Duchesse de Polignac

[polignac]

«The young Prince showed a strong dislike to the Duchesse de Polignac, who attributed it either to the Duc or the Duchesse d’Harcourt, and came to make her complaints respecting it to the Queen. The Dauphin twice sent her out of his room, saying to her, with that maturity of manner which long illness always gives to children: “Go out, Duchess; you are so fond of using perfumes, and they always make me ill;” and yet she never used any. The Queen perceived, also, that his prejudices against her friend extended to herself; her son would no longer speak in her presence. »

I think that i've read that already here at the forum. But is it true, or fake? The last part «her son would no longer speak in her presence», is a little odde, isn't? It says that the Queen ordder her son to not to speak in her presence  :-?

[coquelicot]

I really don't know, Polignac. This is troubling, indeed... So many bad things have been said about Gabrielle, even during her lifetime. So many ladies were jealous of the friendship the queen felt for her, and jealous of her position in the court. They immediately said she didn't care for the princes, and she only did it for prestige and money. In fact, Antoinette and Gabrielle raised their children together for long.

All I do when I doubt, as in front of such a testimony, is to get back to Marie-Antoinette's quill. What did she write about Gabrielle as governess ? Nothing but tender words...

[polignac]

I was locking about something of Gabrielle's and Jules life, and i found this:

«Louis-Melchior-Armand, vicomte de Polignac was born 1717, died after 1792. He married twice. By Marie-Zephirine Mancini (d. before 1777) he had Armand-Jules-Francois, le duc de Polignac (1745-1817), Philippe-Jules-Francois (1747-?), and two daughters. By Madeleine-Elizabeth de Fleury (d. 1788) he had Heraclius-Auguste- Gabriel, comte de Polignac (1788-1871), and Elisabeth-Julie-Diane (1785-?), who married Sabakhin, chancellor of Russia. »

[polignac]

I discover that Aglaé, the duchesse de Guiche, died in 1803, in a fire acident.

[polignac]

Madame Gabrielle Polignac has taked the Princesse de Guéménée "job" as  Governess to the Royal Children...Do you know if the Guéménée's saw this with "bad eyes"?

I would also like to know a little about the princes of Guéménée, specially about the old  Governess to the Royal Children..I read that they became bankrupt in 1782, but i'm not sure...

[coquelicot]

That's the point, Polignac ! Monsieur de Guéméné had to face banckrupt and an awful scandal. So, Madame de Guéméné must leave her functions. Then, Marie-Antoinette chose her friend Gabrielle de Polignac to replace her.

Madame de Guéméné also was Marie-Antoinette's friend. She received many people in her salon and they gamble till mornings. She was a strange lady with interests in spirits and ghosts. She said she was in touch with spirits through the souls of her dogs. She sometimes looked at her dogs, stopped talking and fell into a kind of transe.

[polignac]

Coquelicot, what have I found!!   You probably already know this site, but I didn't knew:

- http://www.blackmask.com/books27c/mariean.htm

It speaks about the Duchesse in all of the site, but in CHAPTER XI. KING LOUIS THE SIXTEENTH, it's more specific...Here, Marie Antoinette call the Duchesse by Julia.

It's the entire book of Louise Muhlbach, "Marie Antoinette And Her Son"

[coquelicot]

I know it, Polignac, it's a fiction. Antoinette didn't call Madame de Polignac so. "Jules", maybe ? Gabrielle ? Yolande ? Martine ? I don't know... "Mon coeur" and "mon cher coeur", for sure !

[polignac]

I know that it's very difficult to know how was Gabrielle physically, but the portaits and diaries of people that lived with the DUchesse can help...
In some portaits, the Duchesse was represented with blue eyes, but in the one where she's with a green hat and a withe dress, representes her with brown eyes..

«Her character suited the Queen; she had merely natural talents, no pedantry, no affectation of knowledge. She was of middle size; her complexion very fair, her eyebrows and hair dark brown, her teeth superb, her smile enchanting, and her whole person graceful. She was seen almost always in a demi-toilet, remarkable only for neatness and good taste. I do not think I ever once saw diamonds about her, even at the climax of her fortune, when she had the rank of Duchess at Court.», from http://www.authorama.com/memoirs-of-marie-antoinette-9.html

I think that she might be one of the most beautiful known aristocrats at Versailles... The Princesse de Lamballe seems pretty, but the elegance, at the same time extravagant and simple, atract me very much...She is my favorite woman of the Court de Versailles.

[polignac]

I was talking about the seconde portait of the second post of Sissi here in the Topic about Yolande de Polignac. But my favorite portait is the first of her second post.

P.S.: a little confuse, with second posts, but...

[coquelicot]

Duchess de Polignac was little, with the face of an angel, blue eyes, dark hair. Someone even wrote "as if drowned into ink". She had a candid smile and little lovely white teeth. All her moves were gracious and nochalent, she was soft and sweet. She had a beautiful voice, and enjoyed chanting with her friend Antoinette.

She definitely has blue eyes. They seem brown on one of her portrait, but they are blue. Colours of paintings may change...

[Imperial.Opal]

To Polignac, just curious, as you are a  ex member, why are you contributing to the forum again  

[Prince_Lieven]

Imperial Opal, I think during the change to the new format, a glitch caused one or two members to be listed as 'ex members' even though they hadn't left or being banned - I seen it happen with another member. But I might be horribly, HORRIBLY wrong so don't quote me on this.  

[polignac]

Oh, i don't know what happened...  :-/ But Prince Lieven is right... It's strange. Even my regist of the number of posts continued to be the same.  :-? I continue to have acess to modify my firsts posts...

[polignac]

And I've seen now that i'm only a ex-member in Yolande de Polignac topic. In others, like the Duchesse de CHevreuse (and I created that topic in February, whit the last format), I'm a member... :-/