Samuel-Jacques Bernard (1686–1753)
Samuel-Jacques Bernard | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date |
| Died | November 22, 1753 (aged 67) |
| Occupation(s) | Financier, nobleman |
| Known for | Superintendent of finance under Queen Maria Leszczyńska; comte de Coubert; maître des requêtes; conseiller du roi; Grand Croix; Master of Ceremonies for the Order of Saint-Louis |
Samuel-Jacques Bernard (born 19 May 1686, died 22 November 1753), who assumed the title comte de Coubert following his father's passing in 1739, was the offspring of the influential French financier Samuel Bernard. Beginning in 1725, he held the position of superintendent of finance under Queen Maria Leszczyńska and bore several distinguished titles such as maître des requêtes, conseiller du roi, Grand Croix, and also served as Master of Ceremonies for the Order of Saint-Louis.
In 1715, he entered into matrimony with Elisabeth-Olive-Louise Frot[t]ier, daughter of the marquis de La Coste-Messelière. Upon inheriting his father's estate, Bernard received a fortune estimated at 33 million livres. Despite experiencing a significant bankruptcy in 1751—which resulted in a financial loss of 80,000 livres for Voltaire (equivalent to an income loss of 8,000 livres)—Bernard maintained his reputation as a grand seigneur. Nevertheless, extensive debts burdened his estate at the time of his death.
His hôtel particulier located at 46, rue du Bac, constructed between 1741 and 1745 based on designs by Germain Boffrand, was lavishly decorated and housed important works of art. The dining area was adorned with two large canvases depicting hunting dogs by Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1742), currently preserved at the Palais Rohan in Strasbourg. The grand salon featured white-and-gold boiseries with overdoor paintings representing the Four Continents, created by artists who also produced tapestry cartoons for Aubusson: Jacques Dumont le Romain, Charles-Joseph Natoire, Charles Restout, and Carle Van Loo. These artworks are now part of the collection at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
Bernard's vast library was sold through auctions held in 1754 and 1756; many books were marked with his coat of arms encircled by the collar of the Order of Saint-Louis along with the motto Bellicae vitutis praemium.