Lot 246: LUDOVIC NAPOLÉON LEPIC

signed Lepic (lower right)

oil on canvas

24 by 29 in.<br><br>60.9 by 73.6 cm.

1839-1890

Comte Ludovic Napoléon Lepic (1839-1889) is perhaps best remembered today because of his close friendship with Edgar Degas, who depicted him several times, most famously in his Place de la Concorde, Vicomte Lepic and his Daughters(circa 1876).

Though not a member of the established nobility, the hereditary title of count had been given to Lepic's grandfather by Louis XVIII. Ludovic Lepic was quite the renaissance man, multi-talented and much-liked. An artist in his own right, he studied under Cabanel and Gleyre, and, with the encouragement of Degas, exhibited in the first two Impressionist exhibitions of 1874 and 1876.

Lepic was also a breeder of greyhounds and was urged by Degas to find a dog for Mary Cassatt. He was fascinated by archaeology and helped found museums at Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Aix-sur-Bains. He shared Degas's enthusiasm for the theater and ballet, and designed sets and costumes for the opera.