Elisabeth de Riquet de Caraman

The countess Marie Anatole Louise Elisabeth de Riquet de Caraman , by her marriage countess Henry Greffulhe , was born the July 11th 1860 and died in 1952. One of the most admired women most attractive and its generation, it was one of the principal models of Marcel Proust for the duchess of Guermantes in With the research of time lost .

Biography

Girl of Joseph de Riquet de Caraman (1836-1892), 18th prince de Chimay and of the princess, born Marie de Montesquiou-Fezensac, the countess Elisabeth de Riquet de Caraman (it is of use to give to the nonmarried women of the house of Chimay the title of “countess” while the men carry the title of “prince”) is resulting at the same time from one of the more Belgian big families and the best French aristocracy. The fortune of his/her parents is however relatively restricted and it is with eagerness that the marriage of Elisabeth with the count Henry Greffulhe is approved, single heir to a financial empire and real estate which does of it one of the most beautiful parties of its time. The marriage is celebrated in 1878. They will have a girl, Élaine (1882 - 1958), which will marry Armand de Gramont.

Of an incomparable beauty and an elegance, equipped at Worth, Fortuny, Felix, Doucet or Beauches, but always with a personal key, the Greffulhe countess reigns on All-Paris of her time. She is immortalisée by many portraits, innumerable photographs, is mentioned per many narcissistic memorialist S. Profondément, she is perhaps not very intelligent, but she fascine and intrigue. Endowed for arts, it takes courses of drawing, photography with Paul Nadar. Via her cousin Robert de Montesquiou, it met Gustave Moreau of which it has several tables, and Antonio of Gandara which it admires.

Excellent musician, it plays of the piano and learns the guitar, organizes concerts of chamber music and lyric representation, like that of Béatrice and Bénédict of Hector Berlioz with the Théâtre of Odéon in 1890 and first Parisian representation of Tristan and Isolde of Richard Wagner in October 1899. She met Franz Liszt at the time of her last voyage to Paris in 1886 and, always thanks to Montesquiou, she becomes acquainted with Gabriel Fauré. She founds in 1890 the Company of great musical hearings and supports the arrival in Paris of the Russian Ballets.

Always thanks to Montesquiou, it binds with Edmond de Goncourt, José-Maria de Heredia, Stephan Mallarmé, Judith Gautier.

In policy, in a somewhat paradoxical way, it is close to the republicans. It is particularly dependant with Theophilus Delcassé, Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau, the general of Galliffet. Undoubtedly under the influence of the two last, it takes the party of the captain Alfred Dreyfus and is shown by the line press to be intervened in its favor near Guillaume II in 1899.

Marcel Proust sees it with a ball at the princess of Wagram on July 1st 1893. It is fascinated at once and makes of it the principal model of the duchess of Guermantes.

Residences

Hotel Greffulhe , 8 then 10 Street of Astorg in Paris (VIIIe district).
Villa the Box , road of Pourville with Dieppe, acquired in 1887, built in Anglo-Norman style.
Castle of Wood-Boudran close to Melun (Seine-et-Marne).

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