Project « Collecting books: Raoul Warocqué’s books »

Books held a very important place in Raoul Warocqué’s life. At the time of his death in 1917, he had a library of over 33,000 volumes reflecting his interest in humanity, science and heritage. And yet we still do not fully understand the criteria which guided these acquisitions.

The aim is to explain the collector’s choices based on the old books and documentary sources held at Mariemont. The archives Warocqué left behind may also reveal his methods and provide information on the national and international channels involved (merchants, collectors, bibliophiles and friends).

Some of the books contain an indication of provenance which might tell us about their journey to Mariemont and even shed some light on the history of libraries which no longer exist.

Axes de recherche :

Collectionism and museum collections

Référent :

Bertrand Federinov

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European print culture from the 15th to 19th centuries

Printed matter is in a class of its own. It was produced solely by a community of qualified professionals bound by the rules of the trade

Bindings: between utilitarian design and works of art

The primary function of bindings is to protect the paper or parchment contents of the book.

Scientific team

Each curator is responsible for one of the museum sections (Egyptian & Near Eastern Antiquities, Greek & Roman Antiquities, Regional & Estate Archaeology, Decorative Arts, Non-European Arts, Regional & Estate History), its preservation and development. They also create the content for the Museum’s permanent and temporary exhibitions in their own specific field.

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