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The curious case of Louis-le-Grand
- December 11, 2021
- Posted by:
- Category: Venice and Paris
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What do Abbé de Bernis, Voltaire and Robert Damiens all have in common, as well as being characters in ‘Casanova in Paris: The Shadows of the King’? Well, all three either studied at, or were employed by, Louis-le-Grand, one of the most prestigious schools in Paris. De Bernis and Voltaire were students and Robert -
‘The Case of the Closely Watched Courtesans’
- August 28, 2021
- Posted by:
- Category: Venice and Paris
Fascinating review article on the relationship between the state and elite prostitutes in eighteenth-century Paris: ‘The Case of the Closely Watched Courtesans’. The painting above, which was chosen to illustrate the article, was a portrait of Marie-Louis O’Morphy, supposedly commissioned by Casanova. O’Morphy, who was to become one of Louis XV’s favourites, was discovered -
The salon myth
- March 27, 2021
- Posted by:
- Category: Venice and Paris
Many people with a passing interest in history will be familiar with the Enlightenment salons of 18th century Paris, lead by such redoubtable salonnières as Madame Geoffrin and Madame Deffand. Salon culture was supposedly a gathering of the high-minded and sophisticated elite of French society and beyond, bound together by the sort of radical
