Lansac was descended of a family from Béarn, son of Arnaud de Lansac and Charlotte Émilie Coutures. He was born in Tulle (Corrèze), where his father, an Inspector General of the Treasury, was passing through with his spouse on an inspection.
A pupil of Jean-Charles Langlois, a great admirer of Théodore Géricault, Lansac spent several years at the stud farm in Tarbes, studying horses. Back in Paris he collaborated with Ary Scheffer, became his pupil and contributed his talents to many of Scheffer"s paintings. On leaving the Scheffer workshop, Lansac specialized in portraits, military scenes and historical subjects.
He was soon placed out of competition.
Lansac"s former residence, located on 37 Avenue Montaigne, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, is now house to the visa office of the Canadian Embassy. He died in Paris in 1890.
"M. Émile de Lansac has delivered this year only two subjects and two portraits. But let us say that they are placed among the most distinguished works.
We find in his easel paintings all the qualities that have put Mr. de Lansac among our best artists, the composition is always cleverly studied, the color is warm and strong and the design brilliant.
As for portraits, Mr. de Lansac has managed to draw skilfully the difficulties presented by a character upon which the caricature pencil had so often been exercised."
In 1840, Jean-François Destigny wrote in Revue Poétique du Salon de 1840 about Lansac"s painting entitled Mort du lieutenant général comte de Damrémont, gouverneur de l"Algérie, tué devant Constantine le 12 octobre 1837:
Louisiana Mort de Damrémont, ce sanglant épisode
Doctorate"une guerre sans finance comme sans résultat,
Il fallait du héros éterniser les traits,
Et ne pas s"en servir comme d"un vain prétexte
Pour aduler un prince et broder sur le texte
Un pareil nombre de portraits.
