• Aboriginals in North America
  • Beast Literature
  • Canadiana.1
  • Dances & Music
  • Europe: Ukraine & Russia
  • Fables and Fairy Tales
  • Fables by Jean de La Fontaine
  • Feasts & Liturgy
  • Great Books Online
  • La Princesse de Clèves
  • Middle East
  • Molière
  • Nominations
  • Posts on Love Celebrated
  • Posts on the United States
  • The Art and Music of Russia
  • The French Revolution & Napoleon Bonaparte
  • Voyageurs Posts
  • Canadiana.2

Micheline's Blog

~ Art, music, books, history & current events

Micheline's Blog

Monthly Archives: June 2014

Arlecchino, Arlequin, Harlequin

30 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by michelinewalker in Art, Comedy, Commedia dell'arte

≈ Comments Off on Arlecchino, Arlequin, Harlequin

Tags

British harlequinades, I Gelosi, John Rich, pantomime, Passion Plays, Pulcinella, Punch and Judy, slapstick comedy, Tristano Martinelli, zanni

pierrot-and-harlequin-mardi-gras-1888.jpg!Large

Pierrot and Harlequin, Mardi Gras by Paul Cézanne, 1888

Origins

Atellana comedy
Plautus
Passion Plays
 

Arlecchino, as we know him, is a stock character dating back to seventeenth-century Commedia dell’arte. He also has origins in the atellana farce of Roman antiquity (4th century BCE). In fact, the use of stock characters is a feature of the atellana. Moreover Commedia dell’arte characters could be borrowed from commedia erudita. Molière‘s (1622 – 1673) Miser or L’Avare (1668) was borrowed from Plautus‘ (c. 254 – 184 BCE) Auluraria (The Pot of Gold).

However, in European countries, comedy has more immediate origins. It emerged as a brief mirthful form, a mere interlude, during lengthy medieval Passion Plays, Mystery Plays and Miracle Plays. Passion Plays were extremely long, so interludes, comedy, were inserted between the “acts” to keep the audience entertained. These became popular and eventually secularized the religious plays. However, Passion Plays have not disappeared totally. For instance, the Oberammergau Passion Play (Bavaria) has been performed since 1634, keeping alive the birthplace of farces and tom-foolery.

Harlequin

Hellequin, Herla, Elking
Tirstano Martinelli, the first Harlequin
Zanni (servants)
British harlequinades (eighteenth-century)
 

It would appear that the commedia dell’arte’s Arlecchino (Harlequin) was also culled out of Passion Plays, where he was a devil: Hellequin, Herla, Erlking and other spellings and names. The origin of the name is attested by 11th-century chronicler Orderic Vitalis   (1075 – c. 1142). The name Harlequin was picked up in France by Tristano Martinelli, the first actor to play Harlequin. (See Harlequin, Wikipedia.)[i] Tristano played the role of Harlequin from the 1580s until his death in 1630. At this point, Harlequin became a stock character, an archetype, in the Commedia dell’arte. Given that the success of the Commedia dell’arte performances depended on an actor’s skills, we can presume Tristano was a fine comedian.

Arlecchino (Arlequin, Harlequin) is a zanno, a servant whose function was called Sannio in the Atellana, Roman farcical comedies. There were many zanni, (Brighella, Pulchinello, Mezzetin, Truffadino, Beltrame, and others). Their role was to help the young lovers of comedy overcome obstacles to their marriage. This plot is consistent with the “all’s well that ends well” of all comedies. We have already met the blocking characters of the commedia dell’arte. Pantalone is the foremost. But his role may be played by Il Dottore, or Il Capitano, or some other figure. 

Although a zanno has the same function from play to play, as do blocking characters, the alazôn, zanni otherwise differ from one another. For instance, Arlecchino, a zanno, is different than Pierrot. Harlequin is not the growingly sadder clown of Romantic and pantomimic incarnations. He is not Jean-Gaspard Deburau‘s Battiste, nor is he Jean-Louis Barrault‘s Baptiste. He is the clever, nimble, but clownish zanno.

Harlequin’s Characteristics

Arlecchino is, in fact, the most astute and nimble of zanni or servants. He is an acrobat. This is one of his main attributes. Moreover, he wears a costume of his own, another distinguishing factor.

At first, the Harlequin wore a black half mask and a somewhat loose costume on which diamond-shaped coloured patches had been sewn. He would then wear a tight-fitting chequered costume mixing two or several colours. Paul Cézanne‘s (1839–1906) Harlequin is dressed in black and red, but Pablo Picasso changes the colours worn by his numerous Harlequins.

Harlequin leaning (Harlequin accoudé), by Picasso, 1901

Harlequin leaning (Harlequin accoudé) by Picasso, 1901

Les Deux Saltimbanques, Two Acrobats, by Picasso , 1901

Les Deux Saltimbanques (Two Acrobats) by Picasso, 1901

Arlequin’s Progress

the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in France 
Blois
I Gelosi
Petit-Bourbon
Scenario 
 

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the Italians were very popular at the French court and so was Harlequin. As of 1570-71, Commedia dell’arte actors were summoned by the King of France to perform in royal residences. In 1577, the Italians were called to Blois by Henri III during an assembly of Parliament. The famous I Gelosi (The Jealous Ones; 1569-1604) “was the first troupe to be patronized by nobility: in 1574 and 1577 they performed for the king of France.” (See I Gelosi, Wikipedia.) La Commedia dell’arte most famous performers in seventeenth-century France were Isabella and Francesco Andreini. Isabella died in childbirth (1604), but her son’s troupe, the Compagnia dei Fedeli would be invited to perform at Louis XIII’s court.

In short, in the seventeenth century, Harlequin was in France. In fact, at one point, les Italiens shared quarters with Molière at the Petit-Bourbon, a theatre. Matters changed in 1697, when the commedia performed a “fausse prude” (false prude) scenario that offended Madame de Maintenon (27 November 1635 – 15 April 1719), Louis XIV‘s second wife. In French seventeenth-century representations, Pierrot loved Columbine who loved Harlequin (Arlecchino).

Commedia dell’arte troupe, probably depicting Isabella Andreini and the Compagnia dei Gelosi, oil painting by unknown artist, c. 1580; in the Musée Carnavalet, Paris

Commedia dell’arte troupe, probably depicting Isabella Andreini and the Compagnia dei Gelosi, oil painting by unknown artist, c. 1580; in the Musée Carnavalet, Paris (Photo credit: Britannica)

 

Pulcinella, by Maurice Sand
Pulcinella, by Maurice Sand
John Rich, as Harlequin
John Rich, as Harlequin

British Harlequinades: Pantomime & Slapstick

pantomime
slapstick
Pulcinella (Polichinelle, Punchinella)
“Punch and Judy”
a new scenario
 

In eighteenth-century Britain, John Rich[ii] (1682 – 26 November 1761, the son of one of the owners of Drury Lane Theatre and the founder of Covent Garden Theatre (Royal Opera House) performed the above-mentioned harlequinades in which “he combined a classical fable with a grotesque story in Commedia dell’arte style involving Harlequin and his beloved Columbine.”[iii] In Britain, harlequinades, became “that part of a pantomime in which the Harlequin and clown play the principal parts.”[iv] Harlequinades also contained a Transformation Scene.[v] Associated with the British Harlequin are pantomime, slapstick comedy and puppetry. Yet, this British Harlequin is rooted in the sixteenth-century Commedia dell’arte. It seems that the best of these English clowns was played by Joseph Grimaldi (18 December 1778 – 31 May 1837).

