Gustave Guyot of Villeneuve

François Gustave Adolphe Guyot of Villeneuve (October 20th 1825 in Paris - March 4th 1898 in Paris) was one of largest the bibliophiles French of second half of the 19th century.

Descendant of a Parisian family which had given under the Old Mode several provosts of the merchants and alderman S to the capital, doctor in right, attache with the legation from France to Washington, it left the diplomacy in 1851. Very related to the family of Orleans, he intended to protest against the coup d'etat of the prince chair Napoleon III.

He consequently could, beside his activities of land great landowner and informed agronomist, to devote itself to his two passions: voyages and bibliophilism. He constituted a remarkable collection of books and manuscripts, whose floret was the Book of hours marshal of Boucicault, one of the most beautiful French manuscripts of the 14th century, which he had found in England. Member of very the select Company of the French bibliophiles, he became the president thereafter about it. He was also a close friend of the duke of Aumale which often consulted it for its collections of Chantilly.

Having sheltered several months at his place, in its Parisian hotel of the Public garden of Messine, the count and the countess of Paris on their return of exile in 1871, it militated with the beginning of the year 1870 in favor of a monarchical restoration and the duke of Broglie, then President of the Council, named it in 1873 prefect of the Seine and Marne. This large art lover impassioned himself then for the future of the Château of Be worth-the-Viscount, whom it had the joy of making acquire by Mr. Sommier to which it had made it visit. He left the prefectoral career in 1877, to be appointed prefect of Aisne shortly after, in dissension with the entourage of the marshal of Mac-Mahon on the opportunity of the " blow of Etat" of May 16th.

He had married in 1861 Marie Amélie de Montalivet (1838-1899), girl of the count Camille de Montalivet, of which he had three wire:

Camille (1862-1939), embassy secretary, resigner in 1886 to protest against the vote of the laws of exile striking the count de Paris, member of the service of honor of this last, then appointed rejoined the Low-Alps;
Jean (1864-1909), officer patented Staff, deputy of Neuilly, which started in 1904 the “Affaire of the cards”;
François (1865-1936), officer of cavalry.

He died in March 1898. Its library was sold with the biddings in 1900 and 1901, and its cabinet of drawings in 1900.

Sources

Mr. of EYLAC (pseudonym of the baron de Claye): " The library Guyot de Villeneuve" , in " the almanac of the bibliophile for the year 1900"

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