DUCHÉ DE VANCY, Gaspard

(b. 1756 ?, d. 1788 ?)

French painter who is noted for his images of the voyage of exploration of Jean-Francois Galaup, comte de La Perouse in the late 18th century. After studying art in Vienna, Duché de Vancy exhibited in Paris and at the Royal Academy in London. He went on to complete portraits of European royalty and architectural views of Naples and Rome. As official artist Gaspard Duche de Vancy recorded the French voyage of explorer Jean Francois Galaup de la Pérouse, from 1785 to 1788. In 1786 he was the first professional artist known to have painted a view of California. He vanished with the expedition in Oceania in 1788.

Costumes of the inhabitants of Port des Francais in Lituya Bay

This drawing was made when the expedition of La P�ruse reached North America.

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The Entrance to the Blossac Park in Poitiers

In the later part of the 18th century, in reaction to vestiges of the earlier order, fortress walls were replaced by covered alleys, terraces, and urban promenades, as seen in the cities of Bordeaux, P�rigueux, and Poitiers. In the latter the promenade is still named after Blossac, the administrator who promoted the project.

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The costumes of the inhabitants of Manila

La P�rouse set sail from France in 1785 to continue the discoveries of Captain Cook. He was shipwrecked in 1788 but his narrative, maps, and views survived and were published in 1797. This engraving is one of the illustrations of this publication; it was engraved after the drawing of Gaspard Duch� de Vancy, the official artist of the expedition.

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