A student of the École normale supérieure (1887), he became a member of the French School at Athens in 1890.
In 1892 and 1893, he worked at the excavations of Lagina (Caria) with Osman Hamdi Bey and participated in the clearing of the Delos theatre.
From 1904 to 1906, he searched again at Delos then became secretary of the French School of Athens (1908–1912).
Secretary and interpreter of the expedition of Dardanelles (1914), he participated to the excavations of Elaeus.
He still searched in Delos (1924 and 1930) and negotiated the sending to France of Lebanese and Syrian students to train under the direction of the museum he founded.