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{{Infobox person {{Infobox person
| name = <!-- use common name/article title --> | name = <!-- use common name/article title -->
| image = Madame Grand (Noël Catherine Vorlée, 1761–1835) MET DP320094.jpg | image = File:Proudhon Pierre Paul - Portrait of Princess Catherine Talleyrand.jpeg
| alt = Madame Grand'', 1783 portrait by Vigée-Le Brun, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art | alt =
| caption = ''Madame Grand'', 1783 portrait by ] | caption = Catherine Noël de Talleyrand-Périgord<br/>1806-07, by
]
| birth_name = Catherine Noël Worlée | birth_name = Catherine Noël Worlée
| birth_date = 21 November 1762 | birth_date = 21 November 1761
| birth_place = ], ] (now ], ]) | birth_place = ], ] (now ], ])
| death_date = {{d-da|10 December 1835|21 November 1762|}} | death_date = {{d-da|10 December 1835|21 November 1762|}}
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| resting_place = ], ] | resting_place = ], ]
| nationality = | nationality =
| other_names = Madame Grand<br>Catherine Noël Grand de Talleyrand-Périgord, Princesse de Bénévent | other_names = Madame Grand<br>Catherine Noël de Talleyrand-Périgord, Princesse de Bénévent
| occupation = ] | occupation = ]
| years_active = | years_active =
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}} }}


'''Catherine Noël Grand''' (] '''Worlée'''; 21 November 1762&ndash; 10 December 1835) was a French courtesan and noblewoman. She was the daughter of a colonial officer in ], who became the ] and later the wife of ] ] ], the first ]. She was known for her exceptional beauty. '''Catherine Noël de Talleyrand-Périgord''' (] '''Grand''', née '''Worlée'''; 21 November 1761{{NoteTag|Sources variously report her date of birth as 21 November 1761 or 1762; the 1761 date reported by Busteed (1908) p. 231 is used in this article.}} &ndash; 10 December 1835), was a French courtesan and noblewoman. Born in India the daughter of an office of the ], she married George Grand, an officer of the ]. She had a scandalous liaison with ] ] in ].

She relocated to Paris, where she was known as '''Madame Grand''' and became a popular ] having relationships with several powerful men. She became the ] and later the wife of ] ] ], the first ]. Catherine was known for her exceptional beauty, which was captured in her ] by ]. She was '''Princess of Benevent''' by marriage from 1806 until her death.


== Early life in India == == Early life in India ==
⚫ Catherine Noël Worlée (also spelled Werlée) was born in the ] of ]. She had both French and Danish heritage.<ref>Shapland</ref> Both her parents were French Catholics: her father ] was a French ] stationed at nearby ], and her mother was Laurence Alleigne, daughter of a colonial armourer.<ref>Joelson, p.15</ref> At the time of Catherine's birth, her father was held as a ] of the ] by the British. After his release the family settled in ]. She was poorly educated, but excelled at art, dance, and ].


⚫ === Family and parentage ===
⚫ Catherine met ], a ] of French-Swiss ] descent stationed at ], at a ball at ]. They were married in a Catholic ceremony in Chandernagore on 10 July 1777,<ref>Shapland</ref> followed by a Protestant ceremony a few hours later.<ref>Joelson, p.29</ref> Exquisitely beautiful and very charming, the new Mrs Grand was well-received by the English ] of Calcutta. The newly-weds took up residence in a house near ] and seemed to have had a happy first year of married life.<ref>Gupta, p.64</ref>
⚫ Catherine Noël Worlée (also spelled Werlée) was born in ], then a town ]. She had both French and Danish heritage.<ref name=":3">Shapland, Pt. I</ref> Both her parents were French Catholics: her father ] was a colonial official stationed at nearby ], and her mother was Laurence Alleigne, daughter of a colonial armourer.<ref>Joelson, p.15</ref> Laurence was Pierre's second wife: in 1744, at the age of 23, he had married Marguerite da Silva, who was aged 14.<ref>Joelson, p.16</ref> Marguerite died after having borne him four children, Catherine's half-siblings.<ref name=":1">Lehuraux, p. 344</ref>