However, British harlequinades also featured Pulcinella who originated in the seventeenth-century Commedia dell’arte but had roots in Atellana comedy and was a stock character in Neapolitan puppetry. Given his ancestry, Pulcinella could and did inspire Mister Punch of “Punch and Judy,” a puppet show. (See Harlequin, Wikipedia.)

British harlequinades differ from continental versions of Arlequin (FR) or Arlecchino.

“First, instead of being a rogue, Harlequin became the central figure and romantic lead. Secondly, the characters did not speak; this was because of the large number of French performers who played in London, following the suppression of unlicensed theatres in Paris.” (See Harlequin, Wikipedia.)

It seems harlequinades were played in “Italian Night Scenes,” following a main and serious performance. In their scenario, “Italian Night Scenes” focused on Harlequin who loved Columbine but was opposed by a greedy Pantalone, Columbine’s father. Pantalone would chase the young lovers “in league with the mischievous Clown; and the servant, Pierrot, usually involving chaotic chase scenes with a policeman.” Moreover the “night scenes” started to grow longer to the detriment of the previous performance. (See Harlequinade, Wikipedia.)

In other words, in Britain, Harlequin out-clowned Pierrot. As for Pulcinella, although he had appeared, he could not out-clown Harlequin. Furthermore Pulcinella grew into Punch (Punchinella) and, as mentioned above, he migrated to the land of puppetry. But above all, British harlequinades were hilarious: genuine slapstick. Moreover they were pantomimic as would be Jean-Gaspard Debureau‘s (Battiste) as well as Jean-Louis Barrault‘s (Baptiste). Baptiste is nimble and precise, but in England, the chaotic “chase” had begun. The last harlequinade was played in 1939.

The Ballets Russes, Stravinsky, Picasso

Sergei Diaghilev‘s enormously successful Ballets Russes were inspired by the commedia dell’arte.  Diaghilev commissioned a ballet version of Pulcinella, composed by Igor Stravinsky and choreographed by Russian-born Léonide Massine. Furthermore, Pablo Picasso, who had already painted characters from the Commedia dell’arte, Harlequin in particular, designed the original costumes and sets for the ballet (1920).

Harlequin and other members of the Commedia are associated with Pierre de Marivaux  (4 February 1688 – 12 February 1763). Marivaux wrote many plays for the Comédie-Française and the Comédie-Italienne. But we are skipping Marivaux’s polished Arlequin because the discussion would be too long and too complex. We will instead look at images, Picasso’s in particular, and provide the names of innamorati, lazzi and zanni, but that will be my last post on the Commedia dell’ arte itself.  

My best regards to all of you.

 

Colombine
Colombine
Arlequin poli par l'amour, Marivaux
Arlequin poli par l’amour, Marivaux

RELATED ARTICLES

  • Leo Rauth’s “fin de siècle” Pierrot (27 June 2014)
  • Pantalone: la Commedia dell’arte (20 June 2014)

Sources and Resources

  • Commedia dell’arte (shane-arts)
  • Development of Pantomime (The)
  • Harlequin everywhere you look (thoughtsontheatre)
  • Masques et bouffons (comédie italienne), 1860. (See Maurice Sand, in Wikipedia.) Maurice Sand’s book is available online at Masques et bouffons (comédie italienne)
  • Marivaux’s Arlequin poli par l’amour (EN)

____________________

[i] “Arlecchino,” Phyliss Hartnoll, ed. The Oxford Companion to the Theatre, 3rd edition (Oxford University Press, 1967 [1951])

[ii] “John Rich”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 28 Jun. 2014
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/502381/John-Rich>.

[iii] Oxford English Dictionary

[iv] Early Pantomime (Victoria and Albert Museum, London)

[v] The “batte,” Harlequin’s stick, became a magic wand used by a fairy to effect a change of scenery or transform the characters. It is called “trickwork.”

“commedia erudita”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 29 Jun. 2014
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/127767/commedia-erudita>.

“Compagnia dei Gelosi”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 28 Jun. 2014
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/228004/Compagni-de-Gelosi>

“Harlequin”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 28 Jun. 2014
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/255421/Harlequin>.

“Passion play”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 28 Jun. 2014
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/445807/Compagnie-Passion-Play>

Seated Fat Clown, by Pablo Picasso, 1905

Seated Fat Clown by Pablo Picasso, 1905

Arlequin et Colombine

Arlequin et Colombine

© Micheline Walker
30 June 2014
WordPress

Micheline's Blog

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Leo Rauth’s “fin de siècle” Pierrot

27 Friday Jun 2014

Posted by michelinewalker in Art, Comedy, Commedia dell'arte, Music

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

a dandy, aestheticism, Antoine Watteau, commedia dell'arte, fin de siècle, Jean-Gaspard Deburau, Leo Rauth, Oswin Haas, Pierrot, Symbolism, the sad clown, Valse contente by Oswin Haas

 
Pierrot et Colombine, by Leo Rauth

Pierrot et Colombine by Leo Rauth, 1911 postcard (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bal masque, Leo Rauth

Leo Rauth’s depictions of Pierrot are rooted in the Fêtes galantes of eighteenth-century France. He is loved by Colombine and he has a floured face. He is a smidgen decadent and his costume, flowing, not baggy. This is a sign of the times. Rauth was a fin de siècle (end of century) artist and very much an aesthete. He produced stylized and very thin figures.

 

A “ Fin de Siècle ” Pierrot

According to Britannica, the fin de siècle was characterized by “sophistication, escapism, extreme aestheticism, world-weariness, and fashionable despair.”[i] In other words, the “mal du siècle” had survived under such headings as “world-weariness” and “fashionable despair.” However, the Pierrot had acquired new facets. He was sophisticated and elegant. Symbolism had changed him. Leo Rauth’s Pierrot is both a sad and polished Pierrot, a “dandy,” and, perhaps, a salonnier.

Jean-Gaspard Deburau (31 July 1796 – 17 June 1846) gave Pierrot his “Janus-faced aspect.” (See Pedrolino, Wikipedia.) He made him into a sad clown. However, under his loose-fitting clothes, his impeccably starched ruff and his pompoms, Rauth’s Pierrot, formerly a zanno, a servant, had been transformed into a man-about-town, which does not preclude sadness. Rauth would bestow “fashionable despair” upon his Pierrot.

But the Pierrot is the Pierrot. We have read the scenario. His Columbina, featured at the top of this post, seems to love him. She is dancing with him. But Columbina loves the nimble Harlequin.

So, it was all a masquerade and the topsy-turvy world of the Roman Saturnalia and the Carnival season. On Shrove Tuesday, the bal masqué would end, but as depicted by Jean-Léon Gérôme (11 May 1824 – Paris, 10 January 1904), the end would not necessarily be consistent with the conventions of comedy. Gérôme’s (c. 1857-59) painting shows Pierrot wounded and perhaps dying after fighting a duel. On the right side of the painting, we see Harlequin walking away. He appears to be supporting another figure, which is confusing.

