Joseph Dominique, Baron Louis wearing black coat and waistcoat, breast star and red ribbon of the Légion d'Honneur
Technique:
lot n° 70
H. 15.0 cm
An ex-priest and financial expert, 'Abbé Louis' moved to London in 1792, where he studied the English financial system and the administration of William Pitt the Younger. He also worked as a banker in the City.
Upon the establishment of the Consulate in 1799, Abbé Louis returned to France and held successive positions at the Ministry of War, the Council of State and the Treasury. He was made a Baron of the Empire in 1809 and subsequently held the office of Minister of Finance five times during the reigns of Louis XVIII, Charles X and Louis-Philippe I. He was awarded the Grand Cross of the Légion d'Honneur in 1815 and upon his retirement in 1832, Louis-Philippe I made him a peer of France. He then sat in the House of Lords until his death where he advised on the majority of financial issues then faced by government.