tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832859209231480725.post4308214735775895078..comments2024-03-01T04:41:27.615-08:00Comments on Rodama: a blog of 18th-century & Revolutionary France: A tale of Sleeping BeautyRodama1789http://www.blogger.com/profile/06617445289314104257noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832859209231480725.post-68937063719699908932023-08-13T08:17:08.507-07:002023-08-13T08:17:08.507-07:00I agree with your conclusion! However, she always ...I agree with your conclusion! However, she always struck me as du Barry, no doubt. The shape of her big eyes his unmistakeable.Imperatrix 999https://www.blogger.com/profile/13632100567018768143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832859209231480725.post-31782934332045466402020-06-17T14:22:35.742-07:002020-06-17T14:22:35.742-07:00The Heinsius oval portrait above is Jeanne-Louise,...The Heinsius oval portrait above is Jeanne-Louise, the mother, not Emilie, who was the subject of a physionotrace by Edmé Quenedey. There is also a portrait by Carmontelle. She could plausibly be the model, but it's difficult to get a good view of the waxwork's face full-on.Silverwhistlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00681706061490836033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832859209231480725.post-23352192523198609252020-06-17T07:29:44.506-07:002020-06-17T07:29:44.506-07:00The missing link… Prince de Conti. The mother was ...The missing link… Prince de Conti. The mother was his mistress in 1770s. He was Curtius's early patron, incl for wax erotica. Suggestion: the head is based on the mother, made by Curtius when she was a young woman. Mme Tussaud has wanted to claim it for herself, so advanced the date by 2 decades, while still claiming she was 22. For Mme Ste-Amaranthe, see Hector Fleischmann, 'Les Filles Publiques sous la Terreur'.Silverwhistlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00681706061490836033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832859209231480725.post-35849132356772979572019-01-30T11:52:29.913-08:002019-01-30T11:52:29.913-08:00Thank you. And thank you for the link.Thank you. And thank you for the link.Rodama1789https://www.blogger.com/profile/06617445289314104257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832859209231480725.post-22262031438024410092019-01-29T04:13:02.489-08:002019-01-29T04:13:02.489-08:00Dear Catherine;
Thank you very much for let me kn...Dear Catherine;<br /><br />Thank you very much for let me know about 1803 Madame Tussaud´s catalogue. It is actually the oldest surviving catalogue from Madame Tussaud´s Exhibition. In 1803 there were three portraits of reclining females: Madame du Barry (1765?), The Princess of Lamballe (1780s) and Emilie St. Amaranthe (1793?). Only one of these three portraits has survived and possibily (according to the catalogues)it is that of Mme. St. Amaranthe.<br /> <br />I suspect that Curtius did not model the Countess in 1765. I believe that he did it later (perhaps from 1770 when he began to model life-size models and the Countess became a famous woman). In 1765 she was a mistress of the Count du Barry but not the Royal mistress. She reached court in spring of 1768 and not before.<br /><br />I am almost sure that the portrait of Madame du Barry was based or inspired by an anatomical model.<br /><br />Sleeping Beauty has been on display at MET last year. I attach the link:<br /><br />https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/736081<br /><br />Best wishes<br /><br />MercèAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07308841908113920543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832859209231480725.post-14452091181385312082018-12-31T05:06:59.989-08:002018-12-31T05:06:59.989-08:00I recently came across a reference to a "biog...I recently came across a reference to a "biographical" catalogue from 1803 that I missed before. As you say, this has entries for Mme. du Barry, Mme. St. Amaranthe and the Princess of Lamballe.<br /><br />Biographical sketches of the Characters Composing the Cabinet of Composition Figures Executed by The Celebrated Curtius of Paris and his Successor, Edinburgh, 1803.<br />https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=PiUJAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=falseRodama1789https://www.blogger.com/profile/06617445289314104257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832859209231480725.post-37831781411670184802018-04-05T02:22:28.302-07:002018-04-05T02:22:28.302-07:00Thank you very much for this; the information that...Thank you very much for this; the information that Madame Tussaud originally possessed two or three different Sleeping Beauty figures makes sense of a lot of the muddle. As you say, it looks like the surviving wax was originally Mme St. Amaranthe.Rodama1789https://www.blogger.com/profile/06617445289314104257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832859209231480725.post-74851669997715426732018-04-01T11:58:42.107-07:002018-04-01T11:58:42.107-07:00First of all, congratulations for your excellent b...First of all, congratulations for your excellent blog, you have made a great work.<br />Please, excuse my English.<br />I am interested in Mme. Tussaud´s Sleeping Beauty since at least 20 years ago. My interest came through Mme. du Barry. However I am sure that Sleeping Beauty isn´t the portrait of the Royal Mistress. I believe that Sleeping Beauty is the portrait of Mme. St. Amaranthe. When Curtius died there were 3 recumbent figures in the Main Gallery at 20 Boulevard du Temple as we can read in the inventory written at Curtius´s dead. These 3 figures must be Mme. du Barry, Mme. St. Amaranthe and the Princess of Lamballe. When Mme. Tussaud took her Exhibition to England, she brought these 3 figures with her since they are mentioned in the 1803 Catalogue. Only one of these still survives and it must be that of Mme St. Amaranthe. The 2 other have been disappeared (we don´t know exactly when).<br />Twenty years ago, I wrote to Mme. Tussaud´s Arxivist (then Undine Concannon) asking for some information about Sleeping Beauty. She replied that this wax figure was more likely to be the portrait of Mme. St. Amaranthe but the identity of the model had been changed because Mme.du Barry is better known as historical figure. Regarding the head mould, Miss Concannon said that the figure isn´t from the 18 th. Century but it´s made from a very early mould (not mentioned how early). I suspect it must be from the 19 th. Century since according to Pauline Chapman book “Madame Tussaud a waxworker extraordinary”, p. 141 “the moulds of all Marie´s early portraits has been disappeared”. P. Chapman was Arxivist and Researcher of Mme. Tussaud´s and she identified Sleeping Beauty with Mme. du Barry based on the resemblance. But if you compare some contemporany portraits of the Countess and the wax figure, you can see the difference. However a miniature portrait of Mme.du Barry made in 1770 still exists. We don´t know the author.<br />As far as why Marie Tussaud modelled Mme. St. Amaranthe in such provocative pose, I have read that it was because she was inspired by the portrait of Mme. du Barry modelled by her uncle. But as you mentioned in your blog perhaps Sleeping Beauty is no one in particular and was inspired by an Anatomical Venus. Only one thing: there is a small marble made by Augustin Pajou which represents a naked women reclining on an otomana. It is claimed that the women could be a portrait of Mme. du Barry.<br />It has been a pleasure to find your blog<br />Best regards<br />Mercè<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07308841908113920543noreply@blogger.com