The Duel after the Masquerade, by Jean-Léon Gerome (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Duel after the Masquerade by Jean-Léon Gérôme (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

An Early Death

Leo Rauth (18 July 1884 – 9 January 1913) was born in Leipzig and studied art in Karlsruhe, Berlin, Vienna, Paris and Venice. His art made him an overnight celebrity. He had obviously been influenced by Jean-Antoine Watteau (baptised 10 October 1684 – 18 July 1721) whose “best known subjects were drawn from the world of Italian comedy and ballet,” as would also be the case with Leo Rauth’s Pierrot. Watteau is also an important figure in the history of fashion. (See Watteau, Wikipedia.)

Leo Rauth died of a pistol shot at the age of 29. News of his premature death after a dizzying three-year career sent shock waves through artistic circles. He had chosen useful art and seemed destined for a brilliant career.

Rauth died, but the Pierrot survived. In 1913, Sergei Diaghilev‘s Ballets Russes were in Paris and Pierrot was on stage dancing, not far from Harlequin and Columbina. Moreover, a young Picasso was working for the Ballets Russes. Picasso would also remember the stock characters of the commedia dell’arte. However, he would choose Harlequin as a major subject matter. Could it be the cubes? We will see…

My best regards to everyone. ♥

_________________________

[i] “fin de siècle”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 26 Jun. 2014
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/207099/fin-de-siecle>.

Ballet Russes, by August Macke, 1912 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ballet Russes by August Macke, 1912 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ein gern gesehener Gast (A Welcome Guest), 1912

Ein gern gesehener Gast (A Welcome Guest) by Leo Rauth, 1912 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Im Rampenlicht (In the Limelight), by Leo Rauth

Im Rampenlicht (In the Limelight) by Leo Rauth, 1911 (Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

Arnold Schoenberg (13 September 1874 – 13 July 1951) composed a Pierrot Lunaire (Op. 11) using his twelve-tone technique.

Valse contente by Oswin Haas

Vow of love, 1911 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Vow of love, 1911 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
© Micheline Walker
26 June 2014
WordPress 
 
 (Please click on the image to enlarge it.)
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

Micheline's Blog

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Pantalone: la Commedia dell’arte

20 Friday Jun 2014

Posted by michelinewalker in Comedy

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

commedia dell'arte, Il Capitano, Il Dottore, Miles gloriosus, Pantalone, stock characters, the Alazôn, Zanni (servants)

Pantalone, Maurice Sand

Pantalone 1550 by Maurice Sand[i] (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pantalone: a Blocking Character or Alazôn

the alazôn
an improvised comedy
the zanni
the sketch (canevas)
 

Featured above is Maurice Sand‘s depiction of Pantalone. Maurice Sand was the son of French writer George Sand (1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), and of the baron Dudevant.

An Alazôn, or blocking character

Pantalone is one of the stock characters of the commedia dell’arte, an “improvised” form of theatrical performance originating in 16th-century Italy, or what is now Italy. He is an alazôn, one of the characters who oppose the marriage of the innamorati, the young lovers.

With the assistance of very astute and entertaining servants, called zanni, the innamorati fool Pantalone. The plot is therefore consistent with that of comedies. The young lovers overcome obstacles to their marriage. So Pantalone and his fellow blocking characters share the same function, or role, but the role may be played by another actor or mask.

In other words, Pantalone, or Pantaloon, wears a mask and is a mask. The commedia dell’arte is akin to the masquerades of carnivals,[ii] except that it is not associated with a season. Pantalone’s role, his mask, his function, is the same from performance to performance, but there are other blocking characters whose personality is different.

Costume: Money

Pantalone is dressed as Pantalone and his costume is part of his mask. It is always the same and he looks like a hunchback. However, he is not Victor Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831). He is a hunchback because of the bag of money he conceals. Pantalone is lustful, jealous, deceitful, selfish, lazy, full of himself (“Il Magnifico”), but, above all, greedy.

Pantalone is the metaphorical representation of money in the commedia world. (See Pantalone, Wikipedia.)

Yet he is Pantalone “di bisognosi” (besoin, the needy).

Other than his hunch, Pantalone wears a red cap, red tights, yellow Turkish[ii] slippers, a short vest and a long coat.

Position

Pantalone has his own way of walking: hips forward, and he sometimes requires assistance from other actors as he tends to fumble. He is old, a genuine senex or vecche, a consummate “trickster,” often cruel, but always a loser. The innamorati end up marrying. He does not have a wife, but he and Il Dottore may be the guardian of a young woman.

As guardian of a young woman, his role will be that of Molière‘s Arnolphe a character in L’École des femmes FR (The School for Wives; 1662). He will also be Pierre Beaumarchais‘ Bartolo, a dottore, in The Barber of Seville, 1775 (1773).[iv]

The Blocking Character

Pantalone
Il Dottore
Il Capitano
 

As noted above, Pantalone’s function as blocking character, or alazôn, can be filled by another alazôn. The most prominent are Il Dottore and Il Capitano. The dottore is a pedant sometimes called Gratiano. He is not necessarily a physician. He may be a professor or a lawyer, but, whoever he is, he makes grammatical errors or otherwise disgraces himself. As for Il Capitano, he is a braggart soldier borrowed from Plautus‘ Miles gloriosus.

Il Dottore

Il Dottore (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

 

Il Capitano

Il Capitano (Photo credit: Google images)

Commedia dell’Arte & Commedia erudita

Although it is improvised, i.e. there is no complete written text, commedia dell’arte borrows from the commedia erudita of ancient Rome: Plautus (c. 254 – 184 BCE) and Terence 195/185–159 BCE). For instance, Il Capitano, a braggart soldier, is Plautus‘ Miles gloriosus. He is a fanfaron and may have other names, but he is always boasting, listing feats that no one could accomplish in three lifetimes. However, contrary to the commedia erudita, the actors of the commedia dell’arte are professionals.

As a fanfaron, Il Capitano is all too human and has found his way into many comedies. Interestingly, he can be linked with the mythic Don Juan. He is Tirso de Molina‘s El Burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra (The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest) (c. 1616 – 1630), Molière’s Dom Juan (1660) and Mozart’s Don Giovanni (1787). Molière’s Dom Juan is a “grand seigneur méchant homme” (a great lord, but a man of evil) who will in the end be hit by a ghost. Dom Juan, however, is less a seducer than he is an accountant. He keeps a catalogue of the women he has seduced: his conquests. Il Capitano is different from Pantalone, but his function is to put obstacles in the way of the young couple.

Molière borrowed his Miser (L’Avare; 1668) from Plautus‘ Aulularia. Although Molière’s theatre includes farces and farcical elements,  Molière’s miser, Harpagon, is not a farcical figure. L’Avare is one of Molière’s “grandes comédies.” Molière, however, was extremely fond of the commedia dell’arte.

The plot of Molière’s plays is the archetypal the-young-man-fools-the-old-man, or “le blondin berne le barbon.” In other words, the innamorati are always victorious. We have accounts of the commedia dell’arte, but as noted above, no complete text. Molière, on the other hand, wrote his plays, or most of his plays, which does not preclude a degree of improvisation on the part of members of his troupe, or company. I would love to have seen him play Monsieur Jourdain.

I will continue discussing the commedia dell’arte, but in short simple posts.

Best regards to all of you.

RELATED ARTICLES

  • Le Bourgeois (16 June 2014)
  • Twelfth Night & Carnival Season ( 8 January 2014)
  • Les Indes galantes & Le Bourgeois gentilhomme: “turqueries” (30 September 2012)
  • Molière’s Précieuses ridicules (7 October 2011)

Sources and Resources

  • Masques et bouffons (comédie italienne), 1860. (See Maurice Sand, in Wikipedia.) Maurice Sand’s book is available online at Masques et bouffons (comédie italienne). FR
  • The Commedia dell’arte (shane-arts).
  • The Masks of Antonio Fava

_________________________ 

[i] Jean-François-Maurice-Arnauld, Baron Dudevant, better known as Maurice Sand.

