Marie Joseph Robert Anatole, comte de Montesquiou-Fézensac (7 March 1855, Paris – 11 December 1921,

Menton Menton (; , written ''Menton'' in classical norm or ''Mentan'' in Mistralian norm; it, Mentone ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italian border. Me ...

) was a French

aesthete Aestheticism (also the Aesthetic movement) was an art movement in the late 19th century which privileged the aesthetic value of literature, music and the arts over their socio-political functions. According to Aestheticism, art should be pr ...

Symbolist Symbolism was a late 19th-century art movement of French and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts seeking to represent absolute truths symbolically through language and metaphorical images, mainly as a reaction against naturalism and realis ...

poet, painter, art collector, art interpreter, and

dandy A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance. A dandy could be a self-made man who strove to imitate an aristocratic lifestyle des ...

. He is reputed to have been the inspiration both for Jean des Esseintes in

Joris-Karl Huysmans Charles-Marie-Georges Huysmans (, ; 5 February 1848 – 12 May 1907) was a French novelist and art critic who published his works as Joris-Karl Huysmans (, variably abbreviated as J. K. or J.-K.). He is most famous for the novel '' À rebour ...

' '' À rebours'' (1884) and, most famously, for the Baron de Charlus in

Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, critic, and essayist who wrote the monumental novel '' In Search of Lost Time'' (''À la recherche du temps perdu''; with the previous ...

's ''

À la recherche du temps perdu ''In Search of Lost Time'' (french: À la recherche du temps perdu), first translated into English as ''Remembrance of Things Past'', and sometimes referred to in French as ''La Recherche'' (''The Search''), is a novel in seven volumes by French ...

'' (1913–1927).''Prince Of Aesthetes: Count Robert de Montesquiou (1855–1921)'', Philippe Jullian, The Viking Press, 1968 Some believe that he may even have been used by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

in ''

The Picture of Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical '' Lippincott's Monthly Magazine''.''The Picture of Dorian G ...

''.

Family

Robert de Montesquiou was a scion of the French Montesquiou-Fézensac family. His paternal grandfather was Count Anatole de Montesquiou-Fézensac (1788–1878), '' aide-de-camp'' to

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

and grand officer of the ''

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

''; his father was Anatole's third son, Thierry, who married Pauline Duroux, an orphan, in 1841. With his wife's dowry, Thierry bought a Charnizay manor, built a mansion in Paris, and was elected vice-president of the

Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket, a ...

. He was a successful

stockbroker A stockbroker is a regulated broker, broker-dealer, or registered investment adviser (in the United States) who may provide financial advisory and investment management services and execute transactions such as the purchase or sale of stock ...

who left a substantial fortune. Robert was the last of his parents' children, after brothers Gontran and Aymery, and sister Élise. His cousin, Élisabeth, Countess Greffulhe (1860–1952), was one of

's models for the Duchess of Guermantes in ''

''.

Depictions

Montesquiou had the ambition to be the most photographed person in the world. Montesquiou had a strong influence on

Émile Gallé Émile Gallé (8 May 1846 in Nancy – 23 September 1904 in Nancy) was a French artist and designer who worked in glass, and is considered to be one of the major innovators in the French Art Nouveau movement. He was noted for his designs of ...

(1846–1904), a glass artist with whom he collaborated, and from whom he commissioned major works, and from whom he received hundreds of adulatory letters. He also wrote the verses found in the optional choral parts of

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (; 12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers ...

's ''

Pavane The ''pavane'' ( ; it, pavana, ''padovana''; german: Paduana) is a slow processional dance common in Europe during the 16th century (Renaissance). The pavane, the earliest-known music for which was published in Venice by Ottaviano Petrucci, ...

''. The portrait ''Arrangement in Black and Gold: Comte Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac'' was painted in 1891–92 by Montesquiou's close friend, and model for many of his eccentric mannerisms,

James Whistler James Abbott McNeill Whistler (; July 10, 1834July 17, 1903) was an American painter active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral allusion in painting and was a leading pr ...

. The portrait is in the

Frick Collection The Frick Collection is an art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection (normally at the Henry Clay Frick House, currently at the Frick Madison) features Old Master paintings and European fine and decorative arts, including works by ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. The French artist Antonio de La Gandara (1861–1917) produced several portraits of Montesquiou.

Persona and sexuality

One author provides the following written portrait of Montesquiou:

Sexuality

Montesquiou was a "notorious homosexual" and "the most famous

" in Paris, who was famed for his lifestyle during the

Belle Époque The Belle Époque or La Belle Époque (; French for "Beautiful Epoch") is a period of French and European history, usually considered to begin around 1871–1880 and to end with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era ...

