Nicolas-Joseph Foucault
Nicolas-Joseph Foucault (born January 8, 1643 in Paris , † February 7, 1721 ibid) was a French administrator and bibliophile .
Life and Discovery of the Bayeux Tapestry
Nicolas-Joseph Foucault came from a family of loyal court officials. His father was a colleague of the French statesman Jean-Baptiste Colbert , his mother came from a family of royal architects. Foucault worked in the administrative service for more than 30 years and was transferred to Normandy from around 1689. There he took on the role of artistic director . Among his acquaintances in Normandy was the Bishop of Bayeux. It is very likely that the Bishop of Bayeux Foucault drew attention to the textile factory in the 1690s because of his interest in history, which was hung in Bayeux Cathedral for about eight days once a year. Immediately afterwards, Foucault apparently commissioned a draftsman to draw the opening scenes. Why only the opening scenes were copied is unclear. It is possible that the unknown draftsman only had the opportunity to draw during the eight short days that the Bayeux Tapestry hung in Bayeux Cathedral.
Foucault is best known to posterity because his legacy, bequeathed to the Bibliothèque du Roi, contained stylized drawings of the opening scenes of the Bayeux Tapestry. In 1724, the historian Antoine Lancelot (1675–1740) made the Académie Royale des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres aware of this drawing and a little later published an article in the Academy's journal with a reproduction of the drawing. The Benedictine monk and scientist Bernard de Montfaucon finally managed to find the model for the drawing.
literature
- Andrew Bridgeford: 1066. The Hidden History of the Bayeux Tapestry. London 2004, ISBN 1-84115-040-1 .
- Carola Hicks: The Bayeux Tapestry. The Life Story of a Masterpiece. Vintage Books, London 2007, ISBN 978-0-0994-5019-1 .
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Foucault, Nicolas-Joseph |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French administrator and bibliophile |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 8, 1643 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Paris |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 7, 1721 |
| Place of death | Paris |