Achille Allier (1807 in

Montluçon Montluçon (; oc, Montleçon ) is a commune in central France on the river Cher. It is the largest commune in the Allier department, although the department's prefecture is located in the smaller town of Moulins. Its inhabitants are known ...

, Allier – 3 April 1836 in

Bourbon-l'Archambault Bourbon-l'Archambault is a spa town and a commune in the Allier department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in central France. It is the place of origin of the House of Bourbon. Population Personalities In 1681, Louise Marie Anne de Bour ...

, Allier was a French writer, art critic and archaeologist.

Biography

The son of a grocer, Allier went to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

to study law, and earned a license to practice which did not however dissuade him from complaining about the decaying morals''' that he felt were rampant in the capital. He went back to the provinces to settle in

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

, next to the Orleans royal family, encouraged Achille Allier to contribute with the renewal of the French provinces' interest. Both saw on it an opportunity to oppose the fragmentation of the

French departments In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety-si ...

, and to contest the

Jacobinism A Jacobin (; ) was a member of the Jacobin Club, a revolutionary political movement that was the most famous political club during the French Revolution (1789–1799). The club got its name from meeting at the Dominican rue Saint-Honoré M ...

. Allier was responsible for the restoration of the chapel of the church at Bourbon. He was also the illustrator, designer and founder-director of the monthly magazine ''Art en Province'' (Art in the provinces), founded by him in 1835. Allier died in 1836 from a stroke.

Honors

A plaque was fixed at his birthplace in Montluçon, 18 rue Notre-Dame. In Bourbon-l'Archambault, a street is also named after him, and a bust by the sculptor

Auguste Préault Auguste may refer to: People Surname * Arsène Auguste (born 1951), Haitian footballer * Donna Auguste (born 1958), African-American businesswoman * Georges Auguste (born 1933), Haitian painter * Henri Auguste (1759–1816), Parisian gold a ...

was erected in his memory in the town's churchyard in time for a memorial service held on 15 September 1836. Préault had met the writer through a mutual friend, Célestin Nanteuil, and offered his services for the commission, which was paid for by public subscription and a 300 franc payment by the ministry of the interior.''Auguste Préault, Sculpteur romantique, 1809-1819'' (Gallimard / Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 1997), p. 147. The ''Achille Allier Prize'' was created in 1991, to recognise scholarly works about the Allier department and the

Bourbonnais Bourbonnais () was a historic province in the centre of France that corresponds to the modern ''département'' of Allier, along with part of the ''département'' of Cher. Its capital was Moulins. History The title of the ruler of Bourbonnais ...

region; it is awarded yearly.

Works

* ''Esquisses bourbonnaises'', 1831, with Allier's hand illustrations (rural life scenes). * ''La vie et les miracles'', (1836), large colored drawing dedicated to (a

chromolithograph Chromolithography is a method for making multi-colour prints. This type of colour printing stemmed from the process of lithography, and includes all types of lithography that are printed in colour. When chromolithography is used to reproduce ph ...

of this work, by , in 1855, won a prize at the

Exposition Universelle Exposition (also the French for exhibition) may refer to: *Universal exposition or World's Fair *Expository writing **Exposition (narrative) *Exposition (music) *Trade fair * ''Exposition'' (album), the debut album by the band Wax on Radio *Exposi ...

). * A two-volume publication of the original typography entitled ''L'Ancien Bourbonnais'' that granted the actual celebrity of Achille Allier. The first volume dates of 1833, under the direct conduction of the author whilst the second volume, dated of 1837 was developed by his historian friend, Adolphe Michel, from numerous notes left by the dead Achille Allier.

Bibliography

* , ''Achille Allier'', Moulins, Crépin-Leblond, 1936, 31 p. * Léon Cote, ''Le romantisme en province. Achille Allier, historien, conteur, imagier bourbonnais (1807-1836)'', Moulins, 1942, xv-408 p. (tése).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allier, Achille People from Montluçon 1807 births 1836 deaths French archaeologists