17th Century Collage

I've found a new toy. Picasa 3.

It has made lovely collages of my 17th century pictures!

~

Addendum to the Post below.....

If you'll forgive me for quoting myself - in the previous post I asked...

"Now - I often wonder if any of the Real People she (Elizabeth Chadwick) has had access to (via the Akashic Record) have ever turned round and said ‘Go away and leave me alone. I don’t want to be remembered.’???"

Marie de Rohan spent her last years in a Benedictine abbey a few miles from Paris. For the previous 70 odd years she had whirled through life - her's and other people's - with glorious energy and passion. But, towards the end, she wrote in her will that she wanted her burial to take place without pomp. Only her name and the following inscription were allowed on her tomb...

'As humility has long since replaced in her heart a taste for the world's glamour and for the greatness of her time, she has forbidden that at her death any sign of that greatness should reappear, for she wishes to take it with her into the simplicity of this grave.'

~

Death can't erase a great life. Historical fiction will see to that - thank goodness!

Historical Fiction....one POV amongst many

You write historical fiction because....
You read historical fiction because....

There are as many reasons to write and read as there are writers and readers. We all have our own preferences, our own opinions, our own interpretations.

There seems to be a spiralling debate in the HF world about historical accuracy in fiction and whether it is better to write and read about real people or purely ‘made-up’ people.

I’m feeling a little giddy here.

One of the first things you learn as a researcher of any field is that the more you research, the bigger the differences. First, second, third hand sources – it doesn’t matter. No one has the definitive answer. All is cloaked in bias and propaganda and the changes that time will bring to everything.

So, you write a novel set in the 17th century... for example. You choose to tell a story about Real People. And then you find it suggested that this is not a very good idea. How dare you presume to give a Real Person those thoughts, actions, motivations when you have no earthly way of verifying a single one of them?

A story is a series of actions and reactions. The human condition is universal. You can’t plot a life but you can plot a novel. Applying absolute certainty to that most ambiguous of creatures – mankind – is surely asking for trouble.

And being 100% ‘right’ in every way, shape and form? Good grief, how boring!

Personal opinion here but –I think I’d be rather flattered to be remembered in print, perfectly or even imperfectly, 400 years from now. The odds of that happening to any of us here today are long but...what a compliment.

Elizabeth Chadwick, author of The Greatest Knight and many other works of Historical Fiction has a fascinating method of research. She uses the Akashic Record.

Now - I often wonder if any of the Real People she has had access to have ever turned round and said ‘Go away and leave me alone. I don’t want to be remembered.’???

The above is a serious question. One that boggles my head.

The point of view is - Historical Fiction is about people. It's written by people and read by people and people are imperfect. End of....!

Louis XIII

I'm intrigued.

Love the World Wide web. Hate the World Wide Web.

A Google images search has just thrown me this image of Louis XIII via La Tribune de l'Art

In many years of research this is the first time I've seen this picture of Louis XIII and a quick search for the painter René de Poitiers, duc de Tresne gave only one resource - this one.

I'm very intrigued.

There is no date for the portrait but it is obviously of an older man and curiosity made me search for other pictures of Louis.








This one was painted by Peter Paul Rubens in 1625 when Louis was 24 years old.












I don't know but.... the first picture doesn't quite ring true. I could be very wrong. But there is no Bourbon lip or jaw.

Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury, ambassador to France in the early 1620's described Louis as having a double row of teeth which made it difficult for him to close his mouth properly.

In Weave a Garland the younger Louis is called a 'beardless boy' as it was well known that, even well into his twenties, the king could not grow a beard. Maybe this is why he played barber to his guards and shaved off all their beards and moustaches.

It' s also known that Louis started wearing a peruke at quite a young age. Cavaliers... chevaliers... were well known for their long, curling hair and Louis seems to have suffered from premature balding.

Even though the first painting has the artist's name and that of Louis XIII - I'm not 100%convinced.

As if historical research was not hard enough. Sigh.....!!

~

Close Hapsburg Relations

This beautiful little girl is the Infanta Margarita of Spain, (August 12 1651 to March 12 1673) neice of Anne of Austria, Queen of France.

Anne commissioned this picture by Deigo Velazquez and kept it in her bathing chamber in the Louvre along with many other portraits of the family she left in 1615 and was never to see again.

In Spain, it was traditional for women of the Spanish court to pose for portraits with their hand on the back of the chair but the delightful child opposite was only three years old when the picture was painted and she could not reach beyond the seat of the chair.

