Another prehistory room at the Musée d'Archéologie nationale
A veritable room to go back in time!
Born in 1827, Édouard Piette studied law and became a justice of the peace. After the war of 1870, which took its toll on his health, Édouard Piette took a spa treatment in the Pyrenees.
Piette's career as a judge of the peace began to take shape
It was in this region that, from 1871 to 1897, he excavated the prehistoric caves of Gourdan (Haute-Garonne), Lortet (Hautes-Pyrénées) Arudy (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), Mas d'Azil (Ariège) and Brassempouy (Landes) and discovered numerous Paleolithic tools and artefacts, including the famous "Dame à la Capuche". Although he financed his research himself, Édouard Piette did not sell his fabulous collection, but donated it to the Musée des Antiquités Nationales in 1904.
He did, however, attach certain conditions to his donation. His collection was to be displayed in a room reserved for it, in accordance with its classification, and this presentation was to remain unchanged. As in the museum of the time, as many objects as possible are displayed in oak showcases, on red felt backgrounds.
After a hundred years of existence, the Piette room has been restored - not renovated - in keeping with the clauses of the donation. A compromise has been found between, on the one hand, the old presentation, which cannot be altered, and, on the other hand, current safety and conservation standards, not forgetting the comfort of the public.
After one hundred years of existence, the Salle Piette has been restored - not renovated - in compliance with the terms of the donation
The Piette Room is now open to groups of eighteen for guided tours.
It takes us back over a century, to the birth of prehistoric science and, of course, several dozen millennia ago...
