Zoé Victoire Talon (5 August[1] 1785 – 19 March 1852), styled comtesse du Cayla, was an intimate friend and confidante of Louis XVIII of France, and was his maîtresse-en-titre.
Zoé Talon du Cayla
Portrait of Zoé Victoire Talon, comtesse du Cayla, with her children by François Gérard circa 1825
In 1802 she married the comte Baschi du Cayla (died 1851), with whom she had two children, Ugolin and Ugoline[3] before being separated after prolonged litigation, which brought her to the attention of Louis XVIII, to whom she personally appealed for protection from her husband. She managed to retain the confidence, however, of her mother-in-law, a lady-in-waiting in the household of the comtesse de Provence, who now became titular queen of France. At the court of the restored Bourbons, Mme de Cayla was also the protégée of the vicomte Sosthène de La Rochefoucauld and from about 1817, at first very discreetly, became the major avenue through which the Ultras were able to influence the aged and emotionally needy Louis XVIII, who lavished favours upon Mme de Cayla, though she was unlikely ever to have been his mistress.[4]
Château de Saint-Ouen, 1821–22
In 1821 the king had the Château de Saint-Ouen, north of Paris, razed and rebuilt by the architect Jacques-Marie Huvé; the first stones were laid 2 May 1821, in the presence of the king and the comtesse.[5] The old château had been the site of the signing of papers that restored the brother of Louis XVI to the throne of France. It was decorated and furnished out of Louis XVIII's pocket, without a trace in the official budget of the Maison du Roi, and completed by the end of 1822, when Mme de Cayla officially "purchased" it from the architect, 29 October 1822. The King's house-warming gift was a dessert service of Sèvres porcelain painted with views of the new château.[6]
She was also the avenue through which office-seekers could find places. After the death of her royal patron in 1824 she turned her attention to agriculture, raising a new breed of sheep named in her honour, from a long-haired Nubian ram that had been presented to her by Muhammad Ali, viceroy of Egypt. She supported the pile carpet manufactory of Savonnerie in its last independent days before it was absorbed by the Gobelins in 1826.
Later lifeedit
During a visit which she paid to London in 1829, Greville observed in his diary:[7]
She must have been good-looking in her youth; her countenance is lively, her eyes are piercing, clear complexion, and very handsome hands and arms; but the best part about her seemed to be the magnificent pearls she wore, though these are not so fine as Lady Conyngham's.
Among gardeners, her name is commemorated in the Rose 'Comtesse du Cayla', not in fact a rose of her period, but instead a China rose raised by Pierre Guillot in 1902.[8]
^Lamartine, in his memoirs, recalled that "the king's sentiment for this attractive woman had from the first the character of a love which hides from itself, under the name of friendship, what the age of the King and the reserve of the woman did not permit to be avowed; he felt an affection for her which he styled paternal, and he called her his daughter, not daring through respect for himself and respect for her, to call her by any other name." Saint-Amand 1892:260-61.
^Château de Saint-Ouen September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
The American Cyclopædia: A Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge (1873) s.v. "Zoé Victoire de Cayla".