. His flamboyant homosexuality was certainly public knowledge by 1908, when he published a collection of poems and intimate letters dedicated to his deceased partner, , or 1909, when a book on the lives of the homosexual

aesthetes Aestheticism (also the Aesthetic movement) was an art movement in the late 19th century which privileged the aesthetic value of literature, music and the arts over their socio-political functions. According to Aestheticism, art should be pr ...

of the ''

fin de siècle () is a French term meaning "end of century,” a phrase which typically encompasses both the meaning of the similar English idiom "turn of the century" and also makes reference to the closing of one era and onset of another. Without context, ...

'' was published, though he may have been able to hide his sexuality behind the guise of only following the associated aesthetics. Montesquiou likely contributed to

's ''

'', and was a main basis of the homosexual character Baron de Charlus in good friend

's ''

In Search of Lost Time ''In Search of Lost Time'' (french: À la recherche du temps perdu), first translated into English as ''Remembrance of Things Past'', and sometimes referred to in French as ''La Recherche'' (''The Search''), is a novel in seven volumes by French ...

'' – particularly its 1921 fourth part, ''Sodom and Gomorrah'' – at which point he was effectively outed to the world. In 1885, he began a close long-term relationship with Gabriel Yturri (March 12, 1860 – July 6, 1905), a South American immigrant from Tucumán,

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

, who became his secretary, companion and lover. After Yturri died of diabetes, Henri Pinard replaced him as secretary in 1908 and eventually inherited Montesquiou's much reduced fortune. Montesquiou and Yturri are buried alongside each other at

Cimetière des Gonards The Cimetière des Gonards is the largest cemetery in Versailles on the outskirts of Paris. It began operations in 1879. The cemetery covers an area of and contains more than 12,000 graves. Description This is a rurally landscaped cemetery, t ...

in Versailles, Île-de-France, France.

Society appearances and gatherings

Montesquiou had social relationships and collaborations with many celebrities of the ''

'' period, including

Alphonse Daudet Alphonse Daudet (; 13 May 184016 December 1897) was a French novelist. He was the husband of Julia Daudet and father of Edmée, Léon and Lucien Daudet. Early life Daudet was born in Nîmes, France. His family, on both sides, belonged to the ...

(1840–1897),

Edmond de Goncourt Edmond Louis Antoine Huot de Goncourt (; 26 May 182216 July 1896) was a French writer, literary critic, art critic, book publisher and the founder of the Académie Goncourt. Biography Goncourt was born in Nancy. His parents, Marc-Pierre Huot d ...

(1822–1896),

Eleonora Duse Eleonora Giulia Amalia Duse ( , ; 3 October 185821 April 1924), often known simply as Duse, was an Italian actress, rated by many as the greatest of her time. She performed in many countries, notably in the plays of Gabriele d'Annunzio and He ...

(1858–1924),

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 or 23 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including ''La Dame Aux Cameli ...

(1844–1923), Gabriele d'Annunzio (1863–1938),

Anna de Noailles Anna, Comtesse Mathieu de Noailles (Anna Elisabeth Bibesco-Bassaraba de Brancovan) (15 November 1876 – 30 April 1933) was a French writer of Romanian and Greek descent, a poet and a socialist feminist. Biography Personal life Born Princess ...

(1876–1933),

Marthe Bibesco Princess Martha Bibescu (Martha Lucia; ''née'' Lahovary; 28 January 1886 – 28 November 1973) also known outside of Romania as Marthe Bibesco, was a celebrated Romanian-French writer, socialite, style icon and political hostess. She spent her c ...

(1886–1973),

Luisa Casati Luisa, Marchesa Casati Stampa di Soncino (born Luisa Adele Rosa Maria Amman; 23 January 1881 – 1 June 1957), was an Italian heiress, muse, and patroness of the arts in early 20th-century Europe. Early life Luisa Adele Rosa Maria Amman was born ...

(1881–1957),

Maurice Barrès Auguste-Maurice Barrès (; 19 August 1862 – 4 December 1923) was a French novelist, journalist and politician. Spending some time in Italy, he became a figure in French literature with the release of his work '' The Cult of the Self'' in 188 ...

(1862–1923),

Franca Florio Franca Florio (Palermo, 27 December 1873 – Vecchiano, Migliarino Pisano, 10 November 1950), born Francesca Paola Jacona della Motta dei baroni di San Giuliano and commonly called Donna Franca, was an Italian noblewoman, socialite and a prominen ...

(1873-1950), and Samuel Jean Pozzi (1846-1918).

