Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Benin – History'

Few exploratory ventures would ever be undertaken if the explorer appreciated his own limitations at the outset. Although his ultimate destination is unclear, the route uncertain, the terrain unfamiliar and the tools inadequate he is spurred initially by a self-assurance born of his own limited knowledge. Unfortunately, that same self-assurance ill-equips him for the difficulties which he inevitably has to face en route. This thesis has been no exception to this pattern. It has involved more than its fair share of blind alleys, false trails, disorientation, retracing of footsteps and re-establishment of bearings. It has occasionally been marked by that feeling of despairing bewilderment which confronts the uncertain traveller lost in unfamiliar territory or overwhelmed by the novelty and complexity of his surroundings. Like most exploratory journeys, it has been difficult to decide when the ultimate destination has been reached and almost impossible in restrospect to recall the exact route by which that particular point was achieved. However, the historian of Dahomey is fortunate in comparison with the explorer venturing into virgin territory. For he is well served by the pioneers who have blazed the trail before him and by the signposts which are available to him. The Kingdom of Dahomey has been well covered by primary source material and contemporary documentation and publications.

This master’s thesis discusses the environmental history of a collective family domain in South Western Benin Republic from 1960 to 2016. Research material was collected through fieldwork in 2014 and 2016 focusing mostly on collective and personal oral histories, and participatory map making. The results of the fieldwork were analysed through a relational theoretical view of landscape to find out whether transformations in the landscape between 1960 and 2016 could be related to the uptake of rice farming in the early 1970s. The conclusion is that while some transformations could be directly linked to the uptake of rice farming, a consideration of wider spatial and temporal scales shows that transformations in the research landscape are part of transformations on broader scales. The uptake of rice farming thus appears as a less dominant factor of transformations in the landscape when broader spatial and temporal scales are considered. The research also included experiments with co-creative fieldwork methodology, which broadened the created research material beyond the initial research focus and offered unique insights to the relation between people and the landscape in the research area.

Au cours de l’entre-deux-guerres, certains textes pontificaux, tels Maximum Illud (1919) de Benoît XV et Rerum Ecclesiae (1926) de Pie XI, ont marqué un tournant très important dans la réflexion missiologique, donnant non seulement une nouvelle impulsion aux missions elles-mêmes mais encore suscitant une nouvelle pratique de l’art chrétien dans les pays de mission. Après avoir été foncièrement européocentrique, la politique iconographique des missionnaires s’efforça désormais d’aboutir à la création d’un art sacré mieux adapté à l’imaginaire, aux langages d’images et aux sensibilités diverses des pays de mission. Forts de ces orientations et surtout encouragés par la prédisposition de l’art local à offrir à la pensée chrétienne de nobles formes d’expression, les missionnaires de la Société des Missions Africaines œuvrèrent activement pour l’émergence de l’art chrétien au Bénin. Les caractéristiques particulières que présente, dans ce pays, l’émergence de l’art chrétien et la richesse des collections d’objets de facture chrétienne par rapport à celles des autres pays d’Afrique méritaient qu’on leur consacre une recherche approfondie. Outre la constitution d’un corpus iconographique, la thèse propose la contextualisation des œuvres, l’examen de leurs diverses fonctions et l’analyse des paradigmes successifs répondant à la nouvelle perspective missiologique : l’inculturation
Papal texts such as Maximum Illud (1919) by Benedict XV or Rerum Ecclesiae (1926) by Pius XI show that the interwar period represented a watershed in missiological thought which gave a new impetus to missions. Hence a new strategy concerning Christian art in “mission countries” was adopted. Because it had beforehand been centred on Europe, the missionaries’ iconographical policy then consisted in creating a form of sacred art which fitted the various cultural characteristics of “mission countries” better. Armed with these tendencies and above all encouraged by the fact that local art could give noble expressions to Christian thought, the missionaries of “La Société des Missions Africaines” worked for the emergence of Christian art in Benin. Christian art in Benin is highly distinctive and the collections of this country boast a significant number of objects of Christian craftsmanship which deserve a thorough research work. Thus, as well as putting an iconographical corpus together, this thesis will describe the background of the works, examine their various functions, and analyse their successive paradigms which correspond to the new missiological perspective: inculturation