Arthur Léon Imbert de Saint-Amand, (Elizabeth
Gilbert (Davis) Martin, tr.) The Duchess of Berry and the Court of Louis XVIII 1892
April 13, 2024
zoé, talon, cayla, zoé, victoire, talon, august, 1785, march, 1852, styled, comtesse, cayla, intimate, friend, confidante, louis, xviii, france, maîtresse, titre, portrait, zoé, victoire, talon, comtesse, cayla, with, children, françois, gérard, circa, 1825zoé. Zoe Victoire Talon 5 August 1 1785 19 March 1852 styled comtesse du Cayla was an intimate friend and confidante of Louis XVIII of France and was his maitresse en titre Zoe Talon du CaylaPortrait of Zoe Victoire Talon comtesse du Cayla with her children by Francois Gerard circa 1825Zoe Victoire Talon BornAugust 1785Le Boullay Thierry Died19 March 1852 aged 66 Paris Spouse s Achille de Baschi du Cayla Partner s Anne Jean Marie Rene Savary Parent s Antoine Omer Talon Contents 1 Early life 2 Relationship with the king 3 Later life 4 Death 5 Legacy 6 Notes 7 SourcesEarly life editShe was born at Le Boullay Thierry She was the daughter of a royal avocat Antoine Omer Talon 1760 1811 and was privately educated and groomed by Madame Campan whose school Lamartine called an academy of feminine diplomacy 2 Relationship with the king editIn 1802 she married the comte Baschi du Cayla died 1851 with whom she had two children Ugolin and Ugoline 3 before being separated after prolonged litigation which brought her to the attention of Louis XVIII to whom she personally appealed for protection from her husband She managed to retain the confidence however of her mother in law a lady in waiting in the household of the comtesse de Provence who now became titular queen of France At the court of the restored Bourbons Mme de Cayla was also the protegee of the vicomte Sosthene de La Rochefoucauld and from about 1817 at first very discreetly became the major avenue through which the Ultras were able to influence the aged and emotionally needy Louis XVIII who lavished favours upon Mme de Cayla though she was unlikely ever to have been his mistress 4 nbsp Chateau de Saint Ouen 1821 22In 1821 the king had the Chateau de Saint Ouen north of Paris razed and rebuilt by the architect Jacques Marie Huve the first stones were laid 2 May 1821 in the presence of the king and the comtesse 5 The old chateau had been the site of the signing of papers that restored the brother of Louis XVI to the throne of France It was decorated and furnished out of Louis XVIII s pocket without a trace in the official budget of the Maison du Roi and completed by the end of 1822 when Mme de Cayla officially purchased it from the architect 29 October 1822 The King s house warming gift was a dessert service of Sevres porcelain painted with views of the new chateau 6 She was also the avenue through which office seekers could find places After the death of her royal patron in 1824 she turned her attention to agriculture raising a new breed of sheep named in her honour from a long haired Nubian ram that had been presented to her by Muhammad Ali viceroy of Egypt She supported the pile carpet manufactory of Savonnerie in its last independent days before it was absorbed by the Gobelins in 1826 Later life editDuring a visit which she paid to London in 1829 Greville observed in his diary 7 She must have been good looking in her youth her countenance is lively her eyes are piercing clear complexion and very handsome hands and arms but the best part about her seemed to be the magnificent pearls she wore though these are not so fine as Lady Conyngham s Death editShe died in 1852 at her chateau of Saint Ouen Legacy editAmong gardeners her name is commemorated in the Rose Comtesse du Cayla not in fact a rose of her period but instead a China rose raised by Pierre Guillot in 1902 8 Notes edit American Cyclopaedia Arthur Leon Imbert de Saint Amand Elizabeth Gilbert Davis Martin tr The Duchess of Berry and the Court of Louis XVIII 1892 257 She became the princess de Craon Lamartine in his memoirs recalled that the king s sentiment for this attractive woman had from the first the character of a love which hides from itself under the name of friendship what the age of the King and the reserve of the woman did not permit to be avowed he felt an affection for her which he styled paternal and he called her his daughter not daring through respect for himself and respect for her to call her by any other name Saint Amand 1892 260 61 Chateau de Saint Ouen Archived September 28 2007 at the Wayback Machine Sold Sotheby s Paris 25 March 2005 Charles C F Greville A Journal of the Reigns of King George IV and King William IV vol I Longmans Green amp Co London 1874 p 215 Rose Comtesse du Cayla Sources edit nbsp Biography portalThe American Cyclopaedia A Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge 1873 s v Zoe Victoire de Cayla Arthur Leon Imbert de Saint Amand Elizabeth Gilbert Davis Martin tr The Duchess of Berry and the Court of Louis XVIII 1892 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Zoe Talon du Cayla amp oldid 1156536580, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
