Countess Marie Anatole Louise Élisabeth Greffulhe (néede Riquet de Caraman-Chimay; 11 July 1860 – 21 August 1952) was a French socialite, known as a renowned beauty and queen of the salons of the Faubourg Saint-Germain in Paris.[1]
The countess greatly enjoyed the company of her cousin, the exquisite aesthete Count Robert de Montesquiou, in concert with whom she was in contact with the cream of Parisian society, whom she regularly entertained at her salon in the rue d'Astorg. He would describe her eyes as "black fireflies". The colour of her eyes was unusual; as Mina Curtiss, who visited her, noticed, her eyes were like "the dark purple brown-tinged petals of a rarely seen pansy."
She married Henri, Count Greffulhe (1848–1932), of the Belgian family of bankers, on 28 September 1881. He was an unfaithful, quick-tempered man. They had one daughter, Élaine (1882–1958), who married Armand, 12th Duke of Gramont, half-brother of the openly bisexual writer the Duchess of Clermont-Tonnerre, who wrote about Élisabeth: "The Comtesse Greffulhe is always beautiful and always elsewhere. But it would be a mistake to think that her life was merely the pursuit of pleasure (...) not only is she beautiful, but she is a lady. Preferring the privacy of her own house in the rue d'Astorg and at Bois-Boudran in the country, the Comtesse Greffulhe never dined out except at the British Embassy. When Edward VII came to Paris, he dined informally at her house. After a restricted youth (...) she set herself to attracting musicians, scholars, physicists, chemists, doctors."[2]
She is one of the main inspirations for the character of the duchesse de Guermantes in Marcel Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu. Her husband, Count Greffulhe, is the main and almost unique inspiration for the character of the duc de Guermantes. A recent biography demonstrates – relying in particular on research into the author's draft notebooks – that Countess Greffulhe and her family, who inspired several of the characters in À la recherche du temps perdu, played a major role in the genesis of the work and in the discovery of the "magic" name of Guermantes.[3]
She died in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 21 August 1952.
Galleryedit
Élisabeth de Caraman-Chimay, Countess Greffulhe (1860-1952) with her daughter Élaine. Photograph by Paul Nadar, 1886.
Élisabeth de Caraman-Chimay, Countess Greffulhe (1860-1952). Photograph by Paul Nadar, 1886.
Élisabeth de Caraman-Chimay, Countess Greffulhe (1860-1952). Photograph by Paul Nadar.
Élisabeth de Caraman-Chimay, Countess Greffulhe (1860-1952). Photograph by Paul Nadar.
Élisabeth de Caraman-Chimay, countess Greffulhe (1860-1952). Photograph by Otto Wegener, circa 1887.
Élisabeth de Caraman-Chimay, Countess Greffulhe (1860-1952). Photograph by Paul Nadar in 1895.
Élisabeth de Caraman-Chimay, Countess Greffulhe (1860-1952), double portrait photograph by Otto Wegener, 1899. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Élisabeth de Caraman-Chimay, Countess Greffulhe (1860-1952), portrait photograph by Otto Wegener, 1899.
Self portrait countess Elisabeth Greffulhe (1899), Carnavalet museum, 2022.
Élisabeth de Caraman-Chimay, Countess Greffulhe (1860-1952) and her daughter Elaine Greffulhe, photograph by Otto Wegener, 1908.
Countess Élisabeth Greffulhe in the Bosquet de la Colonnade in Versailles. Painting by Joseph-Raymond Fournier-Sarlovèze.
Henri Alexandre Gervex. An evening at Pré Catelan, 1909. Countess Greffulhe is seen ready to enter the car after her visit to the restaurant.
Portrait of l'abbé Mugnier. Painted by Élisabeth de Caraman-Chimay, Countess Greffulhe in 1921.
Portrait of elegant lady attributed to Comtesse Élisabeth Greffulhe, signed M. Leibovsky.