A diferencia de la importancia de las investigaciones que, tradicionalmente, han dado protagonismo al mundo andino, son muy pocos los estudios que, desde el ámbito disciplinario de la historia, han abordado los territorios y las sociedades de las denominadas tierras bajas. En Bolivia, esto significa referirse, fundamentalmente, a la Amazonía que era percibida como “tierras baldías”, sin dueño, al margen de la civilización y susceptibles de ser ocupadas. En este sentido, desde mediados del siglo XIX, la amazonía boliviana pasó a ser administrada por el recién creado departamento del Beni, cuya historia sólo ha sido abordada recientemente y focalizada en acontecimientos del siglo XX. No obstante, se desconocen los aspectos más significativos de la historia socioeconómica y política del Beni durante la etapa de construcción de Bolivia como estado-nación siendo el estudio de este proceso el objetivo general de la tesis. Entendiendo que la conformación y consolidación del estado boliviano pasaba por el control de la amazonía, este trabajo aborda los avances y retrocesos producidos en el proceso de construcción del departamento del Beni, a través de las distintas políticas desarrolladas por el Estado. Ello ha permitido comprender los aspectos más importantes de la región beniana desde 1842, año de la creación del departamento, hasta el establecimiento definitivo de sus límites interestatales e interdepartamentales, en 1938. Así, se han analizado los programas y disposiciones estatales que pretendían nacionalizar la amazonía, siendo de especial interés aquellas que perseguían la exploración y colonización del territorio, la organización político-administrativa del departamento y su definición jurisdiccional; se han considerado también las relaciones, actitudes y prácticas desarrolladas por los grupos dirigentes, los grupos de poder local y regional y las poblaciones indígenas en el ejercicio de sus derechos y el acceso a las cotas de poder político y económico, que permitieron la construcción de la sociedad regional; y, finalmente, se han identificado las principales transformaciones de carácter socioeconómico de la región y, por ende, en la gestión de los recursos naturales y la tierra. Los principales aportes de esta investigación radican en la disección de las políticas estatales relativas hacia el Beni, y el uso y apropiación de éstas por parte de la sociedad local (blanco-mestiza e indígena) en el contexto de construcción del estado-nación boliviano. De ello se desprende que la construcción del departamento y de la sociedad beniana fue posible, fundamentalmente, por el control privado de los recursos naturales y económicos -tierras, ganadería, bosques- existentes en la región por parte de los actores locales y regionales en detrimento, en la mayor parte de las ocasiones, del Estado y también de las poblaciones indígenas. En fin, consideramos que la investigación realizada muestra la incapacidad de todos los gobiernos bolivianos para desarrollar sus políticas orientalistas –defensa de la soberanía, colonización del territorio, etc.- siendo lo acontecido en el Beni, buen indicador de la debilidad e incapacidad de los dirigentes bolivianos para incorporar la amazonía a la república a lo largo del siglo XIX e inicios del siglo XX.
“For a history of Beni. A socioeconomic, political and ideological study of the Bolivian Amazon, centuries XIX-XX.” SUMMARY: There are very few studies that approach, from the discipline of history, to the territories and the societies of the lowlands. In Bolivia, refers principally to the Amazon, perceived as "the uncultivated lands" that must be occupied. From the middle of 19th century, the Bolivian Amazon was administrated by the department of Beni, whose history in the republican era has been poorly approached. Thus, the general aim of this thesis is the study of the most significant political and socioeconomic aspects of the history of Beni during the construction of Bolivia as nation-state. The control of the Amazon was basic for the consolidation of the Bolivian nation-state. Through diverse policies developed by the State, this thesis examines the progress and setbacks in the construction of the department of Beni, since 1842, the year of the department’s creation, until the final demarcation of their borders in 1938. It analyzes the government programs and regulations that wanted to nationalize the Amazon through the exploration and colonization of the territory, political and administrative organization of the department of Beni and its jurisdiction. Also considers the relationships, attitudes and practices developed by the local and regional groups and indigenous peoples in the exercise of their rights and access to political positions and economic power. And finally, identifies the main socioeconomic transformations in the region and in the management of natural resources and land. The main contributions of this research are in the dissection of state policies concerning the Beni, and the use and the appropriation of them by local society (white-mestizo and indigenous) in the context of construction of the Bolivian nation-state. Thus, the construction the department of Beni and their society was possible mainly by the private control of natural and economic resources of the region -land, livestock and forests- by local and regional groups against, in occasions, the State and indigenous populations. In short, the history of Beni shows the weakness and inability of Bolivian leaders to incorporate the Amazon to the republic during the 19th and early 20th century.