[ii] The Carnival season begins with Epiphany and ends on Mardi-Gras (Shrove Tuesday). It resembles the Roman Saturnalia.

[iii] You may recall that Byzantium was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. Greek scholars fled carrying their books. Their presence in Italy, or Italian city-states, led to the Renaissance. 

[vi] The second date refers to the year the play was written, or the book, first published.

“commedia dell’arte”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 20 Jun. 2014
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/127742/commedia-dellarte>.

“commedia erudita”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 20 Jun. 2014
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchected/topic/127767/commedia-erudita>.

“Capitano”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 20 Jun. 2014                                <http://www.britannica.com/EBchected/topic/93989/Capitano>.

“Dottore”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 20 Jun. 2014
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/169794/Dottore>.

“Pantaloon”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 20 Jun. 2014
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topc/441501/Pantaloon>.

Music: “On the Wire,” by Yann Tiersen 

capitano (1)

© Micheline Walker 
20 June 2014 
WordPress 

 

Micheline's Blog

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

“Capuchins” move to Town

18 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by michelinewalker in Art, France, History, The Church

≈ Comments Off on “Capuchins” move to Town

Tags

17th-century France, Bourgeois, Capuchins, Chiaroscuro, Georges de la Tour, Joseph the Carpenter, la Taille, The Splendid Century, towns, W. H. Lewis

 
Joseph the Carpenter (detail)

Joseph the Carpenter (detail) by Georges de La Tour (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The image featured above has little do to with the bourgeois and bourgeoisie, but it is the work of Georges de La Tour (13 March 1593 – 30 January 1652), a French baroque artist who used chiaroscuro, sharp contrasts.

However, the work dates back to the 17th century in France, where our bourgeois is moving to town, a difficult endeavour.  Peasants fleeing the countryside were sometimes asked to pay the Taille for the ten years following their leaving for towns. Moreover, when these peasants arrived in town, many had to provide a financial guarantee to the municipality where they wanted to settle.  This information is available from W. H. Lewis Splendid Century, an online publication. Simply click on Splendid Century.

Reading Chapter VII will also provide you with the following information on Capuchins in the 17th century.

“The attitude of the corps de ville towards the admission of religious orders within the walls was a cautious one, for the establishment of a new religious house raised all sorts of municipal problems. Would the parish priest’s income fall off? Would the revenue of the other houses of religious decline? If the order was a mendicant one, what would be the effect on the town charities? Teaching orders were, however, welcome, and so too were the popular Capuchins, for a curious reason. Fire brigades did not exist before 1699, and, somehow or other, the Capuchins had become expert firefighters; in emergencies, in which the modern Londoner dials “fire,” the seventeenth-century householder sent for the Capuchins. Finally, all towns fought hard, but generally unsuccessfully, to prevent the Jesuits settling in their midst.” [I] 
 

One reason for moving to a town was tax exemption. One cannot generalize because of discrepancies from town to town, but the bourgeois was often exempt of taxation, the Taille in particular, an onerous tax.

Peasants were trampled on shamelessly, depending on their Seigneur. Again, one cannot generalize, except cautiously.

My best regards to all of you.

____________________

[I] W. H. Lewis, The Splendid Century: Life in the France of Louis XIV (New York: Doubleday Anchor Books, 1957 [1953]), p. 162.

Joseph the Carpenter, by Georges de la Tour
Joseph the Carpenter by Georges de La Tour
© Micheline Walker
18 June 2014
WordPress 

Micheline's Blog

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

The Bourgeois

16 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by michelinewalker in Comédie-Ballet, Molière, the bourgeois

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Alazôn, Bourgeois, Eirôn, Jacquerie, Jacquerie des croquants, Jean Sylvain Bailly, Jean-Baptiste Lully, Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, Molière, sans-culottes

356px-le-bourgeois-gentilhomme1

Molière’s Le Bourgeois gentilhomme by Edmond Geoffroy, 1670 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Molière‘s (15 January 1722 – February 1773) Bourgeois gentilhomme, a five-act comedy, premièred on 14 October 1670, at the Château de Chambord, before the court and Louis XIV himself. Although it is a play, i.e. fiction, the Bourgeois gentilhomme may constitute our best portrayal of a rich bourgeois in 17th-century France. By the Grand Siècle, the second half of the 17th century, several levels of bourgeoisie were emerging: “petite,” “moyenne,” “haute,” and “grande bourgeoisie.” Monsieur Jourdain had obviously climbed to the upper half of that ladder. He is sufficiently rich to hire various “masters:” dancing, music, philosophy, all of whom make futile attempts to teach him “aristocracy.”

Edmond Geoffroy

Moreover, as is usually the case in comedies, Monsieur Jourdain is opposing the marriage of his daughter Lucile to the man she loves, Cléonte, a bourgeois. Monsieur Jourdain will not be able to force Lucile into an unhappy marriage because the conventions governing comedy favour the marriage of the young couple. Cléonte will fool Monsieur Jourdain into believing he has been turned into a mamamouchi, a Turkish aristocrat, and he will marry Lucile disguised as the son of the grand Turc.

The “Alazôn” vs the “Eirôn”

In comedies, the young couple, their loyal servants and, at times, avuncular figures always overcome the alazôn of the theater of ancient Greece, the blocking character. Monsieur Jourdain, will be opposed by a collective eirôn. The same stock characters exist in the Commedia dell’arte.

Le Bourgeois gentilhomme is a comédie-ballet. The music was composed by Italian-born Lully (Giovanni Battista Lulli; 28 November 1632 – 22 March 1687) and the choreography was the work of Pierre Beauchamp (30 October 1631 – February 1705). Monsieur Jourdain meets his demise—he is fooled—during the ballet, entitled Ballets des Nations.

“Jacqueries” & “Croquants”

According to popular lore, the mob who stormed the Bastille on 14 July 1789 consisted, to a larger or lesser extent, of famished peasants. It is altogether possible, and  probable, that famished peasants were among the ruffians who stormed the Bastille. For instance, there had been peasant uprisings:

  • La Jacquerie of 1358 (the 14th century), and other popular uprisings often called jacqueries, after the Jacquerie of 1358;
  • La Jacquerie des croquants, 17th- and 18th-century uprisings.

“Croquants” (crushing) was the name given to members of the First and Second Estates who levied taxes from the Third Estate: peasants and bourgeois. The worst of these taxes was “la Taille” a temporary direct land tax that had become a permanent tax in 1439, the 15th century.

However, in all likelihood, the citizens who stormed the Bastille were a diverse group but mostly bourgeois. In the 17th century, there was a “drift to the city.” W. H. Lewis writes that “the least-favoured faubourg [suburb] of the most oppressive town offered a better way of life to the ambitious commoner than did the countryside[.]”[i]

Among the citizens of a town, there were thugs and other malfaisants. As for the word “jacquerie,” Jacques was the name given peasants, hence Jacquou le Croquant[ii], the title of a 2007 film on a young rebel. The film’s monarchy, however, is that of the Bourbon restoration (1815-1830), not the monarchy of l’ancien régime.

