PRUD'HON, Pierre-Paul
(b. 1758, Cluny, d. 1823, Paris)

Portrait of Princess Talleyrand

1807-08
Black and white chalk on grey paper, 230 x 178 mm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Catherine Noëlle Worlée was a well known Parisian courtesan who in 1798 attracted the attention of Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (1754–1838), France's powerful minister of Foreign Affairs. Upon learning about the liaison in 1802, Napoleon forced the minister to marry her.




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