''An Adventure''

In his biography, Philippe Jullian proposes that the

Moberly–Jourdain incident The Moberly–Jourdain incident (also the Ghosts of Petit Trianon or Versailles, french: les fantômes du Trianon / ''les fantômes de Versailles'') is a claim of time travel and hauntings made by Charlotte Anne Moberly (1846–1937) and Eleanor ...

in 1901, in which

Charlotte Anne Moberly Charlotte Anne Elizabeth Moberly (1846–1937) was an English academic, and first Principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford. Her time-travel book ''An Adventure'', written in 1911 with fellow academic Eleanor Jourdain, became a bestseller. Fami ...

and Eleanor Jourdain claimed to experience time travel in the grounds of the

Petit Trianon The Petit Trianon (; French for "small Trianon") is a Neoclassical style château located on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France. It was built between 1762 and 1768 during the reign of King Louis XV of France. ...

, is explained by their stumbling into a rehearsal of one of Montesquiou's ''Tableaux Vivants'', with his friends (one possibly transvestite) dressed in period costume. Joan Evans, who owned the copyright to ''An Adventure'' (1911), Moberly and Jourdain's account of their experiences, accepted this solution and forbade any further editions.

Olympics

He finished third in the hacks and hunter combined event at the

1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1900, link=no), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from ...

Works

Montesquiou's poetry has been called untranslatable, and it was poorly received by critics at the time. " tune with the majority of Montesquiou's critics was the opinion of

Paul Morand Paul Morand (13 March 1888 – 24 July 1976) was a French author whose short stories and novellas were lauded for their style, wit and descriptive power. His most productive literary period was the interwar period of the 1920s and 1930s. He was mu ...

, who wrote:"

Montesquiou has polished a thousand sonnets with a hand jewelled with black pearls and will leave behind nothing but a few modern-style curiosities and some imitations of Mallarmé written in red ink and sprinkled with gold dust. A personality of the most curious, because entirely phony, from a period of dazzling falsifiers and of pious and impious lies. He will survive thanks only to the des Esseintes of Huysmans and the Baron de Charlus of Proust. Montesquiou was right to frequent men of letters.

As for his paintings, he showed them "only to a few individuals, but after his death over a hundred of them were exhibited in 1923 at the Galeries Georges Petit...." "Montesquiou's work has been offered at auction multiple times, with realized prices ranging from 325 USD to 2,520 USD...." As for his art interpretation (he distinguished art interpreters from art critics), he excelled "perhaps far beyond his accomplishments as a poet.... This art interpreter published books, catalogues, articles, and extensive passages in his memoirs devoted to umerouspainters, sculptors, and craftsmen...."Munhall, Edgar, ''Whistler and Montesquiou'', pp. 120, 122.

Poetry

*''Les Chauves-Souris'', ''Clairs obscurs'' (''Richard'', privately published in 1892, commercially published in 1893; illustrated by Madeleine Lemaire, James McNeill Whistler and Antonio de La Gandara). *''Le Chef des odeurs suaves'', ''Floréal extrait'' (''Richard'', 1893) *''Le Parcours du rêve au souvenir'' (''Charpentier et Fasquelle'', 1895) *''Les Hortensias bleus'' (''Charpentier et Fasquelle'', 1896) *''Les Perles rouges'' : ''93 sonnets historiques'' (''Charpentier et Fasquelle'', 1899) *''Les Paons'' (''Charpentier et Fasquelle'', 1901) *''Prières de tous'' : ''Huit dizaines d'un chapelet rythmique'' (''Maison du Livre'', 1902) *''Calendrier Robert de Montesquiou pour 1903'' *''Calendrier Robert de Montesquiou 1904'' *''Passiflora'' (''L'Abbaye'', 1907) *''Les Paroles diaprées'', ''cent dédicaces'' (''Richard'', 1910) *''Les Paroles diaprées'', ''nouvelle série de dédicace''s (''Richard'', 1912) *''Les Offrandes blessées'' : ''élégies guerrière''s (''Sansot'', 1915) *''Nouvelles Offrandes blessées'' (''Maison du Livre'', 1915) *''Offrande coloniale'' (1915) *''Sabliers et lacrymatoires'' : ''élégies guerrières et humaines'' (''Sansot'', 1917) *''Un moment du pleur éternel'' : ''offrandes innommées'' (''Sansot'', 1919) *''Les Quarante bergères'' : ''Portraits satiriques''..., with a frontispiece by

Aubrey Beardsley Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (21 August 187216 March 1898) was an English illustrator and author. His black ink drawings were influenced by Japanese woodcuts, and depicted the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. He was a leading figure in the ...

