The Abdication of Doge Foscari by the Saint Malo painter Duveau (1818-1867), exhibited at the 1850 Exhibition, is one of the handsome paintings of medieval inspiration displayed in the museum’s Salon Rouge. Despite the work’s evident quality, Duveau did not see any official success over the course of his career.

When the studio works of Sylvestre Clerc were sold, the museum acquired preparatory bas-reliefs of well-known works by the artist, including the model of Hercules as a Child in stone, which won the silver medal at the French artists’ exhibition (Salon des Artistes Français) in 1928, which took place in the Allées Frédéric Mistral in Toulouse.

The bust of Marcel Langer is that which adorned his monument in the Terre Cabade cemetery.

By acquiring the bas-reliefs created for the Toulouse Public library, then named the “Temple of Thought,” the museum complements the history of this building, the ornamentation of which was the major work of Sylvestre Clerc. These preparatory bas-reliefs let us follow the creation of sculptured works to which the artist was committed, heart and soul.

Ancient Legends illustrates the great founding myths of modern thought and Arts and Letters pays homage to recognized or anonymous authors who contributed to the emancipation of the human mind.