The “Sans-Culottes” (without Knee Breeches)

It would appear that the people who stormed the Bastille on 14 July 1789 were a motley group who became a mob.  Among the people who helped radicalize the Revolution, there may have been peasants, but allow me to repeat that France’s Third Estate did not consist solely of peasants and “petit bourgeois.” It was a more varied group that probably included the frequently idealized sans-culottes (without knee breeches).

Idealized sans-culotte by Louis-Léopold Boilly (1761–1845).
Idealized sans-culottes by Louis-Léopold Boilly (1761–1845) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The story has been told otherwise. The popular view is that starving peasants stormed the Bastille. As stated above, starving peasants may have been involved in the storming of the Bastille, but the more likely account is that an angry mob led the charge. (See History Bastille Day) Peasants often inhabited distant “provinces,” too far from Paris. Most lived under the authority of a seigneur who may have been a good person, but not necessarily. We have yet to discuss Mozart‘s Marriage of Figaro (K 492), an opera buffa, on an Italian libretto (the text) by Lorenzo da Ponte, of the second of three plays by Pierre Beaumarchais called the Figaro trilogy.[iii]

 

 

The Syndics of the Drapers' Guild by Rembrandt, 1662.

The Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild by Rembrandt, 1662 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Guilds or Corporations

Bourgeois were persons who started to live in a bourg (as in neighbour, a town) in the 12th century. They were commerçants, tradesmen, doctors, lawyers, etc. According to W. H. Lewis, “to the French noble, [the town] was a portion of his seigneurie which had enfranchised itself from his yoke, obtained many financial privileges, and was growing steadily richer while he [noble] grew poorer and more insignificant.”[iv] Beginning in the Middle Ages, guilds were formed to protect tradesmen who, however, often had to pay costly dues to the guild. Our trade unions date back to these medieval guilds and the people they protected were bourgeois who, by the seventeenth century, were numerous as well as rich and often living in Paris.

Some aristocrats were Mayors, but most stayed away from towns. However, although Monsieur Jourdain does not succeed in marrying his daughter to a nobleman, many aristocrats and their sons married bourgeoises, the ingénue of comedy, because of the dowry they brought. Daughters had to be endowed, which was difficult for aristocrats who spent a fortune living away from the family castle to be near Louis XIV’s court and be noticed by him.

Le Bourgeois gentilhomme is a comedy, a formulaic and Shakespearian “[a]ll’s well that ends well.” However, many bourgeoises were forced to marry a decrepit old man. Molière’s Miser (L’Avare; 1668) is not poor, on the contrary. Yet, given that Anselme is willing to marry Élise without a dowry: “sans dot,” Harpagon, the miser, wants her to marry Anselme. But Anselme turns out to be Valère’s rich father and, therefore, the father of the man who wants to marry Élise, the Miser’s daughter. He is also the father of the young woman, Mariane, who wants to marry the Miser’s son (Cléante).

An Élite Bourgeoisie

By 1789, some bourgeois had risen in status. In fact, they had already done so in the seventeenth century and the town they inhabited could be Paris. Colbert (29 August 1619 – 6 September 1683) a bourgeois, was Louis XIV’ Minister of Finance from 1765 to 1783. We also know Charles Perrault (12 January 1628 – 16 May 1703) who created the fairy tale as we know it, the Contes de ma mère l’Oye [The Tales of Mother Goose] (mid 1690s). His sources were Italian, but as told by Italians, fairy tales were at times too bawdy for children. Perrault was a salonnier (salonist) and his brother Claude Perrault, a medical doctor and architect. Claude Perrault designed the colonnade du Louvre, the east façade, the columns of the Louvre.

The East Façade by Claude Perrault

The East Façade of the Louvre, by Claude Perrault

Painting by Auguste Couder showing the opening of the Estates-General

Painting by Auguste Couder showing the opening (5 May 1789) of the Estates-General (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Estates-General

Consequently, when Louis XVI convened the Estates-General in 1789, the Third Estate was not necessarily the lesser estate. Jean-Sylvain Bailly (15 September 1736 – 12 November 1793; by guillotine), who presided over the Tennis Court Oath (20 June 1789), was a bourgeois, a freemason and the Mayor of Paris. I doubt that he participated in the storming of the Bastille, on 14 July 1789, but sans-culottes may have been participants as well famished peasants. The Revolutions behind the Revolution were, to a large extent, the advent of capitalism and the Industrial Revolution.    

“As the feudal society was transformed into the early capitalist society of Europe, the bourgeoisie were the spearhead of progress in industry and science and of social change.

By the 17th century, this middle class was supporting principles of natural rights and constitutional government against the theories of divine right and privilege of the sovereign and the nobility. Thus, members of the bourgeoisie led the English revolution of the 17th century and the American and French revolutions of the late 18th century. These revolutions helped to establish political rights and personal liberty for all free men.” Armstrong Economics.com

Marat, Danton, Robespierre, Saint-Just

Maximilien de Robespierre and Louis-Antoine-Léon de Saint-Just were not peasants. Robespierre was a lawyer, and Saint-Just’s father, a knight of the Order of Saint-Louis, had been a Calvary Officer who had married the daughter of a notary. Jean-Paul Marat was a medical doctor and Georges Danton, a lawyer.

“In the 18th century, before the French Revolution (1789–99), in the French feudal order, the masculine and feminine terms bourgeois and bourgeoisie identified the rich men and women who were members of the urban and rural Third Estate — the common people of the French realm, who violently deposed the absolute monarchy of the Bourbon King Louis XVI (r. 1774–91), his clergy, and his aristocrats.” (See Bourgeoisie,Wikipedia.)

RELATED ARTICLES

  • Bluebeard Continued & Concluded (15 June 2013)
  • Bluebeard: Motifs & Suspense (Charles Perrault; 14 June 2013)
  • Les Indes Galantes & Le Bourgeois gentihomme: “turqueries” (30 September 2012)
  • Austerity the Republican Way (10 December 2011) (“croquants”)
  • Fairy Tales & Fables (Charles Perrault; 10 November 2011)

Sources and Resources

  • Alexis de Tocqueville, The Old Régime and the Revolution EN (Internet Archives)
  • Alexis de Tocqueville, L’Ancien Régime et la Révolution (BnF; Bibliothèque nationale de France)
  • The Middle-Class Gentleman is a Project Gutenberg publication [EBook #2992]
  • Bourgeoisie, Larousse FR
  • Bourgeoisie, Britannica
  • Armstrong Economics.com
  • W. H. Lewis’ Splendid Century is an online publication. W. H. Lewis is C. S. Lewis‘ brother, to whom we owe The Chronicles of Narnia and other brilliant and fanciful works. I have not found a finer account of the 17th century in France than W. H. Lewis’ Splendid Century. Not only is the Splendid Century informative, but it reads like a novel.  Click on Splendid Century. “The Town” is chapter VII.
_________________________
 

[i]  W. H. Lewis, The Splendid Century: Life in the France of Louis XIV (New York: Doubleday Anchor Books, 1957 [1953]), p. 161.

[ii] “Croquant” is derived from “croquer:” to bite as in to crush. “Croquant” uprisings were often called “jacqueries.” The 2007 film adaptation of a novel by Eugène Le Roy (1836-1907) is entitled Jacquou [Jacques] le Croquant.