A vase commissioned by Élisabeth Greffulhe, inscribed with a quatrain by Robert de Montesquiou, her cousin.
Notesedit
^(in French) Cossé-Brissac, Anne de, La comtesse Greffulhe, Librairie académique Perrin, Paris, 1991
^Mina Curtiss, Other People's Letters, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1978.
^Laure Hillerin, La comtesse Greffulhe, l'Ombre des Guermantes, Paris: Flammarion, 2014 (Part V, La chambre noire des Guermantes), pp. 345–455.
Referencesedit
Newton, Joy, 'Whistler's French Connections: Count Robert de Montesquiou and Countess Greffulhe,' Laurels, vol. 53, no. 1
Michel-Thiriet, Philippe, The Book of Proust, London, 1989
Munhall, Edgar, Whistler and Montesquiou. The Butterfly and the Bat, New York, 1995
Hillerin, Laure, La comtesse Greffulhe, l'Ombre des Guermantes, Paris, Flammarion, 2014
External linksedit
Media related to Élisabeth, comtesse Greffulhe at Wikimedia Commons
May 08, 2024
Élisabeth, greffulhe, countess, marie, anatole, louise, née, riquet, caraman, chimay, july, 1860, august, 1952, french, socialite, known, renowned, beauty, queen, salons, faubourg, saint, germain, paris, Élisabeth, riquet, caraman, chimaycountess, greffulhepor. Countess Marie Anatole Louise Elisabeth Greffulhe nee de Riquet de Caraman Chimay 11 July 1860 21 August 1952 was a French socialite known as a renowned beauty and queen of the salons of the Faubourg Saint Germain in Paris 1 Elisabeth de Riquet de Caraman ChimayCountess GreffulhePortrait by Philip de Laszlo 1905Born11 July 1860Paris FranceDied21 August 1952 1952 08 21 aged 92 Lausanne SwitzerlandHusbandHenry Greffulhe m 1881 died 1932 wbr IssueElaine GreffulheFatherJoseph de Riquet de CaramanMotherMarie de Montesquiou Fezensac Contents 1 Life 2 Gallery 3 Notes 4 References 5 External linksLife edit nbsp Portrait of Elisabeth with her daughter Elaine 1886 She was born in Paris the daughter of Joseph de Riquet de Caraman 18th Prince de Chimay 1836 1892 and his wife Marie de Montesquiou Fezensac 1834 1884 Through her father she was a granddaughter of Teresa Cabarrus one of the leaders of Parisian social life during the Directory and a great granddaughter of memoirist Emilie Pellapra who claimed to be a daughter of Napoleon The countess greatly enjoyed the company of her cousin the exquisite aesthete Count Robert de Montesquiou in concert with whom she was in contact with the cream of Parisian society whom she regularly entertained at her salon in the rue d Astorg He would describe her eyes as black fireflies The colour of her eyes was unusual as Mina Curtiss who visited her noticed her eyes were like the dark purple brown tinged petals of a rarely seen pansy nbsp Autochrome portrait by Georges Chevalier 1929 She married Henri Count Greffulhe 1848 1932 of the Belgian family of bankers on 28 September 1881 He was an unfaithful quick tempered man They had one daughter Elaine 1882 1958 who married Armand 12th Duke of Gramont half brother of the openly bisexual writer the Duchess of Clermont Tonnerre who wrote about Elisabeth The Comtesse Greffulhe is always beautiful and always elsewhere But it would be a mistake to think that her life was merely the pursuit of pleasure not only is she beautiful but she is a lady Preferring the privacy of her own house in the rue d Astorg and at Bois Boudran in the country the Comtesse Greffulhe never dined out except at the British Embassy When Edward VII came to Paris he dined informally at her house After a restricted youth she set herself to attracting musicians scholars physicists chemists doctors 2 The countess helped establish the art of James Whistler and she actively promoted such artists