Our initiatives in support of museums

In 2025

▪▪▪ restoration of the Battle of Waterloo diorama

This year, we have contributed to the funding for the restoration of the Battle of Waterloo diorama (created by Charles Laurent between 1905 and 1923).

An iconic work and one particularly appreciated by visitors, this diorama stands as a remarkable testament to the skill of the figurine-makers and the ability of figurines to bring history to life in a vivid and immersive way.

Since 23 May 2026, the restored diorama has taken centre stage in the new exhibition layout at the Figurine Museum.

▪▪▪ acquisition of a Warhammer game board

Furthermore, our commitment to the new Figurine Museum has also resulted in the acquisition of a Warhammer game set, comprising figurines and modelling equipment.

Displayed in the area dedicated to the various uses of figurines, this set should help attract a new audience, particularly fans of fantasy worlds and strategy games, and play a key role in revitalising the visitor experience.

Would you like to make a donation to one of our museums?

Simply contact the association:

by phone, on 03 44 20 26 04

by email, by clicking on‘Contact theassociation’

by post, at the following address:

Association of Friends of the
Antoine Vivenel and Figurines
2 bis, Rue d’Austerlitz
60200 Compiègne

Direct access

Membership form

Contact the association

Previous initiatives

■ In 2024

▪▪▪ acquisition of a woodcut/print

Hans Leonhard Schäufelein (c. 1482 – c. 1539 Nördlingen)
Noli me tangere (Christ appears to Mary Magdalene as a gardener).

Circa 1504, woodcut on paper. Albrecht Dürer’s monogram and the stamp of Antoine Vivenel’s collection (monogram AV in red) in the lower left-hand corner of the print.

Dimensions: 18 cm x 18.3 cm
Provenance: Antoine Vivenel Collection (1799 Compiègne – 1862 Paris).

Hans Leonhard Schäufelein worked in Albrecht Dürer’s workshop from 1503 to 1507, and until the 19th century, Albrecht Dürer was considered the creator of this engraving. Following several critical assessments, art historians have agreed that Hans Leonhard Schäufelein was the creator of the engraving.

Hans Leonhard Schäufelein / Noli me tangere / Woodcut on paper, c. 1504, 18 cm x 18.3 cm

▪▪▪ Acquisition of a diorama for the Figurine Museum

Our long-standing commitment to museums has resulted in the acquisition of a diorama that fits perfectly into the new exhibition layout of the Musée de la Figurine, which opened its doors in May 2026.

‘La Boulangerie’ is an electrified diorama composed of miniatures created by Denyse Denisselle (1920–2019).

In the 1980s, Denyse Denisselle, then aged 60, discovered a consuming passion for miniatures. She delighted in recreating shops and scenes from everyday life, bringing them to life in boxes measuring between 40 and 80 centimetres. By recreating scenes from the past with such precision, Denyse Denisselle offers a window onto a bygone world. Her unique art draws on imagination and dreams, offering the viewer a singular and poetic perspective.

More than just a backdrop for figurines, this diorama immerses us in a scene from the past, conceived as a genuine theatrical set.

La Boulangerie / Electrified diorama /
Mixed media. H. 29.5cm W. 70cm. D. 28.5cm /
Late 20th century / Denyse Denisselle.

▪▪▪ Funding for the restoration of four Greek vases at the Antoine Vivenel Museum

This year, our association has made a financial commitment to the restoration of four Greek vases, which will return to their place in the museum for the reopening of the fully renovated Mediterranean Antiquities Gallery.

The restorer at work at the Centre Antoine Vivenel

■ In 2023

In 2023, thanks to memberships and donations from the Friends, two plaster busts stored in the Antoine Vivenel Museum’s storerooms were restored: Hygieia and Alexander with Helmet.

Click to enlarge views of Hygie and Alexander busts

Bust of Hygieia,
plaster, 19th century.
Before and after restoration.

Bust of Alexander wearing a helmet,
plaster, 19th century.
Before and after restoration.

Download the description

■ In 2022

In 2022, the Friends acquired and donated two paintings by Paul Louis Morizet (1850–?) to the Antoine Vivenel Museum: ‘View of Pierrefonds’ and ‘View of the Banks of the Oise’.

The museum already owns two paintings by this artist: ‘Perspective of the Banks of the Oise’, acquired by the Friends in 2020, and ‘View of Compiègne from the Heights of Margny’. This addition helps to form a coherent collection of paintings.

Click to enlarge the two pictures

Paul Louis Morizet, View of the Banks of the Oise, oil on canvas

Paul Louis Morizet, View of Pierrefonds, oil on canvas

The Friends continued their mission to promote the collections of the Antoine Vivenel Museum by funding the restoration of a casket and a box displayed during the exhibition “Ivoire, ivoires”, which took place at the Centre Antoine Vivenel from 14 May to 18 September 2022.