[iii] You may remember that Pierre Beaumarchais recruited soldiers who would serve in the American War of Independence, one of whom was Pierre-Charles L’Enfant, the architect and civil engineer who designed the National Mall in Washington. The Figaro trilogy consists of The Barber of Seville (Le Barbier de Séville) 1775 (1773), The Mariage of Figaro (Le Mariage de Figaro), 1778, and The Guilty Mother (La Mère coupable), 1792 (1791). The Barber of Seville is an opera by Rossini and The Guilty Mother (La Mère coupable), an opera by Darius Milhaud.

[vi] W. H. Lewis, p. 160.

Molière by Nicolas Mignard

Molière by Nicolas Mignard

“bourgeoisie”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 14 Jun. 2014
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked /topic/75834/bourgeoisie>.

“Jacquerie”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 16 Jun. 2014
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/299166/Jacquerie>.

“sansculotte”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 16 Jun. 2014
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/522646/sansculotte>.

“Alexis de Tocqueville”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 14 Jun. 2014
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/597857/Alexis-de-Tocqueville>.

Versailles The Sun King

Versailles
The Sun King

20100507-143212-pic-471032503_t607
© Micheline Walker
16 June 2014
WordPress 

 

 

(Photo credit: Google images)

 

Micheline's Blog

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Tatiana Nikolayeva plays JS Bach

09 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by michelinewalker in Art, Music, Sharing

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Fraud, Frederick Morgan, Internet, JS Bach, Siciliano G minor, Tatiana Nikolayeva

J. S. Bach’s Siciliano g-moll BWV 1031

I should let you know that I will have to use a new identity because of internet fraud. In fact, yesterday I received an email from a WordPress colleague who was asking for money because s/he was in trouble.

It could be that someone was using that colleague’s name to take money away from me. That’s identity theft used to defraud someone.

The Story

I got a phone call from “Microsoft” and was told that my computer was about to crash.  Employees of my credit card company were monitoring and noticed I was being defrauded. They cancelled the transaction and phoned me immediately. In fact, I felt something may be amiss and I was about to phone them. But they phoned first, in less than five minutes.

If you get a phone call from a person who claims s/he is an employee of Microsoft and asks you to uninstall your anti-virus software, hang up and call the police.

You will also be asked to use a card other than Visa, MasterCard or American Express. These companies hire experts who catch thieves in the act.

It will take me a few weeks to re-invent myself. Fortunately, they do not read our posts. So, there may be a way of letting you know what I have become.

It never suspected I would have to write this message.

Skipping, by Frederick Morgan

Skipping, by Frederick Morgan

untitled
© Micheline Walker
8 June 2014
WordPress 

Micheline's Blog

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Du bist die Ruh, Nacht und Träume, An die Musik

07 Saturday Jun 2014

Posted by michelinewalker in Art, History, Music, Romanticism

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

An die Musik, Brueghel the Elder, Du bist die Ruh, Franz Schubert, Ian Bostridge tenor, Julius Drake piano, Lieder, Nacht und Träume

 

Du bist die Ruh; Nacht und Träume; An die Musik

You are Peace; Night and Dreams; To Music
Franz Schubert, composer
Ian Bostridge, tenor
Julius Drake, pianist
Lieder trilogy
 

Several pictures are featured in the above-featured video. Their content is consistent with a period of history we have discussed: the Napoleonic Era. The presentation is rapid, but the music sets the appropriate mood and rythm. This is an exceptional performance of three well-known Lieder by Schubert.

Interpretations of Schubert’s Lieder bring to mind German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (28 May 1925 – 18 May 2012). However, the performance at the top of this post, by English tenor Ian Bostridge OBE (born 25 December 1964), accompanied by pianist Julius Drake (born 5 April 1959), compares favorably with Fischer-Dieskau’s legendary renderings of Schubert.

Austrian composer Franz Schubert (31 January 1797 – 19 November 1828), is an unequalled melodist whose life was too brief. Like Théodore Géricault, Eugène Delacroix‘s friend, Schubert died at the early age of 32, but his legacy reflects a much longer life.

I hope you enjoy Bostridge’s interpretation of Schubert’s Lieder. It’s very touching. In fact, we are no longer walking on earth, but hearing the ineffable, or indicible. There are times when the spoken word does fall short of music.

Translation

Although knowing the words is not required, an English translation is available and it leads to translations to other languages. Just click on Du bist die Ruh. Copyrights do not allow me to insert the German text and its translation into this article.

Tags

Tags would be Ruh, Friede (peace), allein (alone), Lust and Schmerz (pleasure and pain), schließe and bei mir (close and next to me), Wohnung (dwelling), treiben (to drive), Brust and Herz (breast and heart), voll (full), füllen (to fill); ganz (entire).

Still Life with Garland of Flowers and Golden Tazza, by Jan Brueghel

Still Life with Garland of Flowers, by Jan Brueghel the Elder (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jan Brueghel

Jan Brueghel (Photo credit: Google images)

© Micheline Walker
7 June 2014
WordPress 

Micheline's Blog

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Eugène Delacroix’s “Mandarin Drake”

05 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by michelinewalker in Art, Music, Romanticism

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Animals, Delacroix's Mandarin Drake, Eugène Delacroix, Exoticism, Flowers, Philip Scott Johnson, Romanticism, versatility

 

A Mandarin Drake, by Eugene Delacroix

A Mandarin Drake, by Eugène Delacroix (Photo credit: WikiArt.org)

Eugène Delacroix (13 August 1863) is one of the most accomplished artists associated with Romanticism. He was also one of the most prolific and versatile artists of the early nineteenth-century. Hence the breadth of his influence.

His “Mandarin Drake” is a watercolour. But as an artist, Delacroix also used pen, chalk, graphite, pastels, and oil. In fact, he was a fine lithographer who illustrated various literary works by William Shakespeare, Walter Scott and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The paintings of Rubens were a source of inspiration to Delacroix. Moreover, he was a friend of Théodore Géricault (1791 -1824), and Géricault’s “spiritual heir.” (See Eugène Delacroix, Wikipedia.) Géricault completed his Raft of the Medusa, Le Radeau de la Méduse, at the age of 27, and his horses are magnificent.

Delacroix is known mainly for his “Liberty Guiding the People” (1830), a painting that captures the “genius,” or essence, of Revolutions. However, although the video at the foot of this post presents “Liberty Guiding the People” and reveals a more intense Delacroix, I have assembled works that show other and, at times, seemingly simpler facets of Delacroix’s art.

The work featured at the top of this post is one of my favourites. It shows a drake, a Mandarin drake or mallard (canard mallard, canard colvert [green neck]).

Delacroix’s subject matter also consisted of flowers and studies of flowers, simple branches. Moreover, he travelled abroad seizing a less familiar beauty. The Romantics loved the exotic.

However, the art of this “Romantic” tends to override the notion of movements, which may of course be true of most great artists.

Photo credit: WikiArt.org (all images)

Please click on the lower part of each image to see its title. The pictures may be enlarged and viewed as a video (press escape to exit). I just discovered this WordPress feature.

 

Study of Flowers, 1845-1850
Study of Flowers, 1845-1850
Two Branches with Leaves (pen, ink, watercolour)
Two Branches with Leaves (pen, ink, watercolour)
House in a Grove (Bocage)
House in a Grove (Bocage)
The Coast of Spain at Salabrena
The Coast of Spain at Salabrena
Horse (Cheval) (watercolour)
Horse (Cheval) (watercolour)

For “The Cottage in a Grove,” 1838, Delacroix used a pen, chalk, and ink. “The Coast of Spain at Salabrena” is a watercolour, dated 1832. Delacroix’s  “Study of Flowers” is a later work, executed between 1845 and 1850. “The Portrait of Turk in a Turban” (1826) was produced with pastels. For his magnificent tiger (below, 1830), Delacroix used a pencil and watercolours.

