Cardinal Joseph Fesch

Born in Ajaccio, Corsica, in 1763, Joseph Fesch was ordained as a priest in 1785 and became the archdeacon of Ajaccio when he was 24 years old. Through his half-sister, Laetitia Bonaparte, he was the uncle of Napoleon Bonaparte and as such served in multiple diplomatic roles. In 1802 he became the Archbishop of Lyon (1802-1839) and was Prince of France from 1807. Cardinal Joseph Fesch amassed a large art collection that he bequeathed to the cities of Ajaccio and Lyon. Cardinal Fesch is mentioned in the provenance of the painting Halte by Philips Wouwerman (Schloss German no. 233/ French no. 287).

Sources: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG69478