The Tansey Miniatures Foundation

Die Miniatur Über den Künstler

The Tansey Miniatures Foundation

DE
The Miniature About the Artist

Alexandre Courson de la Villevalio

Jean-Baptiste Jacques Augustin (school)

Alexandre Courson de la Villevalio (1767–1847) came from a Breton noble family. His father, Jean-François, was seigneur of Kernescop (Plouha), Villevalio (Saint-Brandan), and Vau-Héry (Trédaniel). Alexandre opted for a military career. He began his service during the rule of Louis XVI of France and joined the counter-revolutionary troops after the outbreak of the French Revolution. He emigrated in 1791 and enlisted in the Army of Condé in 1792. It was not until 1798 that he returned to France to serve in the Catholic and Royal Army of Brittany. Louis XVIII appreciated this officer’s loyalty to the king and promoted him shortly after his accession to power in 1815 to the rank of general. That same year, he awarded him the Order of the Holy Spirit and, five years later, the Order of the Legion of Honour. As of 1816, Courson de la Villevalio was allowed to bear the title of baron. His marriage to Pauline-Renée de Robien remained childless.


On his uniform, the sitter is wearing both medals awarded to him by Louis XVIII.1 The painting shows pronounced characteristics of Augustin’s school in terms of style and colour. In the background, an atmospheric forest landscape leads to a clearing. A second version of this miniature was painted by another, equally unknown artist.2
B. P.

1 The ribbon of the Order of the Legion of Honour shows the rank of officer which the sitter attained on 25 April 1821. We would like to thank François Vinot Préfontaine, Chernex (Switzerland), for pointing this out.
2 Collection of Evgeny and Galina Sosnovskiy.