 

Portrait of a Turk in a Turban
Portrait of a Turk in a Turban
Seated Arab in Tangier, 1832
Seated Arab in Tangier, 1832

 

Tiger, 1830
Tiger, 1830

Yet, we have Willibald von Gluck at the “clavecin” composing the score of his Armide (1831). This painting is a watercolour and “European.” A clavecin is a harpsichord. However, the instrument Gluck is using resembles my grandfather’s humble spinet, a type of harpsichord.

 

Willibald von Gluck at the clavecin composing the score of his Armide
Willibald von Gluck at the clavecin composing the score of his Armide

Today is not a blogging day. But pictures are worth a thousand words, so I have used pictures to let you know that I am still blogging, but at a slower pace.

However, I should let you know that Eugène Delacroix is rumoured to be an illegitimate son of Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord. Talleyrand looked after the children he fathered. One was born to Madame de Flahaut and was named Charles-Joseph, comte de Flahaut. Everyone knew Charles-Joseph was Talleyrand’s son. In turn, Charles-Joseph, comte de Flahaut, became the lover of Hortense de Beauharnais (Napoleon’s stepdaughter and sister-in-law) and fathered the duc de Morny, a half-brother to Napoleon III.

Consequently, Delacroix was a protégé of the enigmatic Talleyrand (his father) and, later, a protégé of the Duc de Morny (Talleyrand’s grandson), whose brother ruled France.

My best regards to all of you.

Bouquet of Flowers, by Eugène Delacroix

Bouquet of Flowers, by Eugène Delacroix (Photo credit: WikiArts.org)

Delacroix

Frédéric Chopin
Nocturne, Opus 9 N° 2
Video by Philip Scott Johnson 
 

Chopin
Chopin, by Delacroix
 
© Micheline Walker
5 June 2014
WordPress  

 

 

 

Micheline's Blog

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

The Great Seal of the United States

01 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by michelinewalker in Art, History, Symbols and Emblems, United States

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

a Coat of Arms, a synecdoche, E pluribus unum, Flag of the United States, Francis Hopkinson, heraldry, Pierre-Eugène du Simitière, symbols and emblems, The Great Seal of the United States, the Obverse

 

Coverlet (Skinnerinc.com) Chris Barber

Coverlet (skinnerinc.com) (Chris Barber)

All images, except the Coverlet above, are Wikipedia’s.

In my last post, entitled Heraldry and Vexillology: designing the Great Seal of the United States, I used the Bayeux Tapestry as an example of “heraldic” devices because of its “emblazoned” or “charged” shields.

Heraldry is a rather complex discipline. For instance, when asked to design the insignia of the American Society of the Cincinnati and its French branch, La Société des Cincinnati de France, Pierre-Charles L’Enfant, the veteran of the American War of Independence who designed the Washington National Mall, was sent to Europe to gather the information he needed to design the insignia of the Society.

Similarly, members of the first committee appointed by Congress to design the Great Seal of the United States called on the services of an expert, Geneva-born Pierre Eugene du Simitière, whose original name was Pierre-Eugène du Cimetière (cemetery). The second and third teams appointed to design the Great Seal of the United States also hired experts, two of whom are William Barton and Charles Thomson.

Another contributor was Francis Hopkinson, who designed the American flag in 1777.

The Great Seal of the United States

Given the complexity of the subject of heraldry, I will limit this post to essential information. For instance, I will not discuss animal symbolism. But we will look at the various parts of a seal, or Coat of Arms, using the image below:

Parts of a Seal or Crest or Coat of Arms

Parts of a Seal or Crest or Coat of Arms, etc.

The National Animal: The Bald Eagle

The bald eagle was “chosen June 20, 1782 as the emblem of the United States of American, because of its long life, great strength and majestic looks, and because it was then believed to exist only on this continent.” So the “supporter” in the Great Seal of the United States is the emblematic bald eagle itself. The eagle stands behind the “arms” (vertical stripes [pales] with azure chief) (See Bald Eagle, US National Emblem [symbol], Wikipedia.) But the obverse side of the Great Seal also shows a motto: E pluribus unum (Out of many, One); talons: an olive branch and arrows; a “glory” of mullets (stars).

Flag  of the United States

Current flag (ensign) of the United States

The Great Seal vs the Flag of the United States

“The seal or shield, though sometimes drawn incorrectly, has two main differences from the American flag. First, it has no stars on the blue chief[.]” The chief is one of the ordinaries of a Coat of Arms (called “arms” for short). “Second, unlike the American flag, the outermost stripes (pales) are white, not red; so as not to violate the heraldic rule of tincture.”

Obverse side of the Great Seal
Obverse side of the Great Seal
Reverse side of the Great Seal
Reverse side of the Great Seal

Obverse and Reverse Sides of the Great Seal

The Motto

The motto E pluribus Unum is displayed inside a banner on the obverse (the front side as opposed to the reverse) of The Great Seal of the United States. E pluribus unum seems a de facto motto. It was not adopted through an act of Congress. However, it is a statement attributed to Thomas Jefferson (see Bald Eagle) and a motto suggested by Pierre Eugene du Simitière, a member of the first committee appointed to design the Great Seal. E pluribus  unum remains one of the mottoes of the United States, but its official motto is In God We Trust. It was voted into law in 1956.

The “Arms” or Escutcheon

  • The thirteen stripes of the flag, or ensign, represent the Thirteen Colonies.  These are “displayed” on the Great Seal. We see them on the “arms” placed in front of the eagle. They consist of thirteen paleways in argent (renamed white) or gules (red). The chief or chef is the azure (blue) horizontal line that constitutes the uppermost part of the arms.

The “Glory” or Crest

  • At the very top of the seal, above the banner, we see a “glory” with 13 mullets (stars) on a blue, called azure, field (background). The thirteen mullets represent the thirteen original states.

The Talons: dexter (right) and sinister (left)

  • the eagle holds an olive branch in its dexter talon (claw);
  • the eagle holds thirteen arrows in its sinister talon.

The meaning of the talons resembles that of the proverbial Si vis pacem, para bellum (If you want peace, prepare for war).

The Reverse

The reverse, or back side, of the seal features:

  • two mottoes: Annuit Cœptis, meaning that Providence has approved (of independence), and Novus ordo seclorum, meaning “new order of the ages,” taken from Latin poet Virgil‘s Eclogues (Bucolics). It was proposed by Latin expert Charles Thomson;
  • an unfinished pyramid (see the statement by Charles Thomson, at the foot of this post);
  • in its zenith, the Eye of Providence (suggested by Pierre Eugene du Simitière);
  • at the bottom of the pyramid is the year: 1776.

Terminology: A Blazon, or to Blazon

A Blazon, or to blazon
Badges, banners and seals, as blazons
Synonyms
Synecdoche
 

As I noted, in my last post, heraldic terminology is confusing because, in many instances, the name of a “part” is used to denote the entire coat of arms. Naming a “part” when referring to the “whole,” or the “whole” when referring to a “part,” is a figure of speech called synecdoche. Wikipedia’s example is “hired hands.”[i] (See Synecdoche, Wikipedia.)