Little Margarita was the daughter of Philip IV of Spain - Anne's adored brother - and his second wife Mariana of Austria - the daughter of both Anne and Philip's sister Maria.

At one time Margarita's mother, the Infanta Maria, was expected to marry Charles, Prince of Wales, later King Charles I of England. Instead she married Ferdinand III, the titular king of Hungary and became the Holy Roman Empress.

Philip IV, King of Spain favoured this daughter and called her 'my joy.' She was an ethereal child with blond hair, blue eyes and none of the genetic defects that haunted many of the Hapsburgs.

Velazquez painted her several times. His most famous picture of the Infanta being Las Meninas


Margarita married Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, her cousin and uncle, and has come down to us in history as the last of the Spanish Hapsburgs.

She gave birth to six children, suffered numerous miscarriages and sadly died in Austria at the age of twenty-one.

~

Some days.....

....You just feel like pulling a face

A Clever Duchess

A CLEVER DUCHESS; Maria de Rohan as Pictured by H. Noel Williams

New York Times - January 18, 1914, Sunday

MARIE DE ROHAN, Duchesse de Chevreuse -- there is magic in every syllable of the stately, melodious name, as though she who bore it could send down through the centuries something of that potent fascination which was hers during her life....

I was absolutely delighted to find the above article by chance today.

It was written in January 1914 to coincide with the publication of Hugh Noel William's biography of Marie de Rohan ~ A Fair Conspirator.

In the days before I had a computer and a photocopier, I borrowed this book from the library and copied virtually every word of it out by hand. It took weeks...and more than one overdue fine!

Mr Williams did not seem to like his 'Fair Conspirator' very much. The biography has moments of high judgment and low opinion, but he tells her story with great passion.

Word of the Day

LOBLOLLY

"thick gruel," 1597, probably from lob, onomatopoeic of bubbling and boiling + lolly, obs. Devonshire dial. for "broth, soup, food boiled in a pot."

~

Quote of the Week

I make no apologies for quoting Ninon de Lenclos again.

Her wisdom was pithy and timeless.

“Actors ought to be larger than life. You come across quite enough ordinary, nondescript people in daily life and I don't see why you should be subjected to them on the stage too.”

Maybe we could change that quote slightly....

“Fictional characters ought to be larger than life. You come across quite enough ordinary, nondescript people in daily life and I don't see why you should be subjected to them in books too.”

Pinks and Pink

I've just found one of those little nuggets of information that delight and educate in equal measure.

The word 'pink' - as in signifying the colour - was not introduced into the English language until the late 18th century.

In older times 'pink' was always described as 'flesh' or 'blush' or 'carnation.'


Carnation'd like a sleeping infant's cheek
Lord Byron

So when you see the words 'pink' 'pynke' 'pincke' used before the 18th century, it refers to the flower known variously as Carnation, Soppes-in-Wine, Pink, Gillyflower, Gillover. And not the colour PINK

~

Bring hither the pincke and purple cullambine,

With Gilleflowres;

Bring Coronations and Sops-in-Wine,

Worn of paramours.

Spenser

~

Kamikaze Writing

I've just found a great writing tool.

Write or Die: Dr Wicked's Writing Lab

It's a fun and slightly masochistic way to burn that infernal internal editor.

When I'm feeling stronger....or more desperate....I'll try the Electric Shock Mode with Evil grace period.

Bye, bye internal editor!

The Sweet Violet

As well as buying roses - I've also been buying Violets from the delightful Groves Violet Nurseries

Viola Odorata

Along with the rose, the violet is one of the most ancient of all known flowers. It was known and grown long before the birth of Christ, being chosen as the symbol of ancient Athens.

Napoleon picked violets from the grave of his Josephine and they were found in a locket he was wearing on his death bed.

Violets were a major strewing herb and well-known for their use in cookery. These plants contain a chemical that , after the initial blast of scent, numbs the sense of smell. It makes them ethereal, like fairies at the bottom of the garden.

~

The Neopolitan Violet...

...is thought to be the original Parma Violet.

~

'Cherry Lips and Cheeks of Damask Roses...'

I have a long-standing dream...

To plant a garden full of old historical roses.

I'm one step closer having spent most of yesterday afternoon in the cyber- heaven that is David Austin Roses ordering bare root stock.

Plan A was to have only roses known to have grown before the 18th century but there are now so many wonderful new roses that Plan B was put into operation... Old and new but all of them with the 'old rose' fragrance.

