Whatever its value to other disciplines, this essay is particularly rewarding for philosophical aes­thetics, and deserves to be on all our reading lists; that it has not yet featured there prominently is a tragic accident of history.

The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism

In 1815, while Napoleon was bringing art to Paris for the people to enjoy, Quatremère de Quincy completed a biting critique of the removal of ancient art to modern museums. To “gather together the disparate fragments, methodically classify the debris, and render out of such a reunion a practical course in modern chronology: this is for a living nation to become a dead nation; this is for its living members to preside at its funeral; this is to kill Art to make history... or rather, not so much history, as an epitaph.” Quatremère argued that “the true love of antiquity requires you to separate as little as possible these venerable fragments from their places, their circumstances, and all the accessory elements with which they stand in relation.” The beauty of ancient art “finds its . . . realm in the faith of the viewer.” Modern critical reason is no substitute for removing a sculpture from a temple, because displaced objects lose “their real value by losing their proper use!”
In only the second English translation since 1821, Ruprecht sets the scene politically and philosophically, making abundantly clear the relevance of this polemic to contemporary cultural debate. His excellent commentary illuminates the great divide between Quatremère’s insistence on classical perfection and his rejection of revolutionary secularism.

Carol C. Mattusch, George Mason University

Ruprecht makes a significant contribution to Comparative Religion and Museum studies with his translation of Quatremère’s Moral Considerations. This translation with an introduction addresses the complex relationship between religion, secularism, art, and the imperial politics of post-revolutionary France. Ruprecht’s timely work encourages reflection on the need for art as a public good and source of inspiration, which is in tension with the “culture of display” that characterized the early history of the modern museum and, in a related way, haunts our contemporary context.

Shannon Dunn, Gonzaga University