This thesis is concerned with situating the works of Anna Kavan (1901-1968), Alexander Trocchi (1925-1984) and Ann Quin (1936-1973) within a discussion of British mid-twentieth century fiction. The relative neglect of these authors in academic criticism may be due to the fact that much British experimental writing has previously been ignored in surveys of this period. This thesis argues that a study of their work warrants a more nuanced understanding of the mid-twentieth century literary landscape than conventional accounts have allowed for. In that sense, it aims to contribute to research undertaken in more recent years which is concerned with revising dominant accounts of this period. The broader framework for the thesis is provided in Chapter 1 which examines past and present accounts and categorizations of mid-twentieth century British fiction. The remaining three chapters then focus on the 1940s work of Kavan, the fiction written during the 1950s by Trocchi and Quin’s novels of the 1960s. As well as contributing to research concerned with overviews of this period, this thesis furthers individual studies of each of the novelists presented here. By drawing on archival material and reading their works in conversation with their time and place, it attempts to understand the ways in which the experimental fiction of these three authors responded to the social, cultural and historical forces at work in Britain between the forties and the sixties. Whilst all three authors started out from a strategy of subjectivity, rooting their experimentation in a turn inwards, their works, as this thesis suggests, can be construed of as political in their concern with drawing attention to the osmotic effects of exteriority on interiority.

L’étude des romans et des recueils de récits publiés par Stefano Benni entre 1976 et 2009 a pour but d’illustrer la poétique de cet écrivain à travers l’analyse des éléments thématiques, stylistiques et philosophiques qui la composent. Dans la première partie les thèmes déclinent la valeur de la narration orale et des lieux de socialisation, l’exploration de mondes imaginaires et de leur richesses, la solitude de l’individu, l’enfance avec sa capacité d’imagination et la vieillesse avec sa capacité de mémoire. Le repérage thématique effectué dans la première partie a montré que la production de Benni n’est conçue qu’à l’intérieur du contexte social contemporain, qui est à l’origine d’un travail autour de la parole et de sa signification. Cette partie de la recherche a été indispensable pour identifier les étapes motivationnelles qui déclenchent chez Benni la naissance du texte. L’identification du pouvoir cognitif que Benni reconnaît à la littérature a conduit à étudier, dans la troisième partie, l’arrière-plan philosophique dont s’inspirent la poétique et la vision du monde de Benni. Le processus de la création littéraire chez Benni part de l’observation du réel pour ensuite migrer vers une transfiguration humoristique en laquelle l’écrivain transpose aussi la tension qui s’engendre entre le sentiment individuel conditionné par les faits et la description représentative des faits mêmes. L’écrivain humoriste active ainsi des mécanismes de prise de conscience, de fraternité dans l’angoisse, de confiance dans le changement
This study of the narrative works by Stefano Benni published between 1976 and 2009 aims to illustrate his poetic style through the analysis of its thematic, stylistic and philosophic elements. Themes have been identified to reflect Benni’s values: the importance of oral communication and socialization, the power of imagination to explore new worlds and new solutions, the importance of human diversity in the contemporary society, childhood with its visionary capacity and old age with its memory. Benni’s body of work exists within a contemporary social context. To the reader this is evident on every page due to his careful choice of words and rhythm. All forms of his humor are examined in order to recognize it as the most representative language for the contemporary complexity. This part of the research was essential to identify the motivation behind Benni’s writings. The cognitive power associated with his literature led us to study Benni’s philosophic background and his vision of the world in the third section. The literary process enables the writer to juxtapose the tensions that exist between individual feelings and emotions with the events surrounding a given situation. In this way humor and imagination stimulate empathy, awareness and a faith in change

