Louis Leygue

Louis Leygue was a French sculptor and painter born on 25 August 1905 at Bourg en Bresse. As a sculptor he worked in the traditional stone but also pioneered the use of various metals. He was particularly adept in depicting horses.

"La richesse d'une cité devrait pouvoir s'évaluer au nombre de ses statues"

Biography

Early studies were at the Lycée Charlemagne and in 1921 he was accepted as a student by the École Germain Pilon and studied under Robert Wlérick. In 1923 he was accepted by the Ếcole Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs and entered the studio of Jules Coutan at the École Nationale des Beaux Arts. Sickness then interrupted his studies for two years but in 1926 he was back with Coutan and then studied under François-Léon Sicard. In 1928 there was another interruption to his studies when he carried out his military service at Dijon and in 1928 he returned to the École des Beaux Arts and now studied under Paul Landowski.

In 1930 he tried for the Prix de Rome with his attempt at that year's set subject "Tireur à l’arc". The next year he competed again, now the set subject being "Le Héros et les Jeunes Filles"' and was the winner which guaranteed him three years studying at the Villa Medicis but sadly he was taken ill again. Recovered he set off for Rome but firstly married Marianne Cochet, also a student at the École des Beaux-Arts. In 1936 once their time in Rome came to an end, the couple returned to Paris and moved into a studio in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. In 1938 he received the prestigious commission to take part in the decoration of the new French embassy being built in Ottawa. He returned to France from Canada just before the declaration of war. The war years were difficult for Leygue who got by teaching design. He was arrested by the Gestapo, imprisoned at Fresnes and sent to Germany before being transferred to a concentration camp. His health suffered badly and the experiences of this period were to leave an emotional scar.

Louis

Louis may refer to:

See also

Louis (parrot)

Louis was a well-known parrot from Victoria, British Columbia. From the time of his reclusive owner's death in 1949 until 1966 he continued to on his owner's estate, well-provided for in her will, and preventing development of the prime real estate.

History

Victoria Jane Wilson (1878-1949) was born in Victoria and raised very privately by her parents. At age five she received Louis as a pet, and later obtained many other birds. The top floor of her house became an aviary. Around 1911, Victoria bought an electric car, reportedly in order to take Louis on rides.

Victoria led a reclusive life, entirely at the mansion on Courtney Street where she had been raised, until her death in 1949. Her will included a large amount of funds to take care of her birds (53 at the time), and Victoria's former servant Wah Wong was paid to be a caretaker, staying at the house to do so. Louis was well known for enjoying brandy, two bottles per year, though news reports at the time liked to refer to him as a lush. Eventually all the birds died except for Louis, whose presence still kept the property from being sold.

Louis d'or

4 Louis d’or of Louis XIII(1640), first year of issue, Paris Mint.

The Louis d'or is any number of French coins first introduced by Louis XIII in 1640. The name derives from the depiction of the portrait of King Louis on one side of the coin; the French royal coat of arms is on the reverse. The coin was replaced by the French franc at the time of the revolution and later the similarly valued Napoleon, although a limited number of Louis were also minted during the "Bourbon Restoration" under Louis XVIII. The actual value of the coins fluctuated according to monetary and fiscal policy (see livre tournois), but in 1726 the value was stabilized.

The 1640 issue of Louis d’or contained five denominations: a half Louis and a one, two, four, and eight Louis. All subsequent issues through 1793 were only denominated in half, one, and two Louis.

Louis XIII

The Louis d'or (a gold coin) replaced the franc which had been in circulation (in theory) since John II of France. In actual practice the principal gold coin circulating in France in the earlier 17th century had been Spanish: the 6.7-gram double escudo or "doubloon", of which the Louis d'or was an explicit copy. There also existed a half-Louis coin (the demi-louis d'or) and a two-Louis coin (the double louis d'or).