Françoise Zoé Mathilde Mosselman (1808–1880), known as Fanny Mosselman, was a Belgian noble and salonist, known as the ''maîtresse en titre'' (official

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a d ...

) of the duke

Charles de Morny Charles Auguste Louis Joseph de Morny, 1er Duc de Morny () (15–16 September 1811, Switzerland10 March 1865, Paris) was a French statesman. Biography Morny was born in Switzerland, and was the extra-marital son of Hortense de Beauharnais (the wi ...

Life

Daughter of the rich Belgian banker and captain of industry François-Dominique Mosselman and his wife Louise Tacqué, she was from a family with several business interests in Belgium, most notably the Vieille-Montagne mines. Her father had bought a hôtel particulier in the Chaussée-d'Antin from the bankrupt banker Récamier, husband of

Juliette Juliette is a feminine personal name of French origin. It is a diminutive of Julie. Notable people *Juliette (Canadian singer) (1926-2017), full name Juliette Augustina Sysak Cavazzi, Canadian singer and TV personality of the 1950s-1970s. known ...

. After 1830 it became the residence of the first Belgian envoy, Charles Le Hon. In 1827 she married Charles Le Hon who was made a Belgian count in 1836, so she also held the title of comtesse Le Hon or Lehon. Nominally, they had three children - Eugène (born 1828) and Léopold (born 1832), the latter being supposed to be the son of her lover, the diplomat

Charles-Joseph Bresson Charles-Joseph, comte Bresson (27 March 1798 in Epinal – 2 November 1847 in Naples) was a French diplomat. He gained the confidence of King Louis-Philippe of France by successfully arranging the marriages of three of his children: the Pri ...

) - and Louise. Fanny took several lovers, amongst them (so it is said) the duc d'Orléans and held an extremely brilliant

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

in Paris, attended by politicians, members of the

July Monarchy The July Monarchy (french: Monarchie de Juillet), officially the Kingdom of France (french: Royaume de France), was a liberal constitutional monarchy in France under , starting on 26 July 1830, with the July Revolution of 1830, and ending 23 F ...

royal family, journalists and writers - Balzac called her "Iris in light blue, the golden-haired ambassadress", whilst Charles de Rémusat commented "She had the spirit of a grand grisette, with a certain intelligence for affairs and intrigue" Around 1833, she met

, then a mere sous-lieutenant, but who occupied a position in high society as the illegitimate son of général de Flahaut and queen

Hortense Hortense is a French feminine given name that comes from Latin meaning ''gardener''. It may refer to: Persons * Hortense Allart (1801–1879), Italian-French feminist writer and essayist * Hortense de Beauharnais (1783–1837), stepdaughter of N ...

, duchess of Saint-Leu, and grandson of Talleyrand. Fernand de Montguyon took him to a reception at the Belgian embassy, where he and Fanny immediately fell in love and began a 25-year liaison. In the words of one historian, "Fanny chose a man over whom she had great influence and who allowed her freedom of movement and especially freedom to follow her heart".

Jean-Marie Rouart Jean-Marie Rouart (born 8 April 1943 in Neuilly-sur-Seine) is a French novelist, essayist and journalist. He was elected to the Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institutio ...

, ''Morny. Un voluptueux au pouvoir'', Paris, Gallimard, coll. Folio, 1997, p. 113 Her daughter Louise married Józef Stanisław Poniatowski.

Parisian residences

* 1831-1838 : Hôtel Récamier, Chaussée d'Antin * 1838-1843 : Hôtel de La Vaupalière,

rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré ''Ruta graveolens'', commonly known as rue, common rue or herb-of-grace, is a species of '' Ruta'' grown as an ornamental plant and herb. It is native to the Balkan Peninsula. It is grown throughout the world in gardens, especially for its bl ...

* from 1843 : Hôtel Le Hon, rond-point des Champs-Élysées

Bibliography

* Carlo Bronne, ''La comtesse Le Hon et la première ambassade de Belgique à Paris'', Brussels, 1951

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mosselman, Fanny 1808 births 1880 deaths Belgian salon-holders People from Antwerp 19th-century Belgian people