Marie Léonie de Bazelaire de Ruppierre (May 19, 1857– July 23, 1926) was a French painter and writer. In addition to writing several travel books, she was the founder and director of ''La Chevauchée'', a bimonthly literary review for women that published between 1900 and 1903.

Family

Léonie de Bazelaire was the daughter of Marie-Charles Sigisbert de Bazelaire de Saulcy (1812-1867) and Marie Anne Victoire Louise Florentin (1814-1903). She had seven brothers and sisters, She grew up in Saulcy-sur-Meurthe and then studied at Saint-Dié, before her father was named a justice of the peace in

Ligny-en-Barrois Ligny-en-Barrois () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The town is in the arrondissement of Bar-le-Duc, beside the canal that links the rivers Rhine and Marne, fifteen kilometres to the south east of B ...

. Her uncle, Édouard de Bazelaire (1819-1853) was a writer, a member of the

Académie de Stanislas The Académie de Stanislas is a learned society founded in Nancy, France on 28 December 1750 by the King of Poland, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, Stanisław Leszczyński, under the name ''Société Royale des Sciences et Belles-Lettres de Nancy''. It ...

, a chevalier of the order of Saint-Grégoire-le-Grand, and author of ''Promenades dans les Vosges'' (1838).

Travel writing

In April 1888, she went by boat to

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

with a group of pilgrims. After a stop in Italy where she visited

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, and one in Crète, the pilgrim's boat dropped anchor in

Haifa Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...

. Accompanied by her brother Maurice (1840-1909) and her sister Isabelle (1847-1889), they departed on horseback, for a month to tour the country. During this time she wrote ''Chevauchée en Palestine'' (1889). After the trip, she published ''Mois du Sacré-Cœur de Terre Sainte'' (1890). Two years later, in 1890, she travelled by rail in Haute-Bavière, to help with the

Oberammergau Passion Play The Oberammergau Passion Play () is a passion play that has been performed every 10 years from 1634 to 1674 and each decadal year since 1680 (with a few exceptions) by the inhabitants of the village of Oberammergau, Bavaria, Germany. It was wr ...

, which has taken place since 1634 and which, every two years, involves a large part of the population. She described the event in great detail in her work ''Le drame d’Oberammergau'' (1891). She travelled as well to

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, which resulted in the publication of ''Jérusalem, cinq ans après. Une fuite en Égypte'' (1893). In

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum is the capital city of Sudan as well as Khartoum State. With an estimated population of 7.1 million people, Greater Khartoum is the largest urban area in Sudan. Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White Nile – flo ...

, in 1907, she met the writer

Pierre Loti Pierre Loti (; pseudonym of Louis Marie-Julien Viaud ; 14 January 1850 – 10 June 1923) was a French naval officer and novelist, known for his exotic novels and short stories.This article is derived largely from the ''Encyclopædia Britannica Ele ...

at the

Luxor Temple The Luxor Temple () is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes (Egypt), Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it was ...

. In 1912, she published ''Croquis d'Égypte et de Nubie'', which was reviewed in ''Les Annales politiques et littéraires'' In addition to her travel writing, she published a biographical essay on Jeanne d’Arc titled ''Figure Exquise'' (1895), and three theatre pieces: ''L’idée de Colette'' (1897), ''Os de Poulet'' (1897) et ''Trèfle à quatre feuilles''.

Painting career

She studied painting and drawing with Édouard de Mirbeck in Saint-Dié. She was later the student of painters Pierre-Eugène Grandsire,

Carolus-Duran Charles Auguste Émile Durand, known as Carolus-Duran (4 July 1837 – 17 February 1917), was a French painter and art instructor. He is noted for his stylish depictions of members of Upper class, high society in French Third Republic, Third Rep ...

and

Jean-Jacques Henner Jean-Jacques Henner (5 March 1829 – 23 July 1905) was a French painter, noted for his use of sfumato and chiaroscuro in painting nudes, religious subjects and portraits. Biography Henner was born at Bernwiller (Alsace). He began his stud ...

. She painted portraits and showed regularly in the areas of

Épinal Épinal (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in northeastern France and the prefecture of the Vosges (department), Vosges Departments of France, department. Geography The commune has a land area of . It is situated on the river Moselle, so ...

Remiremont Remiremont () is a town and Communes of France, commune in the Vosges department, northeastern France, situated in southern Grand Est. The town has been an abbatial centre since the 7th century, is an economic crossroads of the Moselle and Moselo ...

, Saint-Dié and

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

. In May 1882, she presented her work ''Sous-bois dans les Vosges'' at the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées, Paris.

Collections

* ''Paysages de montagne dans les Vosges'',

Hermitage Museum The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and holds the large ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

Death

She died in

Cannet Cannet (; ) is a former commune in the Gers department in southwestern France. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the commune Riscle.

, having served during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as a nurse, for which she received the

croix de guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

. She was a

Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

.Le Journal des débats - 30 juillet 1926. She was buried in Saint-Dié, July 29, 1926.

Bibliography

Travel writing

* ''Chevauchée en Palestine'',

Alfred Mame Alfred-Henry-Armand Mame (b. at Tours, 17 August 1811; d. at Tours, 12 April 1893) was a French printer and publisher. Mame, publishers The founder of the Mame firm, Charles Mame, printed two newspapers at Angers in the last quarter of the eigh ...

, 1889 (7 reprints). * ''Mois du Sacré Cœur de Terre Sainte'', Wagner, 1890. * ''Le drame d’Oberammergau'', P. Lethielleux, 1893. * ''Jérusalem cinq ans après ! Une fuite en Égypte'', Éd. de l’Assomption, 1893. * ''Croquis d'Égypte et de Nubie'', 1912.

Biographies

* ''Figure exquise'', Victor Retaux, 1895 * Préface à : Édouard de Bazelaire, ''Saint Pierre Fourier, surnommé le Bon Père de Mattaincourt'', Nancy, Crépin Leblond, 1897.

Theatre

* ''Os de Poulet'', comédie en deux actes, Librairie théâtrale, 1897. * ''L’idée de Colette'', comédie en un acte, Librairie théâtrale, 1897. * ''Trèfle à quatre feuilles''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bazelaire, Léonie de 1857 births 1926 deaths 19th-century French women writers 19th-century French women artists 20th-century French women writers 20th-century French women artists French travel writers French women travel writers Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Knights of the Legion of Honour French women biographers French women painters People from Saint-Dié-des-Vosges People from Bar-le-Duc World War I nurses Female nurses in World War I