Au Maroc, la fin du XXe siècle a été marquée par son thème nodal : la décentralisation. Repenser le cadre géographique national pour l'adapter à la nouvelle réalité économique et politique du pays, faire sortir les particularités de chaque région dans le but de trouver un équilibre entre ses ressources humaines et ses potentialités économiques constituent la pierre angulaire de toute promotion du pays pour les siècles à venir. L'analyse de l'arrière-pays de Meknès, territoire dont les richesses aussi bien économiques que culturelles et sociales sont indéniables, constitue une approche nouvelle de ce problème. Il s'agit en fait de suivre l'évolution historique des populations de cette région d'y analyser les transformations sociales, économiques et politiques, de juger les orientation politique projetées par les gouvernements dans ce territoire afin de pouvoir en mesurer le poids et la réalité. Ainsi, après avoir limité l'espace étudié comme assiette sur laquelle s'exerce l'effort humain et fait sortir ses particularités géographiques et ses potentialités économiques et sociales, nous avons procédé à l'analyse de sa mise en valeur. En effet, l'étude de l'activité agro-pastorale, en liaison avec l’activité commerciale et la situation socio-économique du pays nous a permis d'appréhender les fondements des systèmes de valeurs qui régissent la vie quotidienne des populations et l'effort humain dans la région, l'organisation administrative du territoire, avec ses aspects socioculturels ainsi que l'analyse des évènements qui ont marqué l'histoire de la région montrent bien l'impact de la tradition locale sur les rapports de l'administration avec ses administrés et sur la réaction des tribus à la nouvelle réalité économique et politique du pays. L'emprise de l'administration française sur la région fut marquée par l'instauration d'un nouvel ordre aussi bien administratif qu'économique et politique qui s'est développé au détriment des valeurs communautaires, base de toute cohésion tribale. Une organisation territoriale fut rapidement mise en place en vue d'assurer le commandement du pays. Cette initiative fut suivie par la promulgation de nouvelles législations permettant la mobilisation des terres en faveur d'une colonisation avide de profits provoquant d'une part une ruine des activités économiques traditionnelles et l'apparition de nouveaux phénomènes socio-économiques
In Morocco, the main characteristic of the late twentieth century was : decentralisation to rethink the national geographical framework in order to adapt it to the new economic and political reality of the country, to bring out the particular features of each region in order to get the balance between its human ressources and its economic potentialities : these two sleps constitute the corner stone for promoting the country in the forthcoming centuries. Analyzing Meknes hinterland, territory which economic as well as cultural and social wealth are unquestionable, constitutes a new approach of the matter. In fact it's a matter of following the evolution of the populations living in that precise region, analylizing the social, economic and political changes and then judging the political tendencies considered by the governements for that territory in order to be able to weigh up the consequences and the reality. Therefore, after defining the space studied, area in which human beings thrire work in order to enhance its geographical specificities as well as its economic and social potentialities, we analyzed its exploitation. It's tene that stydying the agro pastoral activity in relation with the commercial activity and the socio-economic situation of the country allowed us the understand the foundation of the value system governing the daily life of these populations and the human effort in the region. The administrative organization of the territory with its sociocultural aspects as well as the analysis of the events which played an essential part in the history of the region are a good illustration of the impact of local traditions on the relationship between the administration and the citizens and on the tribes reactions over that new political and economic reality of the country. A territorial organization has been quickly set up in order to control the country. That move has been immediatly followed by the promulgation of new legislations allowing to mobilize lands for a colonization greedy for profit, which caused, on the one hand, the ruin of the traditional economic activities with new socio-economic aspects on phenomens and on the other hand, a cultural split with such an exploitation of the colonized space comes an administrative organization characterized by its duality as well as some contradictions in the implementations of its principes

