French school: Portrait of Louis Marthe de Gouy d’Arsy, oil on canvas, 18th C.

Work: ca. 52 x 42 cm

Frame: 62,5 x 53 cm

Louis Marthe de Gouy d’Arsy was born to a noble family in Paris in July 1753. At a young age, he entered the army and continued to climb the ranks until he was named 'General de Brigade' in 1792. He was then named the Deputy of the Nobles of Saint-Domingue and took charge of ameliorating the situation of the colony. He had one single goal: the representation of the colony in the National Assembly. As the liaison between Saint Domingue and the Assembly, he tried to limit La Luzerne’s government over the colony and the Minister of the Navy and fought for its autonomy. In 1791, D’Arsy created a plan for Saint-Domingue which he entitled 'Summary of Ideas on the Restoration of Saint Domingue, Presented to the Nation, the King and the Colony.' This document contained elaborate plans for the colony. Freemason and principal member of the Club Massiac, he often clashed with Brissot and the Society of Friends of Blacks. Gouy d’Arsy was arrested and imprisoned on April 2, 1791. He was sentenced and condemned by the Revolutionary Tribunal, and was guillotined in July 1794 (link and link).