art history
21 Mar The Five Most Powerful Women in the Metropolitan Museum
My esteemed colleague Mary Beard has posted an article about the five most powerful women in the British Museum, as a celebration of Women's History Month. So since we are now doing a tour about that topic at the Metropolitan Museum, I thought I should answer with a post about the most powerful women in the Met. Because the Met actually has a lot of powerful women, from the most powerful woman pharaoh of ancient Egypt through women of the 20th century. And this year of all years, now is the time for some women's history!
24 Feb “Nasty Women” are Everywhere—even the Metropolitan
We know them from work, family, public and private life—women who speak their mind, pursue their careers and even run for public office. They’re smart. They’re sassy. Some people call them "nasty." But we say they're strong. And to celebrate them (and Women’s History Month) Shady Ladies Tours is launching a brand new offering: Nasty Women of the Metropolitan.
18 Jan The bed of one of the great courtesans of 19th century Paris, Valtesse de la Bigne.
Great bed, eh? Maybe we should call it something like a temple of love. This is the bed of one of the great courtesans of 19th century Paris, Valtesse de la Bigne. Aside from her rich patrons, de la Bigne was the lover of several...
18 Jan Ernest-Ange Duez’s “Splendeur,” displayed at the Salon of 1874
Here is another thing we will see on our Shady Ladies tour of Paris--one of our favorite images of a courtesan: Ernest-Ange Duez's "Splendeur," displayed at the Salon of 1874. It was originally part of a diptych, with "Misère" on the other side, showing the...
11 Dec Lucrezia Borgia, Duchess of Ferrara
Say the name "Lucrezia Borgia," and what do you think of? Incest and poison are probably the first things that come to mind. Lucrezia was born (in 1480), supposedly an illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo de Borgia). And from that point on, she went from one nefarious deed to another, bearing an illegitimate son, engaging in incest with her father and/or her famous brother Cesare, poisoning people left and right—she supposedly had a hollow ring with poison-tipped pins she could use to prick her victims. In short, she was the original "nasty woman."
25 Oct Courtesans And Royal Mistresses: Madame Du Barry
This is Mme. Du Barry--one of the most famous courtesans and royal mistresses of all time! Du Barry was the last of Louis XV's official mistresses. Louis (it seems) adored her because she was so beautiful that she revived his flagging sex life. She ended her life on the guillotine, but here she is long before, dressed in the 18th century's version of 'casual Friday': a simple gingham dress and straw hat--a style favored by Marie Antoinette, who famously loathed Mme. Du Barry and the racy side of French court life that she represented.