(b Paris, 28 Aug 1799; d Nice, 24 Dec 1826). French painter and lithographer. He was the son and pupil of the painter and lithographer Anne-Pierre Leprince and the elder brother of the painters Robert-Léopold Leprince (1800–47) and Gustave Leprince (1810–37). Leprince received a medal at his first Salon of 1819 for one of six entries, five of which were landscapes of 17th-century Dutch inspiration, which came possibly via the work of Jean-Louis Demarne. Leprince quickly learnt to vary the contents of his paintings: at the Salon of 1822 his entries included three Paris street scenes, three portraits and two scenes on board a frigate. His numerous Paris street scenes usually depicted some well-known contemporary event, as in the Restoration of the Barrière du Trône (Paris, Carnavalet), which is one of a series. The Embarkation of the Animals at the Port of Honfleur (1823; Paris, Louvre) shows the successful application of Leprince’s interest in R. P. Bonington, not only in its composition and content but also in its direct observation. The painting was purchased by Louis XVIII at the highly competitive Salon of 1824. Also reminiscent of Bonington is the small-scale contemporary history painting, The Ordination (1825; Angoulême, Mus. Mun.), again one of a series. In the last year of his short life Leprince showed himself to be a sensitive watercolour painter and lithographer, publishing a set of 12 lithographs entitled Inconveniences of a Journey by Stage-coach.

• Leprince, Auguste-Xavier
  • Lepoittevin, Eugène