Box, China, wood, ivory.

Casket, India, wood, ivory, tortoiseshell, ferrous metal, silver, velvet.

Download the description

■ In 2021

Les Amis fully funded the restoration of an anonymous painting, a Portrait of a Man.
This oil on canvas underwent extensive restoration work by two conservators working in tandem, one on the support (canvas, stretcher), the other on the paint layer (varnish, repainting, losses, retouching).

Our association has also decided to fund the restoration of the painting’s gilded frame, thereby enabling it to be brought out of storage and included in the permanent exhibition at the Antoine Vivenel Museum.

Les Amis are continuing their mission to promote the museum’s collections by fully funding the restoration of the plaster bust of Albert Robida created by his son, Frédéric Robida.
This work was on display at the Centre Antoine Vivenel from 15 May to 19 September 2021, during the temporary exhibition ‘Albert Robida, the Explorer of Time’.
The bust underwent dusting and surface cleaning. The pencil drawing on the right hand was consolidated and the gaps filled in. A few chips in the paint layer were retouched to harmonise the overall appearance. The bust has now been added to the permanent collections of the Antoine Vivenel Museum.

■ In 2020

The Friends fully funded the acquisition of a painting by Paul Louis Morizet, *Perspective of the Banks of the Oise*, painted in 1906.

This landscape painter and wood engraver was born in Paris in the 19th century. He exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français in Paris and received an honourable mention in 1884.

This view was painted from the penultimate house on the Quai de l’Écluse in Compiègne (now number 350). The Antoine Vivenel Museum has another painting by this French artist in its collections: a *View of Compiègne from the Heights of Margny*.

Following the restoration in 2019 of the majolica pieces held at the Antoine Vivenel Museum, carried out by a heritage conservator specialising in ceramics, the museum’s conservation team wished to showcase one of the Antoine Vivenel Museum’s most iconic collections.
To mark the occasion, the Friends funded the installation of plinths for the majolica pieces, allowing them to be displayed to their best advantage on suitable supports. This collection, on display on the first floor of the Antoine Vivenel Museum, has therefore been given a new presentation, one that is more modern and easier for the public to appreciate.

■ In 2019

The Peking Opera is back at the Museum of Historical Figurines.

This diorama depicts a scene from the Chinese Peking Opera during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911).
This ensemble was made from raw clay, a fragile material that made the restoration and cleaning of the figurines a complex task.
This restoration was made possible thanks to the support of the Association des Amis des Musées Antoine Vivenel et de la Figurine historique.

In addition to publishing two issues of *Amusée-vous*, a small magazine for the museums of Compiègne, we helped the Antoine Vivenel Museum acquire a book by Albert Robida: *Les Assiégés de Compiègne, 1430*.
A folio edition containing all the original drawings.
Published by H. Laurens, “Plume et crayon” collection (1905), folio in a slipcase, vellum watercoloured by the author, original drawings, 132 pages.
This is a unique item.

■ In 2018

Thanks to the patronage of the Association des Amis des musées Antoine Vivenel et de la Figurine historique, this elephant ivory flywhisk has undergone a complete restoration.

Click on the image to download
the description

This flywhisk consists of a delicately carved cylindrical handle into which more than two hundred ivory slats are inserted. The handle is decorated with twisted patterns and stylised floral motifs. The slats are smooth, approximately 5 mm wide and 1 mm thick at the handle, tapering to become as thin as paper at their tips.
This princely object, crafted from Indian ivory, can readily be attributed to 18th-century Mughal production due to its characteristic ornamental repertoire, featuring alternating poppy and cypress motifs.

Purchased by the Friends in 2018.

Acquisition for the Antoine Vivenel Museum of drawings by Charles Roussel, a pupil in the years 1840–1845 at the Musée des Études founded by Antoine Vivenel.

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to download
the description

■ In 2017

Initiative by Les Amis in 2017.

As part of the opening of the new non-Asian art gallery at the Antoine Vivenel Museum, the Friends funded the modelling of a Japanese samurai statue.

Contribution by the Friends in 2017.

Thanks to the patronage of the Friends of the Antoine Vivenel and Figurine Historique Museums, a 17th-century Italian painting depicting Saint Francis of Assisi has been fully restored and fitted with a new frame.

Click on the image
to download
the description

■ In 2015

Purchase by the Friends in 2015.

Acquisition of a figurine by Jean-Baptiste Clémence: Hunter from the Louis XVI period, fruitwood, oil paint.

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to download
the description

■ In 2013

Purchased by Les Amis in 2013.

Acquisition of a diorama entitled: Beach scene from the Belle Époque.
This diorama, housed in a red box with a flap, depicts a beach scene from the Belle Époque.

Click on the image
to download
the description

Updated
15 June 2026

aMAVFH 2010-2026

Association of Friends of the Museums
Antoine Vivenel and Figurines

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