Ange Antoine Guy du Fresnay (1839–1900) was a knight of the Order of Carlos III of Spain and director of The Phoenix Companies in France.[1]

Ange Antoine Guy du Fresnay
Born1839
Sartrouville, France
Died1900 (aged 60–61)
Occupation(s)Executive
knight
SpouseBelza Dubreuil

He was the son of French writer Maria Du Fresnay,[2] the half-brother of Honoré de Balzac's daughter[3] Marie-Caroline Du Fresnay,[2] and the ancestor of French writer and silent film director Guy du Fresnay as well as of French essayist and economist Philippe du Fresnay.

Royal decree granting Ange du Fresnay the title of Knight of the order of Carlos III in 1883

Biography

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In 1858, he began working at The Phoenix Companies (now Royal & SunAlliance) in Paris, later becoming their CEO until his death.[1]

In 1877, he bought from Claude Monet his painting Riverbank at Argenteuil,[4] which he sold in 1894.

In 1880, he had the "Villa Belza"[5] built[6] as a gift to his wife Belza, née Dubreuil.[7][8] Classified in 1997, this is now one of Biarritz's landmarks.[9]

In 1883, Ange du Fresnay was made Knight of the Order of Carlos III[10] by king Alphonso XII of Spain.

Bibliography

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  • Adam, Antoine (1956), "Marie du Fresnay, fille d'Eugénie Grandet et de Balzac", Les Lettres françaises (in French), pp. 632–648
  • Gilbert Guislain, "Balzac", Studyrama, 2004 (page 81)
  • Chancerel/Pierrot, "La véritable Eugénie Grandet : Marie du Fresnay", Revue des sciences humaines, 1955 (pages 10–11)

References

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  1. ^ a b "Full text of "Premier Congrès international d'actuaires, Bruxelles, 2–6 septembre 1895 ..."". 1896. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  2. ^ a b Chancerel, Pierrot (November–December 1955), "La véritable Eugénie Grandet : Marie du Fresnay" [The real Eugénie Grandet: Marie du Fresnay], Revue des sciences humaines (in French)
  3. ^ Base Joconde: Marie Caroline Du Fresnay, fille de Marie-Louise-Françoise Daminois et d'Honoré de Balzac, French Ministry of Culture. (in French)
  4. ^ "La Seine à Argenteuil by Claude Monet | Blouin Art Sales Index". artsalesindex.artinfo.com. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  5. ^ "Quizz photo de voyage : La villa perchée : Geo.fr". geo.fr. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  6. ^ Rousseau, M. (2013). Le guide de Biarritz. La Cheminante. p. 28. ISBN 9782917598450. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  7. ^ La "Villa Belza": extrait de "Petite histoire de Biarritz" de Michel Fabre. ISBN 978-2-846-18499-1
  8. ^ "Belza". biarritz.ovh.org. Archived from the original on 17 June 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  9. ^ "VILLA BELZA – Visites – Points d'intérêt > Monuments et édifices > Demeure – Hôtel particulier Biarritz". petitfute.com. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  10. ^ de Cárdenas Piera, E.; Instituto Luis de Salazar y Castro; Instituto Salazar y Castro (Espagne). (1993). Propuestas, solicitudes y decretos de la Real y muy distinguida Orden de Carlos III. Hidalguía. p. 233. ISBN 9788487204500. Retrieved 18 October 2014.