At the time of Catherine's birth, her father was held as a ] of the ] between France and Britain; Catherine's family had escaped to Tranquebar when ] by the British in 1760.<ref>Garnier, p. 559</ref> After his release the family settled in ], a town in French India near Calcutta. She had a basic private education<ref>Garnier, p.562</ref> — taught to read and write by her mother — but she excelled at art, dance, and ].<ref>Joelson, p. 18-19</ref> Her brother, Jean Xavier, was born on 20 September 1766.<ref name=":1" />
⚫ Mrs Grand caught the attention of British colonial official ], member of the ], who was discovered trying to seduce her at her home on the night of 8 December 1778 by her servants.<ref>Joelson, p.57-59</ref> The scandal caused Catherine's husband to send her back to live with her family in Chandernagore, and successfully sued Francis for adultery, receiving 50,000 ] in damages on 6 March, 1779.<ref>Joelson, p.67</ref> Catherine became Francis's mistress soon after.


]
⚫ On 17 August, 1780, Francis was seriously injured in a duel with his political rival ] and decided to leave India. They embarked on separate ships in December 1780<ref>Shapland</ref> — Catherine to Paris to live with her relatives and Francis to London — although they planned to meet later on ].<ref>Joelson, p.81</ref> Once aboard, Catherine began an affair with fellow passenger Thomas Lewin, a handsome and courteous colonial official from ]. Their ship was diverted to ], and the pair arrived together in London by a different ship in the summer of 1781.
=== First marriage ===
Catherine met George François Grand, a ] of French-Swiss ] background stationed at ], at a ball at ], situated upon the banks of the ]. Also spelled Ghyretti House, it was considered "one of the finest buildings in India".<ref>Joelson, p.20</ref> It served as the country house of the French Governors of Chandernagore.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=The Editor's Notebook |url=https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Bengal_Past_Present/RHjrDftBoKkC |journal=Bengal, Past & Present |publisher=Calcutta Historical Society |volume=40 |issue=78-80 |pages=151}}</ref><ref name=":4" />

George Grand was born sometime after 1750, to a Swiss merchant family. He was educated in Lausanne and apprenticed in London, before joining a military cadetship in ] in 1766.<ref name=":4" /> He achieved the rank of captain before resigning from military service in March 1773 owing to illness and returned to England. In 1775, Grand obtained a "writership" (a clerkship at the ]) and sailed again for India, arriving in Bengal via ] in June 1776.<ref name=":4">Shapland, Pt. II</ref> His salary was a respectable 1300 ].<ref>Garnier, p.564</ref> His diary<ref>Grand (1814)</ref>, published in 1814, provides much information about their marriage.<ref name=":4" />

⚫ Despite George being nearly twice Catherine's age, they were married in a Catholic ceremony in Chandernagore on 10 July 1777,<ref name=":3" /> followed by a Protestant ceremony a few hours later.<ref>Joelson, p.29</ref> Exquisitely beautiful and very charming, the new Mrs Grand was well-received by the English ] of Calcutta. The newly-weds took up residence in a house near ] in south Calcutta and seemed to have had a happy first year of married life.<ref>Gupta, p.64</ref>

=== Affair with Philip Francis ===
⚫ Mrs Grand caught the attention of British colonial official ], member of the ], who was discovered trying to seduce her at her home on the night of 8 December 1778 by her servants.<ref>Joelson, pp.57-59</ref> The scandal caused Catherine's husband to send her back to live with her family in Chandernagore, and successfully sued Francis for adultery, receiving 50,000 ] in damages on 6 March, 1779.<ref>Joelson, p.67</ref> Catherine became Francis's mistress soon after.<ref>Busteed, pp. 267–268</ref>

⚫ On 17 August, 1780, Francis was seriously injured in a duel with his political rival ] and decided to leave India. Francis and Catherine embarked on separate ships in December 1780<ref name=":3" /> — Francis to London and Catherine to Paris to live with her relatives — although they planned to meet later on ].<ref>Joelson, p.81</ref> Once aboard, Catherine began an affair with fellow passenger Thomas Lewin, a colonial official from ] and later father of ]. Their ship was diverted to ], and the pair arrived together in London by a different ship in the summer of 1781.<ref>Garnier, pp.568-569</ref>