Nous définissons tout d'abord les acteurs de l'énonciation du discours du manuel. En amont, les destinateurs des programmes scolaires de 1882 nous orientent vers un énonciateur tout-puissant. Dans le manuel lui-même, ce sont les auteurs littéraires cités par Rotgès qui apportent au discours leur caution d'autorité. Nous examinons ensuite les formations textuelles du manuel. Les leçons de grammaire cherchent à structurer le monde de leur énonciataire. Les lectures, à l'aide d'ambigus déictiques personnels, cherchent à dicter au lecteur ce qu'il doit être, faire et devenir. Les leçons de vocabulaire imposent une vision normative de l'histoire et de la morale. Enfin, nous identifions, dans les leçons de grammaire et les sujets de composition française, des traces d'une deixis fondatrice : les catéchismes catholiques. Nous dégageons alors les caractéristiques contextuelles, énonciatives, intertextuelles et hypertextuelles d'un genre propre à ce manuel, genre attesté entre 1871 et 1968
We first define the actors of his utterance. Upstream, the addressers of the school programs of 1882 direct us towards an all-powerful enunciator. In the handbook itself, they are the literary authors quoted by E. Rotgès who bring to the discourse their guarantee of authority. Then, we examine the discourse formations existing in the handbook. The grammar lessons try to structure the world of their enunciate. The lectures, exploiting the ambigui͏̈ty of the personal deictics, try to involve the reader, imposing to him who to be, what to do and who to. . . Become. The vocabulary lessons impose a normative vision of the story and moral. Lastly, we find in the grammar lessons, and in the subjects of french composition, traces of a founder deixis identified : the catholic catechisms. Then, we establish the contextual, enunciatives, intertextual and hypertextual characteristics of a specific genre to this handbook, genre attested between 1871 and 1968

This thesis takes as its area of exploration the papal chapel choir and its repertory, alongside the papacy and its patronage of the arts at the end of the fifteenth century. It draws on previous research concerning the singers, polyphonic manuscripts and artistic culture of the Vatican, but places Pope Alexander VI as the central figure of the thesis, showing schemes of patronage that shaped his reign. The research presents a transcription and analysis of the hymn cycle contained within the manuscript Cappella Sistina 15, alongside an assessment of the polyphonic music collection and places these against accounts of music making and evidence of music copying at the papal chapel during Alexander’s reign. The thesis also considers the environment of secular music making at Alexander’s court. In order to provide a context in which to understand this information, the life of Alexander VI is examined, tracing his artistic patronage and involvement with music both prior to his election and afterwards. Of particular note is the engagement of the artist Pintoricchio to decorate the papal apartments. Here, the artist’s representation of music as part of the seven liberal arts is analysed, providing a unique, contemporary and important insight into music practices in Alexander’s court. Three classifications of patronage are identified for Alexander’s reign, while also showing that these were strategies that he had used before he became pope. The music culture at the papal chapel is shown to be part of this strategy, through the consolidation of old music and the introduction of new music into the repertory, ending a task that had taken approximately 60 years. It shows that Alexander’s reign was an important period musically, that instituted new musical traditions and created an environment that prepared the way for the golden ages of patronage of Julius II and Leo X.

L’université du Bénin (ex Dahomey), étudiée entre 1950 et 2002, est un essai de contribution à l’histoire des universités en Afrique subsaharienne. L’ambition de cette recherche a été de montrer comment une université a pu être un lieu-clé dans le processus de construction nationale du Dahomey-Bénin, au lendemain des indépendances africaines de 1960. Créée en 1970, grâce essentiellement à l’appui de la France, l’université du Bénin, à l’instar de toutes celles de l’Afrique francophone, est marquée par un conflit permanent entre continuité et rupture avec le système éducatif hérité de l’époque coloniale. Conçue comme l’institution publique de formation des élites, l’université du Bénin est aussi un haut lieu de militantisme de la jeunesse et d’opposition au pouvoir, avec des répercutions sur la vie nationale entière. Étudier l’histoire de l’université, c’est en définitive, faire l’histoire de la société, de la jeunesse, des élites, du pouvoir, de l’administration et des relations internationales. Aussi, comprendre les enjeux des transformations de l’enseignement supérieur au Bénin aujourd’hui, nous apparaît-il, à la lueur de nos propres recherches, nécessiter des collaborations internationales permettant de croiser les échelles d’analyse et de multiplier les points de vue
The University of Benin (ex Dahomey), studied between 1950 and 2002, is an attempt to contribute to the history of universities in sub-Saharan Africa. The ambition of this research was to show how a university could be a key place in the process of national construction of Dahomey-Benin, following the independence of Africa in 1960. Established in 1970, with mainly to the support of France, the University of Benin, like all those in French-speaking Africa, is marked by a permanent conflict between continuity and rupture with the educational system inherited from the colonial era. The Benin University, conceived as a public institution for the training of elites, is also a center of youth activism and opposition to power, with repercussions on the entire national life. To study the history of the university means ultimately to study the story of the society, youth, elites, power, administration and international relations. To understand the challenges of the transformations of higher education in Benin today, it appears to us, in the light of our own research, to require international collaborations allowing to cross the scales of analysis and to diversify the points of view

