The Angelique convex mirror is a classic of mine. This version is done entirely in clear Venetian glass over a silver gilt frame. glass cabochons complete the inner rim of the frame.
Angelique is about 16 inches in diameter and resides in my studio prior to being sent to one of my showrooms.
Jewelry for Walls!
Marie Angélique de Scorailles: The Beautiful Plank ( 1661-1681)
Angelique was born into a family of minor nobility. As she grew into a stunning beauty her family saw that she could be their ticket to wealth and social success by sending her to Versailles. Their hope was that her beauty would ensnare the king, Louis XIV.
The middle aged king was in the midst of a war of words between two women, his mistress Athénaîs Montespan and the pious marquise de Maintenon. Louis quickly became infatuated with Angélique putting the other two women on the defensive. Montespan because she could not bear being replaced and Maintenon because she feared for the King’s and Angélique’s souls. Both hoped that Louis would tire of Angélique quickly.
Though beautiful and ethereal Angélique was “as stupid as a basket”. Louis became embarrassed every time she opened her mouth. But that didn’t stop him from experiencing a rejuvenating renewal of sexual energy.
As the new “mistresse en titre” Angélique was showered with money, titles, jewels and privilege. It went very quickly to her empty head. She began to boss Louis around and insist that she wear the same color silks that he was wearing. La Montespan waited gleefully for Angélique to be dumped. Montespan was rumored to have poisoned Angelique in order to hurry things along.
The end came quickly. She became pregnant. She had a miscarriage and died a slow death from bleeding. Louis XIV met with the dying Angélique. As he wept at her bedside she is reported so have said “I die happy since I have seen my King weep.”
Note: Angélique was known as La Fontages. Today she is best remembered for a hairstyle she created when she and the King were out hunting. Her hat became tangled with a tree branch and she then tied up her hair with a ribbon leaving lovely tendrils of curls on her shoulders. It is known at a “fontage”.
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