The Saint‐Géran: from literary myth to museum object

Abstract

The Saint‐Géran, a 600‐ton ship of the Compagnie Française des Indes, wrecked off the coast of Mauritius in 1744, became famous through Paul et Virginie, a novel that‐won universal acclaim. Fiction and authentic historical facts were closely intermingled. It was not until 1979, however, through the development of undersea archaeology techniques that a French expedition scientifically explored the site of the wreck, casting new light on what really occurred. In this article, the author sets out the problems confronting the Mauritius Institute, the repository of the collection built up during that expedition. Despite its meagre technical and financial resources, the Mauritius Institute was able to carry out its mission of protection, conservation and display.

1 Born in Mauritius in 1936. Botanist, scientific assistant at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, until 1978. Director of the Mauritius Institute, President of the Board of Ancient Monuments and Nature Reserves and Editor of the Mauritius Institute Bulletin, 1978–81. ICOM consultant in 1981, he is at present Research Associate at the University of Aarhus, Denmark. Author of Mauritius Institute, 1880–1980 (1980), ‘The Mauritius Institute, a Hundred‐year‐old Institution at the Service of the Community’, Mauritius Institute Bulletin, Vol. 9, No. 1, 1980, and ‘Underwater Archaeology, A New Contribution to the Knowledge of the Mauritian Heritage’, op. cit., Vol. 9, No. 2, 1980.

1 Born in Mauritius in 1936. Botanist, scientific assistant at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, until 1978. Director of the Mauritius Institute, President of the Board of Ancient Monuments and Nature Reserves and Editor of the Mauritius Institute Bulletin, 1978–81. ICOM consultant in 1981, he is at present Research Associate at the University of Aarhus, Denmark. Author of Mauritius Institute, 1880–1980 (1980), ‘The Mauritius Institute, a Hundred‐year‐old Institution at the Service of the Community’, Mauritius Institute Bulletin, Vol. 9, No. 1, 1980, and ‘Underwater Archaeology, A New Contribution to the Knowledge of the Mauritian Heritage’, op. cit., Vol. 9, No. 2, 1980.

Notes

1 Born in Mauritius in 1936. Botanist, scientific assistant at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, until 1978. Director of the Mauritius Institute, President of the Board of Ancient Monuments and Nature Reserves and Editor of the Mauritius Institute Bulletin, 1978–81. ICOM consultant in 1981, he is at present Research Associate at the University of Aarhus, Denmark. Author of Mauritius Institute, 1880–1980 (1980), ‘The Mauritius Institute, a Hundred‐year‐old Institution at the Service of the Community’, Mauritius Institute Bulletin, Vol. 9, No. 1, 1980, and ‘Underwater Archaeology, A New Contribution to the Knowledge of the Mauritian Heritage’, op. cit., Vol. 9, No. 2, 1980.