This study examines the Oba of Benin Royal Ugie ceremonies, which is an annual religious and cultural event celebrated by the Benin speaking people of Edo State, Nigeria. As a communal and spiritual activity, the Oba and people of Benin kingdom mark the Ugie festivals with Musical and dance performances. Within this context, the study adopts the historical and participant approaches as its method of contending that some events during the Oba of Benin Royal Ugie festival ceremonies are colorful theatrical performances. The organizational structure of the Oba of Benin Palace as it relates to the observance of Ugie festival ceremonies is also discussed in this research. This study also examines the role Ewini music plays in the various Oba of Benin Royal Ugie festival ceremonies, thereby looking at its origin, socio-cultural context, formation procedure, instrumentation, and organizational set-up. This research also recommends different ways in which music practitioner can benefit by applying a theatrical approach to the study of these royal Ugie ceremonies and its music and also the ability of the festival ceremonies to continue to act as an instrument of stability and unity for the people of Benin kingdom, by bringing people from different walks of life together during the performance at Ugie ceremonies. For clarity, all non-english words are defined in the glossary section on page 73.
Art History, Visual Arts & Musicology
M.Mus.

Le tableau de Jean-Baptiste Belin de Fontenay intitulé Vase d’or, fleurs et buste de Louis XIV est le morceau de réception que le peintre a présenté à l’Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture en 1687. Malheureusement peu étudié, ce tableau n’en comporte pas moins trois problématiques très intéressantes. Tout d’abord, il rassemble trois genres de peinture dans une seule composition : la nature morte, le portrait et la peinture d’histoire, illustrés respectivement par les fleurs, le buste du roi et la pièce d’armure. L’association de ces trois genres dans un tableau de nature morte est peu commune dans la peinture française du 17e siècle. Il est donc nécessaire de vérifier s’il existe un lien entre les fleurs, l’image de Louis XIV et l’armure. Ensuite, le contraste entre la polychromie des fleurs et la monochromie de la sculpture et de l’ameublement est frappante ; il est possible de lier ce contraste au phénomène des débats entre le dessin et la couleur de l’Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture à la deuxième moitié du 17e siècle. D’ailleurs, les fleurs, qui n’étaient pas le sujet central dans le programme original de Le Brun, deviennent le sujet principal du tableau et occupent une place plus importante que le buste de Louis XIV. Cette modification n’a cependant pas choqué les juges de l’Académie puisque la toile a été acceptée sans contestation. Elle amène donc à s’interroger sur la hiérarchie des genres de peinture qui est la doctrine officielle de l’Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture de l’époque. Le noyau de la recherche consiste à vérifier si les fleurs n’occupent qu’une simple fonction décorative ou si elles peuvent être associées à des symboles. Notre recherche examine d’abord l’utilisation des symboles floraux dans la culture française du 17e siècle. Par la suite, elle étudie cette utilisation dans le domaine politique, à savoir que les fleurs pourraient être liées à la louange de Louis XIV. Enfin, elle analyse les domaines artistiques et esthétiques, c’est-à-dire la façon dont le tableau reflète, par l’utilisation des symboles floraux, l’évolution des théories de l’art, la hiérarchie des genres de peinture et les débats du dessin et de la couleur, en France, durant la deuxième moitié du 17e siècle.
The painting by Jean-Baptiste Belin de Fontenay, Vase d’or, fleurs et buste de Louis XIV, is a reception piece of the french academician painter to the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture in 1687. Unfortunately having been little studied, this painting reveals three very interesting issues. First of all, it contain three kind of painting in one composition: still life, portrait and history painting, illustrated respectively by the flowers, the bust of Louis XIV and the piece of armor. The combination of these three types in a still life is uncommon in the 17th century French painting. It is therefore necessary to check if there is a link between the flowers, the picture of Louis XIV and the armor. Then, the contrast between the polychrome of the flowers and the monochrome of the sculpture and furniture is striking, it is possible to associate this contrast to the phenomenon of the debates between drawing and color of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture during the second half of the 17th century. Moreover, the flowers, which were not the central subject in the original program of Le Brun, become the main subject of the table and occupy a more important place than the bust of Louis XIV. This change has not shocked the judges of the Academy since the painting was accepted without question. It therefore leads to think about the hierarchy of genres of painting, which was the official doctrine of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture at the time. The core of this research is to see if the flowers occupy a mere decorative function, or whether they may be associated with symbols. Our research will verify the employ of floral symbols in French culture of the 17th century and then developed this employ not only in the political field, which means the flowers are in praise of Louis XIV, but also in the aesthetics domain, that is to say how the painting reflects by employing floral symbols the evolution of the theories of art in France during the second half of the 17th century, the hierarchy of genres of painting and the debates between drawing and color.