Central to both plans was Rosa Mundi - Rose of the World

Rosa Mundi is one of the oldest named roses and it was named after The Fair Rosamund - Rosamund Clifford, mistress to Henry II. Her tombstone at Godstow Priory in Oxfordshire is inscribed...

Hic jacet in tomba rosa mundi, non rosa munda

~

Another purchase is Reine des Violettes

A Bourbon Hybrid of divine colour (Purple/Lilac) and fragrance (True Old Rose.)

Bourbons came from a natural crossing of The China Rose with The Damask on the French Isle de Bourbon in 1817.

~

Also Cottage Maid

A Centifolia or Provence Rose.

Centifolia comes from each flower having a hundred petals and Provence from....Provence where the rose has always grown in abundance. This is a true old rose originally from Greece and known to Pliny.

~

Only one thorn on the bush. Delivery takes three to four weeks.

OK.

Patience is a virtue. Patience is a virtue. Patience is a virtue.

~

Rene d'Anjou

~

Award

I was over-the-moon-delighted to find out that Catherine Delors author of Mistress of the Revolution has nominated this site for an Excessively Diverting Blog Award.

Many thanks Catherine.

In my turn I must nominate other sites who match the following criteria...

'The aim of the Excessively Diverting Blog Award is to acknowledge writing excellence in the spirit of Jane Austen’s genius in amusing and delighting readers with her irony, humor, wit, and talent for keen observation. Recipients will uphold the highest standards in the art of the sparkling banter, witty repartee, and gentle reprove. This award was created by the blogging team of Jane Austen Today to acknowledge superior writing over the Internet and promote Jane Austen’s brilliance.'

So, in no particular order ~

1. Bill Marshall's Dorothy Dunnett Blog for keeping the flame alive.

2.Tyra's Garden for beauty above and beyond the call.

3.Jane Brocket for writing my favourite Non-Fiction book of last year, The Gentle Art of Domesticity.

4.Cat Bauer for all things Venetian, especially The Venetian Vampire post.

5. Hoydens and Firebrands for all things 17th C - towards which I'm a tad biased!

6.DeluxeTapestries for so much information on this fascinating art form

7. A Twist of Rotten Silk for 17th century Scotland and the sheer enjoyment of reading Lor's blog.

Thank you all for giving and sharing so much :o)

The Baroque

For any one who is interested in 17th and 18th century artifacts - the VandA museum in London is holding an exhibition from April 4th to 19th July called .....

Baroque 1620-1800: Style in the Age of Magnificence

'Baroque was the first style to have a significant worldwide impact.'

The VandA exhibition has three categories-

The First Global Style

Sacred Spaces

Secular Spaces

The pictures on the museum site are almost too beautiful for words. Time and circumstances permitting, I'm hoping to visit the VandA to see this amazing collection first hand.

~

And here's another picture just for the beauty of it!

Maxim No.209 ~ He who lives without folly is not so wise as he thinks.

François VI, prince de Marsillac, later duc de La Rochefoucauld was born on September 15th 1613 in Paris. A soldier, courtier and latterly, a writer of those famous maxims, François was influenced by three great women – Marie de Rohan, Duchesse de Chevreuse – Anne of Austria – Anne Genevieve de Bourbon-Condé, Duchess de Longueville.

Here he describes himself in his own words.

"I am," he says, "of a medium height, active, and well-proportioned. My complexion dark, but uniform, a high forehead; and of moderate height, black eyes, small, deep set, eyebrows black and thick but well placed. I am rather embarrassed in talking of my nose, for it is neither flat nor aquiline, nor large; nor pointed: but I believe, as far as I can say, it is too large than too small, and comes down just a trifle too low. I have a large mouth, lips generally red enough, neither shaped well nor badly. I have white teeth, and fairly even. I have been told I have a little too much chin. I have just looked at myself in the glass to ascertain the fact, and I do not know how to decide. As to the shape of my face, it is either square or oval, but which I should find it very difficult to say. I have black hair, which curls by nature, and thick and long enough to entitle me to lay claim to a fine head. I have in my countenance somewhat of grief and pride, which gives many people an idea I despise them, although I am not at all given to do so. My gestures are very free, rather inclined to be too much so, for in speaking they make me use too much action....

The Prince de Marsillac was a fine man and is wonderful character for a novelist to write about. I adore him.

And in case any should think that both he and I are biased in his favour, his most implacable enemy, Cardinal de Retz, described him this way...

