Rules for the Calvet Museum

Information

 

The members of the King’s Council, comprising the County, which, after the return ordered by His Excellency, the Minister Secretary of State for the Interior, has learnt of the report concerning rules for the Calvet Museum in Avignon, in the Vaucluse department,
 

In view of the afore-mentioned rules and the supporting documents;

Are of the opinion :

 
That the rules should be adopted, apart from a few modifications designed to reduce the Government’s intervention in favour of the Prefet and the Municipal Council, and according to the following terms:

RULES OF THE CALVET MUSEUM

Article I

 

The Administration of the Calvet Museum will comprise the Mayor of Avignon, President, the three executors, or their successors, and the five administrators, in accordance with the intentions of the testator.
 

Article II

The functions of the executors are for life. In the event of the death or the resignation of one of them, the two others will nominate a successor within a period of two months; if only one executor remains, in the same way, he will be responsible for nominating the two others. (In both cases the choice will always be subject to the approval of the Minister for the Interior).
 

In the event of disagreement between the two remaining executors, vacancy, or the expiry of the two month period, the choice of one or both of the executors will be the responsibility of the Board of Directors (unless approved by the Prefet).
 

Article III

 

The five Board Members, other than the executors, will be appointed by the Municipal Council by ballot, unless approved by the Prefet.
 

The duration of their functions will be ten years; renewal will be by fifth every two years; the first will be on the basis of a draw and, after this, will be conducted on the basis of seniority. They will be re-eligible.
 

If, during the course of a five-year period, a member of the Council resigns his functions, he will be replaced by a member of the Municipal Council, only for the period of the length of service remaining for the member who has been replaced.

Article IV

 

The establishment will employ the services of an accountant, appointed from outside the Council, unless approved by the Prefect.
 
His payment will be defined by the Council.

Article V

 

The medals, paintings, natural history and other objects kept in the Museum, as well as the Library, will be entrusted to the care of a Curator, appointed for this task and under his own authority.
 

The choice of Curator will be the decision of the Mayor, except if approved by the Prefect, from a triple list of candidates presented by the Council.
 

In the event of negligence or abuse on his part, the Council is authorised to cease his employment and cancel his contract.

Article VI

 

The Board of Directors will be presided over by the Mayor, and, when absent, by the executors appointed by the majority of votes.
 

It will convene on the last Saturday of the month. The President may convene extraordinary assemblies whenever he deems it to be necessary and he will be obliged to do so if asked by two members of the Board.

Article VII

 

All decisions which obtain a majority vote will be entered into the register and signed by all the members present; they will only be valid if at least five members of the Board are present.

Article VIII

 
The Council will be in charge of the general management of all parts of the establishment and will administer the buildings and use the income in accordance with the wishes of the founder and according to the laws which apply to public bodies.
 

Expenses, regardless of their nature, will be decided upon by the Board and a member will be appointed by majority vote to supervise the accounts and sign mandates.
The Board will define the number of employees, their conditions of employment, and will appoint them and cancel their contracts as is deemed necessary.

Article IX

 

A member of the Board will be specifically responsible for visiting the buildings belonging to the Museum every year, to draw up a report on their condition, the improvements required and any repairs to be made; mention of this report will be inserted in the register of decisions.
 

The funds and capital, which will subsequently become available, will, in accordance with the wishes of the founder, be used to buy land.
 

Any actions, whether active or passive, will be supported, if necessary, by the Municipal Council.

Article X

 

A register will be kept of all property, capital and income belonging to the establishment, with annotation, article by article, of the relative titles. Changes will be noted as they arise. This register will be ratified by the Board. An extract will be forwarded to the accountant to serve as an entry for the accounts.

Article XI

 

Within three months after the end of each year, the accountant will present the accounts for the financial year to the Board, which will check them and approve them. These accounts will then be sent to the Town Hall and definitively approved in the same way as those of other public bodies.

Article XII

 

Every time that there is a surplus of one thousand francs in the fund, the Council will order it to be paid into the state-owned pawnshop or any other public fund which will pay interest on it.

Article XIII

 

A catalogue will be drawn up of the works of art, antiques, medals, engravings, paintings, natural history objects, etc, contained within the Calvet Museum collection, as well as the Library, once they have been brought together. Any new acquisitions will be added to the catalogue whenever necessary and any lost or damaged items will be removed.
 

A copy of this inventory will be given to the Curator as his responsibility.
 

Every year, identification will be made of some of the objects appearing in the inventory, in such a way that, every three years, a complete inventory of the collections will have been conducted.

Article XIV

 

The Board will formally award honorary distinctions to the Museum’s benefactors according to the procedures defined by the founder.

Article XV

 

[...]
 

Article XVI

 

The Library and the Museum will be open to the public four days a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, between ten o’clock in the morning and four o’clock in the afternoon.
 

Within reason, paper and quills will be supplied to readers to allow them to make extracts. No book or any object belonging to the collection may be removed under any circumstances.

Article XVII

 

The medals and engraved stones may only be viewed in the presence of the Curator and a Board member.

Article XVIII

 

The members of the Board and the Curator currently in position are maintained.

Article XIX

 

For any other matters which have not been referred to in the present ruling, it will be the duty of the Board to comply with the wishes of the testator.

Signed: Tournon, Reporter;
Baron Cuvier, President
 

For exact extract:
The Secretary of the Committee,
Signed : Boullée
 

For copy true to the original:
The Council of the Prefecture,
Secretary General,
Signed : De Gabriac