Louis César de la Baume le Blanc, duc de la Vallière

Louis César de La Baume Le Blanc was a French nobelman, bibliophile, art collector of predominantly Dutch and Flemish paintings, and military man. In 1727, he was promoted to the rank of colonel of the regiment under the title of duc de La Vallière, a duchy his father gave up two years later. Upon his father’s death in 1739, he inherited the Château de Champs-sur-Marne, became the new duc de La Vallière and was made the governor of Bourbonnais. On 25 May 1749, the king Louis XV bestowed upon him the Order of the Holy Spirit in a ceremony which took place at Versailles. Part of La Baume le Blanc’s library, which was sold between 1767 and 1788, was acquired by comte d’Artois, brother of Louis XVI and future king. This part of the library was eventually incorporated into the Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal in Paris. Among his estate was a painting attributed to Gerard Ter Borch entitled L’intéressant message (Schloss German Nr. 215, Schloss French Nr. 256) which later was part of Adolphe Schloss’ collection.