"In M. de la Rochefoucauld there was ever an indescribable something. From his infancy he always wanted to be mixed up with plots, at a time when he could not understand even the smallest interests (which has indeed never been his weak point,) or comprehend greater ones, which in another sense has never been his strong point. He was never fitted for any matter, and I really cannot tell the reason. His glance was not sufficiently wide, and he could not take in at once all that lay in his sight, but his good sense, perfect in theories, combined with his gentleness, his winning ways, his pleasing manners, which are perfect, should more than compensate for his lack of penetration. He always had a natural irresoluteness, but I cannot say to what this irresolution is to be attributed. It could not arise in him from the wealth of his imagination, for that was anything but lively. I cannot put it down to the barrenness of his judgment, for, although he was not prompt in action, he had a good store of reason. We see the effects of this irresolution, although we cannot assign a cause for it. He was never a general, though a great soldier; never, naturally, a good courtier, although he had always a good idea of being so. He was never a good partisan, although all his life engaged in intrigues. That air of pride and timidity which your see in his private life, is turned in business into an apologetic manner. He always believed he had need of it; and this, combined with his ‘Maxims,' which show little faith in virtue, and his habitual custom, to give up matters with the same haste he undertook them, leads me to the conclusion that he would have done far better to have known his own mind, and have passed himself off, as he could have done, for the most polished courtier, the most agreeable man in private life that had appeared in his century."

De Retz was well-known for writing sharp and cruel character profiles. This one could be a lot worse considering the hatred shared between these two men.

Maxim No.245 ~ There is great ability in knowing how to conceal one's ability.

Historical Fiction

I've been following Julianne Douglas' wonderful poll about historical fiction and marquee names on....

Writing the Renaissance

It has brought up and addressed many issues to do with the state of play in the HF world today. It has also opened up many other avenues of thought - for me at least.

Many months ago I wrote a note to myself in my workbook....

'Today we are looking at these events through the lens of history.

At the time they were just normal people with normal emotions, living their lives.

Narrow the view.

Forget what happened later.

At any given time the characters were the centre of their own world.

Make them intensely human.'

A quick look at Dictionary.com for the word FICTION gives....

1.
the class of literature comprising works of imaginative narration, esp. in prose form.
2.
works of this class, as novels or short stories: detective fiction.
3.
something feigned, invented, or imagined; a made-up story: We've all heard the fiction of her being in delicate health.
4.
the act of feigning, inventing, or imagining.
5.
an imaginary thing or event, postulated for the purposes of argument or explanation.

Imaginary or not. Market forces or not...

Fundamentally --- Historical fiction is for people and about people.

And I for one love it!

Quote of the Week

'Today a new sun rises for me; everything lives, everything is animated, everything seems to speak to me of my passion, everything invites me to cherish it'

~

Ninon de Lenclos

French Courtesan and Wit

~

Perceptions of Historical Characters

Gathering all my preparatory materials together to make the scene 'The White Lady' led me re-read a lot of my research materials on Anne of Austria, the Spanish wife of Louis XIII.

There are several zillion references to Anne on the Web and in books and I have come to an uncomfortable conclusion. My perception of Anne seems to be very different to the orthodox representations of her.

Yes, she was religious.
Yes, she was treated abominably by her husband.
Yes, she gave birth to, arguably, the best known king of France.

Yes, she battled breast cancer.

And yes, it is undeniable, she was able to make people love her completely and unconditionally.

But those very same people who supported her through all the bad times were...

Exiled,
Burned in effigy,
Imprisoned in the Bastille,
Imprisoned in Vincennes,
Died mysteriously whilst imprisoned in both the above,
Subjected to the question extraordinary,
Conveniently killed on the battlefield by a stray bullet,
Barred from ever returning to France,
And - Beheaded.

Anne of Austria stood in front of a tribunal charged with involvement in a plot to murder her husband.
And - as religious as she undoubtably was - she lied TWICE on the Holy Sacrement.

I have two points here.
No.1 - I've already admitted that I throw books written by those whose POV of a true historical figure disagrees with mine. (Maybe not the wisest admission)
No.2 - Taking in mind the above - How many will violently disagree with my own POV?

Oh, and No.2a - When a writer has researched as deeply as they can, how important is it that others (readers, writers, academics) agree or disagree with That Writer's own personal POV?

Ah and No.2b - How many writers would give this a second thought?

My Anne is my Anne.
She is based on recorded and verifiable historical evidence.

The perception is mine and, despite everything above, I absolutely adore her.