The introduction to this volume provides a general overview of Etruscan civilisation and the Italic peoples, before tracing the history of the collection—some of whose pieces belonged to Lucien Bonaparte or the Viscount Beugnot—thus shedding light on their journey from the necropolises of Vulci, Chiusi and Bomarzo to the Parisian auctions of the first half of the 19th century, where they were dispersed.

The catalogue raisonné then examines the ceramics (impasto, Orientalising pottery, bucchero nero, imitations of red-figure and black-figure ware, black glaze), the terracotta objects (ex-votos, canopic urns and Clusian sarcophagi), bronze objects (votive and funerary bronzes, jewellery sets, mirrors, cistae, banquet tableware, thymiateria and candelabra), as well as numerous pastiches and forgeries, exemplified by the collection’s centrepiece, the satyr candelabra.

Some objects stand out as exceptional pieces due to their technical mastery or their rarity, such as the Italic jewellery sets, funerary bronzes (protome of a lacunari, Hellenistic-period balsamarium) or a small, imported bronze helmet, a unique example from the Classical period.

This book unveils the archaeological treasures of a unique and fascinating material culture—that of the Etruscans and the peoples of pre-Roman Italy—which still await discovery in the display cases and storerooms of many museums across France.

However, two periods held a particular place in his heart: Greek antiquity and the Italian Renaissance, regarded as the cradles of the arts. This choice still enables the Compiègne Museum today to offer its visitors a varied collection of the principal ceramic works from Renaissance Italy and the 17th century, particularly from Urbino. A catalogue of his brilliant majolica pieces was long overdue.

This volume, written by Éric Blanchegorge, Chief Heritage Curator, and Céline Lécuyer, aims to raise awareness of these pieces and thereby celebrate the memory of Antoine Vivenel and the museum he bequeathed to Compiègne over 170 years ago.

Today, it is Hayao Miyazaki, the creator of Totoro and Chihiro, who pays tribute to him. In Russia, the director Sergei Eisenstein was also inspired by Albert Robida’s visionary works. Looking at Robida’s futuristic Paris, criss-crossed by airships and other flying machines, I am reminded of Fritz Lang’s equally futuristic vision in his film *Metropolis*. But it also seems that Robida depicted a menacing form of progress that Fritz Lang and Expressionism had likewise re-examined in the wake of the First World War…

This book is therefore the best way to discover – or perhaps rediscover – a prolific and prolific artist who portrayed a vision that resonated with his contemporaries. He deserves our attention; he deserves his place in the history and culture of Compiègne.