Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Vénerie Museum is a municipal museum in Senlis (Oise), created in 1935 by Charles-Jean Hallo, an animal painter passionate about hunting. Originally, he occupied the chapel of the former hospital of Charity, inaugurated in 1887, but the collections were piled up in a disorder as it was decided to reorganize them around the theme of veneration. Hallo dispersed much of the original historical collections, exchanging non-hunting pieces for specialized objects from French museums or donations. This choice marked a break with the city museum's versatile past, now centered on a unique theme.

During World War II, the museum suffered extensive damage and was often closed. Close in the chapel, the municipality sought a new location and in 1956 acquired the residence of the prior of the priory of Saint-Maurice, property of the Turquet de la Boisserie family since 1816. This 18th-century building, located in the park of the ruins of the Royal Castle of Senlis, was renovated to accommodate the museum, inaugurated in 1958. Work continued until 1979 when the last floors were opened to the public. The renovation was supervised by Georges de Lastic, who preserved the warm atmosphere of a inhabited house.

The museum's collections revolve around hunting, with paintings, engravings, sculptures and objects related to imperial veneration, forests, dogs and wolves. Major works include works by Alexandre-François Desportes (priêt du Louvre), Jean-Baptiste Oudry, and watercolours by Countess Mathilde Turquet de la Boisserie. The museum also exhibits furry outfits, hunting trunks and trophies, such as deer woods killed in the forests of the Oise. Nearby, a copy of the Diane au deer by Jean Goujon and an obelisk of the eighteenth century, originally erected to celebrate the birth of Marie-Thérèse de France, complete the journey.

The history of the museum is inseparable from that of Senlis, a city marked by the ancestral practice of veneration. Charles Hallo's choice reflected the cultural importance of hunting in the region, while the acquisition of the prior's home illustrated the municipality's desire to enhance this heritage. Today, the museum, inscribed in the Historical Monuments, dialogue with other local sites, such as the Museum of Art and Archaeology (located in the former Episcopal Palace) or the Spahis Museum, located at the entrance of the Royal Castle Park.

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