François Cacault
Encyclopedia
François Cacault was a French diplomat of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods.
, road engineer and designer of a 1775 map of Nantes which served as the basis for plans to embellish the town. François began his career by training at the Ecole militaire
in Paris
, where he was made professor of fortifications in 1764 and inspector of studies in 1766. He resigned in 1769 and, forced into exile following a duel, travelled around Europe and got to know its artistic and literary circles. In 1775 he became the secretary of marshal d'Aubeterre, governor of Brittany, following him to Italy in 1785. Also in 1785 he began his diplomatic career as secretary to Talleyrand, then ambassador to the court of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
in Naples
. In 1788 and 1791, he took on the duties of a chargé d'affaires but was recalled to France due to his meetings with anti-revolutionary émigré
s. In 1793, he was sent out as France's ambassador to the Holy See
but was forced by the riots of that year to sell all the lands and goods of French foundations in Rome, forcing the closure of the Académie de France
there and the repatriation of its French artists. However, also in 1793, he managed to detach Tuscany
from the First Coalition
against France.
On 10 February 1797 he was the second French signatory of the Treaty of Tolentino
, at Bonaparte
's side as French chargé d'affaires in Italy. On 27 germinal year VI (16 April 1798), he was elected as député for Loire-Inférieure to the Council of Five Hundred
. After the 18 brumaire
coup d'état, Cacault rallied to Napoleon and on 4 nivôse year VIII (25 December 1799) entered the Corps législatif
as député for Loire-Inférieure. He was then one of the negotiators for the Concordat of 1801
. From year IX (1802) to year XI (1804) he was minister plenipotentiary in Rome, before joining the Sénat conservateur
on 6 germinal year XII (27 March 1804).
A friend of letters and the arts, he translated many German works into French. During his stay in Italy he bought sculptures, more than a thousand paintings and over 5,000 prints, representative of Western European art from the end of the 13th century to the start of the 19th century. Conditions were highly favourable for this collection's formation, and Cacault was probably advised by the painter-collector Jean-Baptiste Wicar
. They were both present in the art market, notably with the "brocanteur" or market-dealer Corazetto in piazza Navona
and amidst works seized from churches and convents by the French occupiers and the suppression between 1798 and 1802 of a ban on exporting works of art from the Papal States. François's younger brother Pierre
had stayed in Clisson
since 1796, and there they founded a museum that aimed to display François's collection, to contribute to the spread of good taste and beauty and to favour arts studies. This "museum-school" arose from a passion for art and witnesses to the political context which affirmed the will to make all works of art accessible, within an ideal of artistic education. The Cacault collection was bought in 1801 by the town of Nantes, forming the foundation of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes
.
Life
François's father was a master artist in faienceFaience
Faience or faïence is the conventional name in English for fine tin-glazed pottery on a delicate pale buff earthenware body, originally associated with Faenza in northern Italy. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip...
, road engineer and designer of a 1775 map of Nantes which served as the basis for plans to embellish the town. François began his career by training at the Ecole militaire
École Militaire
The École Militaire is a vast complex of buildings housing various military training facilities located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, southeast of the Champ de Mars....
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...
, where he was made professor of fortifications in 1764 and inspector of studies in 1766. He resigned in 1769 and, forced into exile following a duel, travelled around Europe and got to know its artistic and literary circles. In 1775 he became the secretary of marshal d'Aubeterre, governor of Brittany, following him to Italy in 1785. Also in 1785 he began his diplomatic career as secretary to Talleyrand, then ambassador to the court of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. In 1788 and 1791, he took on the duties of a chargé d'affaires but was recalled to France due to his meetings with anti-revolutionary émigré
Émigré
Émigré is a French term that literally refers to a person who has "migrated out", but often carries a connotation of politico-social self-exile....
s. In 1793, he was sent out as France's ambassador to the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
but was forced by the riots of that year to sell all the lands and goods of French foundations in Rome, forcing the closure of the Académie de France
Villa Medici
The Villa Medici is a mannerist villa and an architectural complex with a garden contiguous with the larger Borghese gardens, on the Pincian Hill next to Trinità dei Monti in Rome, Italy. The Villa Medici, founded by Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and now property of the French...
there and the repatriation of its French artists. However, also in 1793, he managed to detach Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
from the First Coalition
First Coalition
The War of the First Coalition was the first major effort of multiple European monarchies to contain Revolutionary France. France declared war on the Habsburg monarchy of Austria on 20 April 1792, and the Kingdom of Prussia joined the Austrian side a few weeks later.These powers initiated a series...
against France.
