William Barbotin (1861-1931)
William Barbotin was born in Ars-en-Ré on 25 August 1861 and died in Paris on 12 November 1931. French painter, sculptor and engraver, he won the First Prize of the Prix de Rome in the engraving category in 1884. He then resided in the Villa Medici for two years between 1885 and 1886. From 1893 to 1901, William Barbotin was general secretary of the Société des artistes graveurs–society for engraving artists. This is where he started collecting many distinctions: in 1903, he was appointed knight of the Legion of Honour.
