Jean-Baptiste Marie de Piquet, Marquis of Méjanes
Encyclopedia
Jean-Baptiste Marie de Piquet, Marquis of Méjanes, Lord of Albaron et Saint Vincent, was a French bibliophile, born on 5 August 1729 in Arles
, and dead on 5 October 1786 in Paris
.
As a First Consul of Arles between 1761 and 1774, Royal Secretary for the court of his birthtown, First Consul of Aix-en-Provence
and State Prosecutor for Provence
in the years 1777-1778, he diligently strove to improve the living standards of his fellow citizens. He spent the last three years of his life in Paris, where he was still concerned with Provence. He was known to be a smart, honest, plain, and modest man.
In his will, he bequeathed all his books to Provence
, i.e. from 60.000 to 80.000 books, should those books be made accessible to ordinary citizens; he also added a yearly income of 5.000 more Tours pounds
for Provence. This bequest led to the public library of Aix-en-Provence
(bibliothèque Méjanes).
The Marquis of Méjanes died without descendants, since his 6-month-and-a-half son Joseph Marie Marc Antoine de Piquet died on 4 August 1760.
Arles
Arles is a city and commune in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the former province of Provence....
, and dead on 5 October 1786 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Biography
A student at the Collège Louis-le-Grand, he was known from a very early age for his love of reading and of books, the purchase of which made up for most of his income.As a First Consul of Arles between 1761 and 1774, Royal Secretary for the court of his birthtown, First Consul of Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
and State Prosecutor for Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
in the years 1777-1778, he diligently strove to improve the living standards of his fellow citizens. He spent the last three years of his life in Paris, where he was still concerned with Provence. He was known to be a smart, honest, plain, and modest man.
In his will, he bequeathed all his books to Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
, i.e. from 60.000 to 80.000 books, should those books be made accessible to ordinary citizens; he also added a yearly income of 5.000 more Tours pounds
Livre tournois
The livre tournois |pound]]) was:#one of numerous currencies used in France in the Middle Ages; and#a unit of account used in France in the Middle Ages and the early modern period.-Circulating currency:...
for Provence. This bequest led to the public library of Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
(bibliothèque Méjanes).
The Marquis of Méjanes died without descendants, since his 6-month-and-a-half son Joseph Marie Marc Antoine de Piquet died on 4 August 1760.
Sources
- Archives of Arles and regional archives of Bouches-du-RhôneBouches-du-RhôneBouches-du-Rhône is a department in the south of France named after the mouth of the Rhône River. It is the most populous department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Its INSEE and postal code is 13.-History of the department:...
. - Généalogie de la Maison de Piquet, by Lord Du Roure, 1907, pages 17–19
- Nobiliaire d'Arles, by Abbey Bonnemant
External links
- Family tree of Jean-Baptiste de Piquet, Marquis of Méjanes
- Bust of the Marquis of Méjanes, by Jean-Antoine HoudonJean-Antoine HoudonJean-Antoine Houdon was a French neoclassical sculptor. Houdon is famous for his portrait busts and statues of philosophers, inventors and political figures of the Enlightenment...