Jean-Bernard, abbé Le Blanc
Encyclopedia
Jean-Bernard, abbé Le Blanc (1707, Dijon
— 1781, Paris
) was a French art critic, one of the Parisian literati, who through his patron Mme de Pompadour was appointed historiographer of the Bâtiments du Roi
, the defender of state expenditures and official French policy in the arts, and was also an advocate before the Parlement de Paris. An early champion of Chardin
, his two letters on the Paris salon
s, of 1747 and 1753, are a guide to enlightened contemporary taste and the defense of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture, which officiated at the Paris salon
s. He was selected by Mme de Pompadour to accompany her brother Abel-François Poisson, future marquis de Marigny
, on an educational trip to Italy in 1749-51, to prepare him for his post as director of the Bâtiments du Roi
.
The abbé, whose minor orders were strictly pro forma, made his reputation with the Lettres d'un François (1745), of which he made an English translation. He had been invited to England by a nobleman in 1737 and remained for a year and a half, passing easily at every level of society, and expressing his observations in ninety-two letters that concerned the English almost entirely, and concentrated on social observation, with a minority of letters on politics and literature, worked up from the notebooks he carried with him everywhere and filled with his jottings on the spot. The results were widely read and approved as the judicious appraisal of particular and characteristic English types, viewed dispassionately.
Le Blanc translated David Hume
's Political Discourses (1752), and was entrusted, on leaving England, with a copy of Hume's History intended for Voltaire
.
All the available letters, preceded by a full-length introductory study, are in Hélène Monod-Cassidy, Un Voyageur-philosophe au XVIIIème siècle: l'abbé Jean-Bernard Le Blanc (Harvard Studies in Comparative Literature 17) 1941.
His portrait, by Maurice Quentin de La Tour
is at Saint-Quentin.
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
— 1781, 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...
) was a French art critic, one of the Parisian literati, who through his patron Mme de Pompadour was appointed historiographer of the Bâtiments du Roi
Bâtiments du Roi
The Bâtiments du Roi was a division of Department of the household of the Kings of France in France under the Ancien Régime. It was responsible for building works at the King's residences in and around Paris.-History:...
, the defender of state expenditures and official French policy in the arts, and was also an advocate before the Parlement de Paris. An early champion of Chardin
Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin
Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin was an 18th-century French painter. He is considered a master of still life, and is also noted for his genre paintings which depict kitchen maids, children, and domestic activities...
, his two letters on the Paris salon
Paris Salon
The Salon , or rarely Paris Salon , beginning in 1725 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Between 1748–1890 it was the greatest annual or biannual art event in the Western world...
s, of 1747 and 1753, are a guide to enlightened contemporary taste and the defense of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture, which officiated at the Paris salon
Paris Salon
The Salon , or rarely Paris Salon , beginning in 1725 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Between 1748–1890 it was the greatest annual or biannual art event in the Western world...
s. He was selected by Mme de Pompadour to accompany her brother Abel-François Poisson, future marquis de Marigny
Abel-François Poisson, marquis de Marigny
Abel-François Poisson de Vandières, marquis de Marigny and marquis de Menars , often referred to simply as marquis de Marigny, was a French nobleman who served as the director general of the King's Buildings...
, on an educational trip to Italy in 1749-51, to prepare him for his post as director of the Bâtiments du Roi
Bâtiments du Roi
The Bâtiments du Roi was a division of Department of the household of the Kings of France in France under the Ancien Régime. It was responsible for building works at the King's residences in and around Paris.-History:...
.
The abbé, whose minor orders were strictly pro forma, made his reputation with the Lettres d'un François (1745), of which he made an English translation. He had been invited to England by a nobleman in 1737 and remained for a year and a half, passing easily at every level of society, and expressing his observations in ninety-two letters that concerned the English almost entirely, and concentrated on social observation, with a minority of letters on politics and literature, worked up from the notebooks he carried with him everywhere and filled with his jottings on the spot. The results were widely read and approved as the judicious appraisal of particular and characteristic English types, viewed dispassionately.
Le Blanc translated David Hume
David Hume
David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He was one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment...
's Political Discourses (1752), and was entrusted, on leaving England, with a copy of Hume's History intended for Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
.
Selected publications
- Élégies de Mr. L*. B*., avec un Discours sur ce genre de poésie et quelques autres pièces du mesme auteur..., Chaubert, ed., (Paris 1731).
- Lettres d'un François, J. Neaulme, ed, (The Hague 1745). 3 vols. Republished at least twice, as Lettres de M. l'abbé Le Blanc, 1751 and 1758, and translated by Le Blanc himself as Letters on the English and French nations, including a letter from VoltaireVoltaireFrançois-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
, dated 12 January 1746, (London: J. Brindley, 1747. - Lettre sur l'exposition des ouvrages de peinture, sculpture &c, de l'Année 1747, Et en géneral, sur l'utilité de ces sortes d'expositions (Paris 1747) An response to the previous year's uncritical praises of the Salon, published by M. La Font de Saint-Yenne.
- Observations sur les Ouvrages de l'Académie de peinture et de sculpture (1753)
- Translated David HumeDavid HumeDavid Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He was one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment...
, Discours politiques de M. Hume (Amsterdam 1754). - Translated John Tell Truth as Le Patriote anglois, ou Réflexions sur les hostilités que la France reproche à l'Angleterre et sur la réponse de nos ministres au dernier Mémoire de S. M. T. C., (Geneva 1756).
- Dialogues sur les mœurs des Anglois, et sur les voyages considérés comme faisant partie de l'éducation de la jeunesse, Barthelemi Hochereau le jeune, éditeur, 9Paris: Hochereau) 1765. Le Blanc's English translation was published in London.
- Aben Saïd, empereur des Mogols, tragédie en cinq actes et en vers..., (Paris: Prault) 1776.
All the available letters, preceded by a full-length introductory study, are in Hélène Monod-Cassidy, Un Voyageur-philosophe au XVIIIème siècle: l'abbé Jean-Bernard Le Blanc (Harvard Studies in Comparative Literature 17) 1941.
His portrait, by Maurice Quentin de La Tour
Maurice Quentin de La Tour
Maurice Quentin de La Tour was a French Rococo portraitist who worked primarily with pastels. Among his most famous subjects were Voltaire, Rousseau, Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour.-Biography:...
is at Saint-Quentin.