(''Librairie de France'', 1925)

Essays

*''Félicité'' :'' étude sur la poësie de''

Marceline Desbordes-Valmore Marceline Desbordes-Valmore (20 June 1786 – 23 July 1859) was a French poet and novelist. She was born in Douai. Following the French Revolution, her father's business was ruined, and she traveled with her mother to Guadeloupe in search of fi ...

, ''suivie d'un essai de classification de ses motifs d'inspiration'' (''Lemerre'', 1894) *''Roseaux pensants'' (''Charpentier et Fasquelle'', 1897) *''Apollon aux lanternes'' (''Albert Lanier'', 1898) *''Autels privilégiés'' (''Charpentier et Fasquelle'', 1898) *''Alice et Aline'', ''une peinture de'' Chassériau (''Charpentier et Fasquelle'', 1898) *''Musée rétrospectif de la classe 90'' (''parfumerie'' : ''matières premières'', ''matériel'', ''procédés et produits,'' à ''l'Exposition universelle internationale de'' 1900, à Paris, ''Belin Frères'', 1900) *'' Alfred Stevens'' (1823–1906) (''extrait de'' ''la Gazette des Beaux-Arts'', 1900) *''Pays des aromates'' (''Floury'', 1900) *''L'Inextricable graveur'' :

Rodolphe Bresdin Rodolphe Bresdin was a French draughtsman and engraver, born in Le Fresne-sur-Loire on 12 August 1822, who died in Sèvres on 11 January 1885. His fantastic works, full of strange details, particularly attracted Charles Baudelaire, Théophile ...

(''Richard'', 1904) *''Professionnelles beautés'' (''Juven'', 1905) *''Altesses sérénissimes'' (''Juven'', 1907) *''Assemblée de notables'' (''Juven'', 1908) *''Saints d'Israël'' (''Maison du livre'', 1910) *''Brelan de dames'' : ''essai d'après trois femmes auteurs'' (''Fontemoing et Cie'', 1912) *''Têtes d'expression'' (''

Émile-Paul Frères Émile-Paul Frères was a French publishing house, whose origins date back to 1881. 'Frères' is French for 'Brothers'. The brand was created by two brothers, Albert and Robert Paul, the sons of the founder Émile Paul. It was active until 1955, ...

'', 1912) *''

Paul Helleu Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

'', ''peintre et graveur'' (''Floury'', 1913) *''Têtes Couronnées'' (''Sansot'', 1916) *''Majeurs et mineurs'' (''Sansot'', 1917) *''Diptyque de Flandre, Triptyque de France'' (''Sansot'', 1921) *''Les Délices de Capharnaüm'' (''Émile-Paul Frères'', 1921) *''Élus et Appelés'' (''Émile-Paul Frères'', 1921) *''Le Mort remontant'' (''Émile-Paul Frères'', 1922)

Novels

*''La Petite mademoiselle'' (''Albin-Michel'', 1911) *''La Trépidation'' (''Émile-Paul Frères'', 1922)

Biographies

*''Le Chancelier de fleurs'' : ''douze stations d'amitié'' (''Maison du livre'', 1907) *''La Divine Comtesse'' : ''Étude d'après Madame de Castiglione'' (

Virginia Oldoini Virginia Oldoïni Rapallini, Countess of Castiglione (22 March 1837 – 28 November 1899), better known as La Castiglione, was an Italian aristocrat who achieved notoriety as a mistress of Emperor Napoleon III of France. She was also a significant ...

) (''Goupil'', 1913) *''L'Agonie de

Paul Verlaine Paul-Marie Verlaine (; ; 30 March 1844 – 8 January 1896) was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement and the Decadent movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the '' fin de siècle'' in international and ...

'', 1890–1896 (M. Escoffier, 1923)

Theatre

*''Mikhaïl'', ''Mystère en quatre scènes'', in verse (after

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...

) (1901)

Memoirs

*''Les Pas effacés'', ''3 vol.'' (''Émile-Paul Frères'', 1923; republished by ''Éditions du Sandre'', 3 vol)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Montesquiou, Robert De 1855 births 19th-century LGBT people 1921 deaths French poets French gay writers

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...

LGBT nobility Writers from Paris French LGBT poets French male poets French socialites French male equestrians Olympic equestrians of France Equestrians at the 1900 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for France Olympic medalists in equestrian Medalists at the 1900 Summer Olympics Burials at the Cimetière des Gonards

Family

Depictions

Persona and sexuality

Sexuality

Society appearances and gatherings

''An Adventure''

Olympics

Works

Poetry

Essays

Novels

Biographies

Theatre

Memoirs

References

Further reading

External links