On 10 February 1797 he was the second French signatory of the Treaty of Tolentino
Treaty of Tolentino
The Treaty of Tolentino was signed after nine months of negotiations between France and the Papal States on February 19, 1797. It was part of the events following the invasion of Italy in the early stages of the French Revolutionary Wars...
, at Bonaparte
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
's side as French chargé d'affaires in Italy. On 27 germinal year VI (16 April 1798), he was elected as député for Loire-Inférieure to the Council of Five Hundred
Council of Five Hundred
The Council of Five Hundred , or simply the Five Hundred was the lower house of the legislature of France during the period commonly known as the Directory , from 22 August 1795 until 9 November 1799, roughly the second half of the period generally referred to as the...
. After the 18 brumaire
18 Brumaire
The coup of 18 Brumaire was the coup d'état by which General Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the French Directory, replacing it with the French Consulate...
coup d'état, Cacault rallied to Napoleon and on 4 nivôse year VIII (25 December 1799) entered the Corps législatif
Corps législatif
The Corps législatif was a part of the French legislature during the French Revolution and beyond. It is also the generic French term used to refer to any legislative body.-History:The Constitution of the Year I foresaw the need for a corps législatif...
as député for Loire-Inférieure. He was then one of the negotiators for the Concordat of 1801
Concordat of 1801
The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII, signed on 15 July 1801. It solidified the Roman Catholic Church as the majority church of France and brought back most of its civil status....
. From year IX (1802) to year XI (1804) he was minister plenipotentiary in Rome, before joining the Sénat conservateur
Sénat conservateur
The Sénat conservateur was a body set up in France during the Consulate by the Constitution of the Year VIII. With the Tribunat and the Corps législatif, it formed one of the three legislative assemblies of the Consulate...
on 6 germinal year XII (27 March 1804).
A friend of letters and the arts, he translated many German works into French. During his stay in Italy he bought sculptures, more than a thousand paintings and over 5,000 prints, representative of Western European art from the end of the 13th century to the start of the 19th century. Conditions were highly favourable for this collection's formation, and Cacault was probably advised by the painter-collector Jean-Baptiste Wicar
Jean-Baptiste Wicar
Jean-Baptiste Wicar was a French Neoclassical painter and art collector.-Life:The son of a carpenter, Wicar studied drawing at the free school in Lille before further honing his talents in the studio of David...
. They were both present in the art market, notably with the "brocanteur" or market-dealer Corazetto in piazza Navona
Piazza Navona
Piazza Navona is a city square in Rome, Italy. It is built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian, built in 1st century AD, and follows the form of the open space of the stadium. The ancient Romans came there to watch the agones , and hence it was known as 'Circus Agonalis'...
and amidst works seized from churches and convents by the French occupiers and the suppression between 1798 and 1802 of a ban on exporting works of art from the Papal States. François's younger brother Pierre
Pierre Cacault
Pierre René Cacault was a French painter.-Life:The younger brother of the diplomat and collector François Cacault, Pierre worked as a painter at the family faience business and helped manage it for a while before leaving for Paris to study painting...
had stayed in Clisson
Clisson
Clisson , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique département in western France.It is situated at the confluence of the Sèvre Nantaise and the Moine southeast of Nantes ....
since 1796, and there they founded a museum that aimed to display François's collection, to contribute to the spread of good taste and beauty and to favour arts studies. This "museum-school" arose from a passion for art and witnesses to the political context which affirmed the will to make all works of art accessible, within an ideal of artistic education. The Cacault collection was bought in 1801 by the town of Nantes, forming the foundation of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes
The Fine arts Museum of Nantes is an art museum in Nantes, France.The museum was created in 1801 with the purchase of the Cacault collection and was located in is actual Palais des Beaux-Arts since 1900....
.