Molinier, Émile

Date born: 1857

Place Born: Nantes, France

Date died: 1906

Place died: Paris, France

Art dealer, museum curator, and historian of medieval and Renaissance art. Molinier began his career at Ecole des Chartres, where he studied for three years. His brother, Auguste, was a well-known medievalist, and encouraged Emile to pursue art historical scholarship. He was hired to work at the Bibliotheque Nationale for one year before accepting a position at the Louvre in the Département des Objets. In 1886, Molinier published Les Plaquettes, demonstrating his interest in the Italian Renaissance. Throughout his career, he maintained a dual interest in medieval and Renaissance art, publishing catalogues on several museum collections, including the Louvre, the Wallace Collection in London, and the Tresoro di San Marco in Venice. In his book on the history of the applied arts, Molinier produced one of the first studies of Byzantine ivories. After organizing a retrospective exhibition of French art at the 1900 Universal Exposition, Molinier retired from the Louvre in order to work as an art dealer. LMW

Home Country: France

Sources: Bazin 374, 382;  The Dictionary of Art

Bibliography:  Histoire générale des arts appliqués à l'industrie du Ve siècle à la fin du XVIIe. (unfinished)