Louis-François Lejeune

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Louis-François Lejeune
Commander of the légion d'honneur Chevalier de Saint-Louis
Other work	Mayor of Toulouse Painter and engraver

Louis-François, Baron Lejeune (3 February 1775 in

.

Life

He studied painting in the studio of Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes, alongside Jean-Victor Bertin, but left the studio to volunteer in the Compagnie des arts de Paris in 1792. He received his baptism of fire in the battle of Valmy later that year. He became a sergeant in the 1st Arsenal battalion and in 1793 moved to the artillery at La Fère, assisting in the sieges of Landrecies, Le Quesnoy and Valenciennes. At Valenciennes he became aide-de-camp to General Jacob then, as a lieutenant on attachment to the engineers, took part in the 1794 Holland campaign and the 1795 campaign.

Called to the depot in 1798, he succeeded brilliantly in his exams and was made a captain on attachment to the engineers. He became aide-de-camp to Marshal

.

The German campaign of 1806 brought him to

(printed by C. and ~f. Senefelder, 1806). Whilst he was taking his dinner, and with his horses harnessed and waiting to take him back to Paris, one hundred proofs were printed, one of which he subsequently submitted to Napoleon. The introduction of lithography into France was greatly due to the efforts of Lejeune.

In 1812, during the French invasion of Russia, he was made

, he was authorised to leave the army in November 1813 after more than 20 years' service. After his departure from the army, he devoted himself to painting.

After an initial grant in

, a city of which he became mayor in 1841 and in which he died of a heart attack aged 73.

Honours and awards

• 1808: Knight of the Legion of Honour (France)
• 1810: Order of Leopold (Austrian Empire)
• 1813: Officer of the Legion of Honour
• 1823: Commander of the Legion of Honour
• 1824: Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword (Sweden)
• Knight of the Order of Saint Louis (France)

Lejeune's name has been inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris (19th column).

Works

He produced an important series of battle-pictures based on his experiences. He had kept his paintbrushes with him on the battlefield and the popularity he enjoyed was due to the truth and vigour of his work, which was generally executed from sketches and studies made on the battlefield. His works are known for their lofty perspective' "offering a panoramic view of the totality of the battle's events."^[1] When his battle-pictures were shown at the Egyptian Hall in London, a rail had to be put up to protect them from the eager crowds of sightseers. He is best known for his paintings of the Battle of Guisando, which appeared in 1819 to enormous success, and of the Battle of Borodino, his masterwork. Many of his battle-pictures were engraved by Jacques Joseph Coiny and Edme Bovinet. He also produced several studies of uniforms in the French Imperial Army, such as those of the lancers of Berg under Murat and of Berthier's aides-de-camp.

Among his chief works are The Entry of Charles X. into Paris, 6 June 1825 (commemorating the

; Marengo (1801); Lodi, Thabor, Aboukir (1804); The Pyramids (1806); and Passage of the Rhine in 1795 (1824).

In fiction

In the historical novel The Battle, Lejeune is a main character.

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Lejeune, Louis François, Baron". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 405.

Sources

• Fournier Sarlovèze, Raymond-Joseph (1902). "Le Général Lejeune". Artistes oubliés (in French). Paris: P. Ollendorf. pp. 167–192.
• Maenius, Chase (2014). The Art of War[s]. Blurb.
  ISBN 9781320309554
  .

Further reading

• Lejeune, Louis François, Baron (1897). Memoirs of Baron Lejeune. Translated by Mrs Arthur Bell. London: Longmans, Green and co.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

• Media related to Louis-François Baron Lejeune at Wikimedia Commons