as Auguste Rodin Antonio de La Gandara and Gustave Moreau Gabriel Faure dedicated to her his Pavane which received its first full performance with the optional chorus at a garden party she held in the Bois de Boulogne She was a patron of Sergei Diaghilev s Ballets Russes and launched a fashion for greyhound racing Fascinated by science she helped Marie Curie to finance the creation of the Institute of Radium and Edouard Branly to pursue his research on radio transmission and telemechanical systems She is one of the main inspirations for the character of the duchesse de Guermantes in Marcel Proust s A la recherche du temps perdu Her husband Count Greffulhe is the main and almost unique inspiration for the character of the duc de Guermantes A recent biography demonstrates relying in particular on research into the author s draft notebooks that Countess Greffulhe and her family who inspired several of the characters in A la recherche du temps perdu played a major role in the genesis of the work and in the discovery of the magic name of Guermantes 3 She died in Lausanne Switzerland on 21 August 1952 Gallery edit nbsp Elisabeth de Caraman Chimay Countess Greffulhe 1860 1952 with her daughter Elaine Photograph by Paul Nadar 1886 nbsp Elisabeth de Caraman Chimay Countess Greffulhe 1860 1952 Photograph by Paul Nadar 1886 nbsp Elisabeth de Caraman Chimay Countess Greffulhe 1860 1952 Photograph by Paul Nadar nbsp Elisabeth de Caraman Chimay Countess Greffulhe 1860 1952 Photograph by Paul Nadar nbsp Elisabeth de Caraman Chimay countess Greffulhe 1860 1952 Photograph by Otto Wegener circa 1887 nbsp Elisabeth de Caraman Chimay Countess Greffulhe 1860 1952 Photograph by Paul Nadar in 1895 nbsp Elisabeth de Caraman Chimay Countess Greffulhe 1860 1952 double portrait photograph by Otto Wegener 1899 Metropolitan Museum of Art New York nbsp Elisabeth de Caraman Chimay Countess Greffulhe 1860 1952 portrait photograph by Otto Wegener 1899 nbsp Self portrait countess Elisabeth Greffulhe 1899 Carnavalet museum 2022 nbsp Elisabeth de Caraman Chimay Countess Greffulhe 1860 1952 and her daughter Elaine Greffulhe photograph by Otto Wegener 1908 nbsp Countess Elisabeth Greffulhe in the Bosquet de la Colonnade in Versailles Painting by Joseph Raymond Fournier Sarloveze nbsp Henri Alexandre Gervex An evening at Pre Catelan 1909 Countess Greffulhe is seen ready to enter the car after her visit to the restaurant nbsp Portrait of l abbe Mugnier Painted by Elisabeth de Caraman Chimay Countess Greffulhe in 1921 nbsp Portrait of elegant lady attributed to Comtesse Elisabeth Greffulhe signed M Leibovsky nbsp A vase commissioned by Elisabeth Greffulhe inscribed with a quatrain by Robert de Montesquiou her cousin Notes edit in French Cosse Brissac Anne de La comtesse Greffulhe Librairie academique Perrin Paris 1991 Mina Curtiss Other People s Letters Boston Houghton Mifflin Company 1978 Laure Hillerin La comtesse Greffulhe l Ombre des Guermantes Paris Flammarion 2014 Part V La chambre noire des Guermantes pp 345 455 References editNewton Joy Whistler s French Connections Count Robert de Montesquiou and Countess Greffulhe Laurels vol 53 no 1 Michel Thiriet Philippe The Book of Proust London 1989 Munhall Edgar Whistler and Montesquiou The Butterfly and the Bat New York 1995 Painter George Marcel Proust Chatto amp Windus London 1959 Hillerin Laure La comtesse Greffulhe l Ombre des Guermantes Paris Flammarion 2014External links edit nbsp Media related to Elisabeth comtesse Greffulhe at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Elisabeth Greffulhe amp oldid 1190374829, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
