Tag: Madame de Sevigne

France’s first woman of letters, Madame de Sevigne, has been on my radar for many years. I’ve read her missives and enjoy including her in my musings.

I often ask myself why I haven’t created a full-on literary adventure with this woman of the French court, as I’ve visited her former chateau in Paris a number of times (it’s now a museum) and bumped into her visage in museums and galleries worldwide. One of the most surprising places was the Glauco Lombardi Museum in Parma, which is devoted to the relationship between Emperor Napoleon I and his second wife Marie-Louise of Austria.

I felt a sizzle of electricity course through my body as my eyes met the rather coquettish gaze of Marie de Rabutin-Chantal. What the heck is Madame de Sévigné, one of France’s most famous courtiers during the reign of Louis XIV, doing confidently posed within a museum celebrating Napoleon’s queen? I wondered. I stood in front of the portrait for quite a while, puzzling it out, but I couldn’t connect the dots between the two women because Sévigné had been dead for over a century before Marie-Louise became the Empress of France.

I wasn’t able to adequately translate my question as to why Madame de Sevigne would have been there to the museum’s staff so I left there unclear as to why Glauco Lombardi, who collected the memorabilia housed within the museum, included the painting in his homage to the Duchess of Parma. In fact, I’ve yet to unravel the mystery so if anyone reading this knows, I’d truly appreciate it if you’d leave me a comment. You can bet I will continue writing about this important figure in French history so stop back by and follow the tag to see new posts.