Louis Philippe Joseph Duc d'Orléans

Louis Philippe Joseph d’Orléans, commonly known as Philippe, was a major French noble who supported the French Revolution. In 1792, during the Revolution, he changed his name to Philippe Égalité. Louis Philippe d’Orléans was a cousin of Louis XVI and one of the wealthiest men in France. He actively supported the 1789 Revolution, and was a strong advocate for the elimination of the present absolute monarchy and in favor of a constitutional monarchy. And although he voted for the death of King Louis XVI, he himself was guillotined in November 1793 during the Reign of Terror. His son Louis Philippe d’Orléans became King of the French after the July Revolution of 1830.  Louis Philippe Joseph d’Orléans held an important collection - the so-called Orleans Collection - which consisted of over 500 paintings. The collection is considered to be one of the greatest private collections of Western art, especially Italian, ever assembled.