition and the numerous works by Egyptologist Champollion, with a French cultural presence. The construction of the Suez Canal was one of the most symbolic expressions of this: successfully completed by Ferdinand de Lesseps' Universal Company and inaugurated by the Empress Eugénie in November 1869, this vast building project had been envisaged by the Saint-Simonians in the 1820s.

French architects were also involved in the urbanisation of Cairo initiated by Ismaïl Pasha. The Musée d’Orsay collections illustrate the diversity of their works through the figures of Ambroise Baudry and Raoul Brandon: whereas the buildings of Baudry, who became an avid collector of Arabic art, drew on archaeological references taken from Cairene monuments of the Mamluk and Ottoman periods, Brandon chose to bring over the great models of European architecture, be they Neo-Gothic, Neo-Classic or the Eclecticism of Haussmann's Paris.