Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Comtadin-Duplessis Museum, located in Carpentras, finds its origins in the collections gathered by Joseph-Dominique d'Inguimbert (1683-1757), originally presented in the rooms of the Inguimbertine Library. These collections, archaeological, pictorial and scientific, were described as early as 1757 in departmental archives. In 1847, when the library was moved to the Hotel d'Allemand, the works continued to be exhibited there, mixing writings and art objects.

In 1888, a new building, funded by Antoine Eysséric and Casimir Pascal and designed by architect Jean Camille Formigé, was inaugurated specifically to house the art collections upstairs. The ground floor then hosted the municipal drawing school. This place was named Duplessis Museum in tribute to the local painter Joseph Siffrein Duplessis. The museum gradually specialized, with the creation in 1913 of the Museum Comtadin (or Museon Countadin), inspired by the Museon Arlaten, dedicated to the popular arts and traditions of Comtat Venaissin.

The museum's collections were rich and varied: local ethnography (styles, santons, ex-voto), paintings by Provencal, Italian, and French schools (including works by Joseph Vernet, Louise Catherine Breslau, or Hyacinthe Rigaud), as well as sculptures. Among the major pieces were Gamines (1890) by Breslau, acquired by the state in 1893, and paintings by Provencal Primitives like Nicolas Dipre. In May 2022, the museum closed permanently, and its collections were transferred to the Inguimbertine Library, installed in the Hôtel-Dieu de Carpentras.

The museum's history reflects the evolution of local museum practices, from a mixed presentation in a library to a dedicated space, and then a reintegration into a wider heritage complex. His legacy continues through the preserved works, testifying both to regional history and to the commitment of patrons and local artists.

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