18th Century FRENCH SCHOOL

 

The Coat of Arms of Charles Louis Auguste Fouquet, Duc de Belle-Isle, with Military Trophies

Pen and black ink and grey wash, within a fictive mount with framing lines in black ink and black wash.
250 x 188 mm. (9 7/8 x 7 3/8 in.) [image]
265 x 205 mm. (10 3/8 x 8 1/8 in.) [sheet]
The 18th century French military officer and statesman Charles Louis Auguste Fouquet, Duc de Belle-Isle (1684-1761) began serving in the French army at an early age, rising to the rank of Maréchal de France in 1741 and serving with distinction in the Wars of the Spanish, Polish and Austrian successions. An influential voice in military and diplomatic matters, Belle-Isle was named a Peer of France in 1748 and was elected to the Académie Française in 1740. He was also closely associated with the northern French city of Metz for over thirty years, commissioning a number of civic buildings from the royal architect Jacques-François Blondel during his dukedom and governorship there. Belle-Isle served King Louis XV as Secretary of State for War from 1758 until his death at Versailles in 1761, instituting several significant reforms in an attempt to modernize the French army.



The composition of the present sheet is close to that of the Maréchal-Duc de Belle-Isle’s ex-librisbookplate, which likewise shows his coat of arms surrounded by military banners and trophies. The printed bookplate, which is inscribed ‘Dessiné et Gravé par Striedbeck à Strasbourg.’, is the work of the German engraver Johann Stridbeck III (1707-1772), who specialized in portraits and bookplates.

18th Century FRENCH SCHOOL

The Coat of Arms of Charles Louis Auguste Fouquet, Duc de Belle-Isle, with Military Trophies