What treasure is hidden in this Paris ceiling?
© Meredith Mullins/Charlie Meagher

Follow the Clues & Travel Through History

The world loves stories about surprising art discoveries—treasures that are unearthed via bizarre circumstances and that send the finder on a compelling journey, perhaps including travels through history.

• In 1940, four teenagers followed their dog down a narrow cavern and found cave walls filled with hundreds of prehistoric paintings—the now famous Lascaux caves in France.

A dog discovered the famous Lascaux cave paintings.
(Photo courtesy of the French Ministry of Culture)

• An Arizona man sorted through things as he was getting ready to move to a retirement home. He found a few posters that he thought might be valuable and invited an appraiser to take a look. The appraiser’s eye wandered to a painting in the corner that had belonged to the man’s sister, a New York art collector. The discovery—a Jackson Pollock—perhaps worth millions once authenticated.
• The photographic talent of eccentric nanny Vivian Maier was discovered when a storage locker was auctioned off after her death. It was filled with negatives she had never shared with anyone—street photography of New York and Chicago that captured the stark and beautiful reality of an unposed world.

Unexpected Surprises Close to Home

Often for such rewarding journeys, there’s no place like home.

Douglas and Claudie Hawes were about to move into a house that had been built in 1854 in the New Athens area of Paris.

This corner of the 9^th arrondissement was an upscale neighborhood with Greek-inspired mansions established around 1820 on the slope of the Montmartre hill. The area gained fame for celebrity inhabitants, including George Sand, Chopin, Delacroix, and Gustav Moreau.

As part of the house remodeling project, Claudie’s son removed a large white plastic sheet from the ceiling of the bedroom.

The uncovering revealed a sweeping overhead painting of a nude woman, reclining somewhere between earth and heaven, painted in the romantic realism style of the late 1800s. The painting had been hidden by the previous tenants—an order of monks.

The mystery painting in the ceiling
© Meredith Mullins

The signature in the corner of the painting was barely visible, so the artist remained a mystery—a puzzle to be solved years later by a local gallerist who confirmed the signature as F. Humbert. Not a familiar name . . . but an open door to an adventure of discovery.

The ethereal Venus had landed in the right house. The Hawes were an inherently curious couple. They loved the art of research—where each fact discovered leads to several new paths. Where puzzle pieces begin to fit together. Where, as with today’s internet rabbit holes and hours lost in click-frenzied treasure hunts, a dramatic story can unfold and characters emerge.

Claudie and Douglas Hawes embark on new adventures in their search
to discover more about Humbert.
© Meredith Mullins

Discovering Humbert: A Noted Artist of His Time

A google search of Ferdinand-Jacques Humbert (1842–1934) does not reveal much. Such a short bio seems strange for an artist whose work was commissioned for some of the most famous buildings in Paris.

Ferdinand Humbert Self-Portrait
(Public Domain)

This lack of documentation made the Hawes’ research more difficult but also inspired them to write a book that would pay tribute to his contributions. They felt he was unjustly forgotten.

Pro Patria, commissioned murals by Ferdinand Humbert in the Paris Pantheon
© Meredith Mullins

Humbert’s eight panels in the Pantheon are in a place of honor. He captures the history and spirit of the Republic in the work titled Pro Patria (For the Homeland). The paintings took more than 25 years to finish, completed in 1900, because Humbert had to change the designs multiple times to meet the government’s changing priorities.

Idée de Famille (Idea of the Family)—One of the Humbert murals in the Pantheon
© Meredith Mullins

Humbert reaches great heights in the Petit Palais, with two triumphant ceiling paintings—“The Triumph of Paris” and “The Triumph of the Intellectual.” This project took many years as well, interrupted by WW I. He completed the project when he was 81, with the help of his artist son André.

Humbert’s paintings reach new heights in the Petit Palais.
© Meredith Mullins

Humbert’s paintings also oversee marriage after marriage in the Salle de Mariage in the Mairie of the 15^th arrondissement in Paris (the City Hall of the 15th arrondissement).

The Salle de Mariage in the Mairie of the 15th arrondissement of Paris
© Meredith Mullins

More Art Discoveries: The Women in Humbert’s Life

The Hawes continued their research and discovered Humbert’s talent for painting portraits of women as well as his unique teaching role as a supporter of women artists (not so common in the early 20^th century), including students Marie Laurencin and Marguerite Carpentier.

As the Hawes worked to identify the subjects of the portraits, they met a gallerist who knew the goddaughter of one of the most frequent subjects. They visited the goddaughter, Monique Bouvier, in the Loire Valley and learned the story of her godmother Geneviève Dehelly, a well-known pianist.

Portrait of Geneviève Dehelly by Humbert
© Meredith Mullins

Monique provided photographs and letters showing the friendship of Dehelly and Humbert. In true soap opera form, Humbert was in love with Dehelly, but Dehelly loved another.

Finding clues in old letters and photographs
© Meredith Mullins

Dehelly’s soulmate was the poetess Jehanne d’Orliac. They worked together as a creative literature/music team, writing and performing together. They are buried together in Tours.

Another piece of the puzzle arrived in the form of the play “La Massière” (Translation: “The Treasurer”). The playwright Frédérick Lemaître was a good friend of Humbert. He wrote about Humbert’s artistic life and added insight into his character (if the dramatic interpretation is to be seen as based on some truth).

Humbert’s tribute to his love and favorite portrait subject
© Meredith Mullins

The Mystery Portrait

The Hawes interest in Humbert grew with each new discovery, so they decided to acquire their own original work. A portrait, “Young Woman with Pipe,” came up for auction in Germany. The Hawes were the winning bidders.

They believed the model to be perhaps a prominent subject for painters of the day. But who is it? The mystery, for the moment, remains.

“Young Woman with Pipe” is now a part of the Hawes collection.
© Douglas Hawes

The Adventure Continues

The Hawes continue with their treasure hunt, but will bring these first chapters to a close as they finish their book for publication this year.

Ferdinand Humbert’s painting on the ceiling of the Salle de Mariage
of the 15th arrondissement
© Meredith Mullins

Oh, I see. As proven here, art discoveries can spark a journey and can open up worlds that have not yet been explored.

With that inspiring goal, let’s celebrate the start of 2021. Here’s to a new year, full of adventures, intriguing discoveries, and exploration both virtual and real.

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