For instance, the word “blazon” may be used to denote a specific graphic element in heraldry, but it may also be used to describe the process of giving meaning to an otherwise meaningless field, such as a naked shield. One emblazons a shield or gives it a “charge.”

Moreover, we have synonyms. Badges, banners and seals may be called “blazons.” As well, coats of arms may be used to identify a nation, a corporation, an association, a university, a college, scouts, various groups, an individual, etc. Scouts wear a badge as do police officers. And my mother used to make me wear medals representing the Blessed Virgin.

Coats of Arms may also be used for decorative purposes. That is the role given the coverlet shown at the top of this post. It features an “escutcheon.”

However, as I noted in my last post, if a shield is no more than the device used by combatants to protect themselves, it is just a shield. It has not been personalized or emblazoned and, therefore, it has no symbolic meaning.

A Plethora of Terms

ordinaries may be chiefs, pales, bends
chiefs (a line running across the field and sitting at the top of the field)
pales (vertical bands)
bends (mostly diagonal bands)
a pallium (ecclesiastical vestment) 
 

Bend Chief

Bend Chief

Pale

Pale (vertical)

  

We also have a plethora of terms.

  • The bend is the band running across a coat of arms. (See Chief [heraldry], Wikipedia). The Chief Bend is a band (a pale) crossing the field horizontally, at the very top. A bend is not vertical
  • The chief is one of the ordinaries of a coat of arms: bend, chevron, fess, and pale.
  • “A pale (vertical bend) is a term used in heraldic blazon and vexillology to describe a charge (an emblem) affixed to a coat of arms (or flag, or shield), that takes the form of a band running vertically down the center of the shield.” (See Pale (heraldry), Wikipedia.)
  • “In heraldry, a charge is any emblem or device occupying the field of an escutcheon (shield).” (See Charge, Wikipedia.)
  • Heraldry also has the divisions of the “field,” the field being the “background,” or naked shield.
  • Ordinaries are displayed under Family Names Online (just click on the link).
  • But there is an ecclesiastical pallium, a vestment, that reminds me of a pale or a bend.

Arthur Lee's Family's Coat of Arms

Dr Arthur Lee‘s Coat of Arms

On the Lee family Coat of Arms, we have mantling (frilly grey and black), a crest (the squirrel), a helmet, and a divided shield (the arms).

The committees

First Committee

Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams (Simitière, heraldist), appointed on 4 July 1776

Second committee

James Lovell, John Morin Scott, and William Churchill Houston, (Charles Thomson and Francis Hopkinson, heraldists), appointed on 25 March, 1780

Third Committee

John Rutledge, Arthur Middleton, and Elias Boudinot (Dr. Arthur Lee replaced Rutledge) (William Barton, heraldist), appointed on 4 May 1782

To know the contribution of each member or heraldist, see The Great Seal of the United States (scroll down). 

Pope Innocent III depicted wearing the pallium in a fresco at the Sacro Speco Cloister

Pope Innocent III depicted wearing the pallium in a fresco at the Sacro Speco Cloister (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Charles Thomson’s explanation of the Great Seal of the United States

The Escutcheon is composed of the chief & pale, the two most honorable ordinaries. The Pieces, paly, represent the several states all joined in one solid compact entire, supporting a Chief, which unites the whole & represents Congress. The Motto alludes to this union. The pales in the arms are kept closely united by the chief and the Chief depends upon that union & the strength resulting from it for its support, to denote the Confederacy of the United States of America & the preservation of their union through Congress.

The colours of the pales are those used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valor, and Blue, the colour of the Chief signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice. The Olive branch and arrows denote the power of peace & war which is exclusively vested in Congress. The Constellation denotes a new State taking its place and rank among other sovereign powers. The Escutcheon is born on the breast of an American Eagle without any other supporters to denote that the United States of America ought to rely on their own Virtue.

Reverse. The pyramid signifies Strength and Duration: The Eye over it & the Motto allude to the many signal interpositions of providence in favour of the American cause. The date underneath is that of the Declaration of Independence and the words under it signify the beginning of the new American Æra, which commences from that date.

Conclusion: 20 June 1782

The Great Seal of the United States was presented to Congress and adopted by Congress on 20 June 1782.

The Great Seal is the United States’ signature. It is used about 2,000 to 3,000 times a year and the press is in the custody of the United States Department of State. It is an authenticating device often associated with the conclusion of a process. I should think that every treaty signed by the United States bears its Great Seal. Technically, a seal is “impressed” on a document.

There is more to say, but the above and my last post provides sufficient information. If you navigate the Internet, you will find businesses that supply families and individuals with a Coat of Arms or an insignia. There is in fact considerable interest in heraldry.

However, this was my second and last post on heraldry. Yet, given its purpose, identification and authentication, a simplified heraldry persists in the form of logos and labels.

My kindest regards to all of you and my apologies for being a little slow. I haven’t been very energetic for the last few months, but I am confident my energy will return. Spring has come.

RELATED ARTICLES

  • Heraldry and Vexillology: designing the Great Seal of the United States (29 May 2014)
  • Designing Washington, DC (cont’d) (25 May 2014)
  • Designing Washington, DC: Pierre-Charles L’Enfant (23 May 2014)
  • Americans in Paris: George Washington (22 May 2014)
  • Americans in Paris: Thomas Jefferson (17 May 2014)
  • Americans in Paris: Benjamin Franklin (14 May 2014)

Sources and Resources

  • The Great Seal of the United States (Wikipedia)
  • Symbolism of the Great Seal
  • The Bald Eagle – An American Emblem
  • Americana Gallery Walk
  • Ordinaries (chief or chef, bend, chevron, fess, and pale [pale, paly, paleways]) (Wikipedia)
  • Escutcheon (Coat of Arms, Surcoat, Tabard) (Wikipedia)
  • Seal of the President of the United States (Wikipedia)

____________________

[i] I removed this information from my last post. It had to be shortened.

Congress voting Independence

Congress voting Independence

A field divided by a diagonal pale

A field divided by a diagonal bend showing the lion rampant, its charge.

© Micheline Walker
May 31, 2014
WordPress 
 
 
  

 

 

 

Micheline's Blog

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Europa

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 2,507 other subscribers

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Categories

Recent Posts

  • Epiphany 2023
  • Pavarotti sings Schubert’s « Ave Maria »
  • Yves Montand chante “À Bicyclette”
  • Almost ready
  • Bicycles for Migrant Farm Workers
  • Tout Molière.net : parti …
  • Remembering Belaud
  • Monet’s Magpie
  • To Lori Weber: Language Laws in Quebec, 2
  • To Lori Weber: Language Laws

Archives

Calendar

June 2014
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30  
« May   Jul »

Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • WordPress.org

micheline.walker@videotron.ca

Micheline Walker

Micheline Walker

Social

Social

  • View belaud44’s profile on Facebook
  • View Follow @mouchette_02’s profile on Twitter
  • View Micheline Walker’s profile on LinkedIn
  • View belaud44’s profile on YouTube
  • View Miicheline Walker’s profile on Google+
  • View michelinewalker’s profile on WordPress.org

Micheline Walker

Micheline Walker
Follow Micheline's Blog on WordPress.com

Create a website or blog at WordPress.com

  • Follow Following
    • Micheline's Blog
    • Join 2,475 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Micheline's Blog
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: