User:CatMasset/Prosper Morey

Mathieu-Prosper Morey was a French architect born on Decembre 27, 1805, in Nancy. He died in the same city on July 5, 1886.

Origins and Education
Prosper Morey was born on Rue des Quatre-Eglises in Nancy, wher his father worked as a plasterer.. His initial education is not known; perhaps he started as an apprentice in the building trades. Unlike many architects of his time, he belonged to a lower social class. As a studient at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts, he attended the classes of Achille Leclère, where he first encountered Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.

Prosper Morey entered the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in 1827. Serveral testimonies of his time there exist in the form of drawing exercices, including a staricase, a library, copies of a house by Baldassare Pedruzzi, and a Roman temple... His academic performance was outstanding; he won the Grand Prix de Rome in architecture in 1831 for a project on a thermal spa.

Laureate of the Grand Prix de Rome would have the opportunity to travail and study in Rome. As such, he stayed in Villa Médicis from 1832 to 1837. In 1838, he joined the archaeological mission in Greece and Asia Minor led by Raoul Rochette. In 1846, he participated in the creation of the École française d'Athènes.

Journeys to Italy and Greece
Many travels abroad happened during Prosper Morey's career. It started in Rome where he stayed from January 1832 until the end of spring in 1837. Prosper Morey there diligently fullfilled his duties, earning regular praise from the Academy of Fine Arts which judged the annual submissions by students. At the Villa Médicis led by Horace Vernet and later Ingres, his fellow workeds included Léon Vaudoyer, Victor Baltard andHector Berlioz.

Prosper Morey conducted numerous archaeological and architectural travels during which, as his fellows, he would sketch many buildings he visited. These sketches, blue prints or views were put together in portfolios. Prosper Morey consulted these references throughout his carreer. .

The Morey's portfolio was given toBibliothèque municipale de Nancy after his death in 1886. It contains 21 albums with sketches and studies of his submissions from Rome; but also all the sketches from his travel in Rome's area, in Italy and Middle East. Some sketches have probably disappear as there are very few from Middle East despite Morey's trip from May to August in 1838.

Submissions from Rome
Submissions were the assigments of Villa Medici's residents. Completed in early January, they were briefly exhibited in Rome before being sent to Paris to be judged by the Academy of Fine Arts. Due to the time it took for judging and postal delays, students often received feedback only in November or December; just a few weeks before submitting a more advanced phase of their work.


 * First-year submission : Temple de Mars Vengeur. (For his work on this building, Prosper Morey asked permission to Roman authorities to conduct archaeological reasearches), and restoration of Forum d'Auguste ;
 * Second-year submission : Study of details for the Panthéon d'Agrippa, the Forum triangulaire à Pompéi and the Temple of Peace inPaestum ;
 * Third-year submissions : Arches of Titus, Constantin and Septime Sévère, Temple de Vesta (Tivoli), temple of Hercule in Cori ;
 * Fourth-year submission : Project for the restoration ofForum de Trajan ;
 * Fifth-year submission : Panthéon project.

Morey's submissions were not particularly distinguished by their originality but were highly appreciated by the judges. In every aspect, he proved to be a model and diligent resident. For example, he reproduced some sketches made by his fellow workers such as Alphonse Goujon. Copy was one of the main ways to become and learn to be architect.

Morey in Pompeii
Prosper Morey was among the first to visit and document the ruins of Pompeii which he visited twice. First in 1833 during his second year as a student of the Académie of France. Then in 1838 after his Greek expedition.

At that time, only a quarter of the city's surface had been excavated.

Morey possessed great talent for observing and rendering architectural details and decorations. He provided striking and fresh views of the frescoes in numerous Pompeian villas such as « maison de la chambre noire » (ou « maison des bronzes ») qu’il est le tout premier à dessiner, la « maison d’Ariane », la « maison de la chasse », la « maison de Salluste », ou encore la « maison de Pansa »,. Mais il dessine également les remparts, plusieurs élévations, des fragments architecturaux, des colonnades ainsi que certains bâtiments publics tels que les thermes et le petit théâtre. Entre 1833 et 1834, l'architecte réalise pas moins de 35 planches pompéiennes. Elles sont rassemblées au sein du volume XV de ses albums.