Alexandre Pau de St. Martin

Very little is known about Alexandre Pau de Saint-Martin, the man or the artist. His birth and death dates remain obscure. Only the period of his professional activities can be pinned down by means of his participation in the Salon from 1791 through 1848. From 1791 until 1812 he exhibited under the name Saint-Martin and from 1814 until 1848 under the name Pau de Saint-Martin. Émile Bellier de la Chavignerie mentions him in his dictionary as a student of Leprince (this could only be Jean-Baptiste, 1734-1781) and of Vernet (Carle ? 1758-1836) and gives an extensive list of his works. The titles of the paintings the artist exhibited at the Salons reveal that he initially produced landscapes with figures and animals, like Boquet (q.v.), who was also said to be a student of a certain Leprince. Furthermore, the titles of his work also indicate that he worked in the forest of Fontainebleau as early as 1795. From then until 1848 he painted in many regions of France, and around 1830 he was in Switzerland. His greatest claim to glory is that he taught Théodore Rousseau (q.v.), his cousin. Alexandre Pau de Saint-Martin had a son named Pierre-Alexandre who was also a painter.