Le tableau de Jean-Baptiste Belin de Fontenay intitulé Vase d’or, fleurs et buste de Louis XIV est le morceau de réception que le peintre a présenté à l’Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture en 1687. Malheureusement peu étudié, ce tableau n’en comporte pas moins trois problématiques très intéressantes. Tout d’abord, il rassemble trois genres de peinture dans une seule composition : la nature morte, le portrait et la peinture d’histoire, illustrés respectivement par les fleurs, le buste du roi et la pièce d’armure. L’association de ces trois genres dans un tableau de nature morte est peu commune dans la peinture française du 17e siècle. Il est donc nécessaire de vérifier s’il existe un lien entre les fleurs, l’image de Louis XIV et l’armure. Ensuite, le contraste entre la polychromie des fleurs et la monochromie de la sculpture et de l’ameublement est frappante ; il est possible de lier ce contraste au phénomène des débats entre le dessin et la couleur de l’Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture à la deuxième moitié du 17e siècle. D’ailleurs, les fleurs, qui n’étaient pas le sujet central dans le programme original de Le Brun, deviennent le sujet principal du tableau et occupent une place plus importante que le buste de Louis XIV. Cette modification n’a cependant pas choqué les juges de l’Académie puisque la toile a été acceptée sans contestation. Elle amène donc à s’interroger sur la hiérarchie des genres de peinture qui est la doctrine officielle de l’Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture de l’époque. Le noyau de la recherche consiste à vérifier si les fleurs n’occupent qu’une simple fonction décorative ou si elles peuvent être associées à des symboles. Notre recherche examine d’abord l’utilisation des symboles floraux dans la culture française du 17e siècle. Par la suite, elle étudie cette utilisation dans le domaine politique, à savoir que les fleurs pourraient être liées à la louange de Louis XIV. Enfin, elle analyse les domaines artistiques et esthétiques, c’est-à-dire la façon dont le tableau reflète, par l’utilisation des symboles floraux, l’évolution des théories de l’art, la hiérarchie des genres de peinture et les débats du dessin et de la couleur, en France, durant la deuxième moitié du 17e siècle.
The painting by Jean-Baptiste Belin de Fontenay, Vase d’or, fleurs et buste de Louis XIV, is a reception piece of the french academician painter to the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture in 1687. Unfortunately having been little studied, this painting reveals three very interesting issues. First of all, it contain three kind of painting in one composition: still life, portrait and history painting, illustrated respectively by the flowers, the bust of Louis XIV and the piece of armor. The combination of these three types in a still life is uncommon in the 17th century French painting. It is therefore necessary to check if there is a link between the flowers, the picture of Louis XIV and the armor. Then, the contrast between the polychrome of the flowers and the monochrome of the sculpture and furniture is striking, it is possible to associate this contrast to the phenomenon of the debates between drawing and color of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture during the second half of the 17th century. Moreover, the flowers, which were not the central subject in the original program of Le Brun, become the main subject of the table and occupy a more important place than the bust of Louis XIV. This change has not shocked the judges of the Academy since the painting was accepted without question. It therefore leads to think about the hierarchy of genres of painting, which was the official doctrine of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture at the time. The core of this research is to see if the flowers occupy a mere decorative function, or whether they may be associated with symbols. Our research will verify the employ of floral symbols in French culture of the 17th century and then developed this employ not only in the political field, which means the flowers are in praise of Louis XIV, but also in the aesthetics domain, that is to say how the painting reflects by employing floral symbols the evolution of the theories of art in France during the second half of the 17th century, the hierarchy of genres of painting and the debates between drawing and color.