== Life in Europe == == Life in Europe ==
In 1782 Mrs Grand and Lewin moved to Paris; their affair ended amicably soon after. Mrs Grand restarted her relationship with Phillip Francis, who would rendezvous with her in ] and ] several times. In 1782 Mrs Grand and Lewin moved to Paris; their affair ended amicably soon after. She restarted her relationship with Francis, who would rendezvous with her in ] and ] several times.
=== 1783 portrait === === 1783 portrait ===
]]]
] painted her portrait in 1783, which was exhibited at the ] of the ] the same year as no. 117, one of at least ten portraits Le Brun submitted.'''<ref>Baillio et al., p.90</ref>''' The painting is in the collection of the ], in ].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Madame Grand (Noël Catherine Verlée, 1761–1835) |url=http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437898 |publisher=]}}</ref> The oval painting shows Madame Grand holding a musical score.<ref>Baillio et al., p.90</ref> The work has been exhibited in a variety of shows in more recent history, including the 1939 New York World's Fair, at the ] of Paris in 1974&#x2013;1975 and at the ] in Fort Worth, Texas, in a 1982 showcase of Le Brun's works.<ref name=":0" />
] painted Catherine's portrait in 1783, which was exhibited at the ] of the ] the same year as no. 117, one of at least ten portraits Le Brun submitted.'''<ref name=":2">Baillio et al., p.90</ref>''' The oval painting shows Madame Grand holding a musical score. Her pose, and in particular her eyes, have been compared to ]'s ].<ref name=":2" /> It was favorably received, one of the reviewers remarking on its "{{lang|fr|volupté enchanteresse}}" ("bewitching sensuality").<ref name=":0">Baetjer</ref>

The painting is in the collection of the ], in ]. It has travelled extensively for exhibition, including at the ], twice at the ] of Paris, at the ] in 1989, and various other museums around the world.<ref name=":0" />


=== Parisian courtesan === === Parisian courtesan ===
A beautiful ]e, musical and clever, Catherine became a very fashionable ]. Catherine served as companion to ], ], ], ] and others. In later years, Édouard Colmache would describer thus:<ref>Gupta, p.74</ref> A beautiful ]e, musical and clever, Catherine became a very fashionable ]. Catherine served as companion to ], ], ], ] and others. In later years, Édouard Colmache would describer thus:<ref>Gupta, p.74</ref>


{{Quote|text=''Madame Grand had the kind of beauty which is the rarest and most admired in Europe. She was tall and slight, with that languor in her carriage peculiar to creole ladies; her eyes were well open and affectionate, her features delicate, her golden hair playing in numberless curls, set off a forehead as white as a lily.''|author=|source=}} {{Quote|text=Madame Grand had the kind of beauty which is the rarest and most admired in Europe. She was tall and slight, with that languor in her carriage peculiar to creole ladies; her eyes were well open and affectionate, her features delicate, her golden hair playing in numberless curls, set off a forehead as white as a lily.|author=|source=}}

Catherine fled to Britain in 1792 during the ], but returned to Paris in 1797. In 1798 she was arrested on suspicion of being a ], but was released upon the intervention of French Foreign Minister ].<ref name=":0" /> In a letter to ], Talleyrand describes her as "an Indian, very beautiful, very idle, one of the laziest women I have ever known." <ref name=":2" />


=== Talleyrand and second marriage === === Talleyrand and second marriage ===
] between 1804-1805, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art|250px]]Catherine fled to Britain in 1792 during the ], but returned to Paris in 1797. Her marriage to George François Grand was annulled in 1798 ''in absentia''<ref>Shapland</ref> and Catherine became the mistress of French Foreign Minister ] in the same year. ] between 1804-1805, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art|300x300px]]Catherine's marriage to George François Grand was annulled in 1798 {{lang|la|in absentia}}<ref name=":3" /> and she became Talleyrand's mistress in the same year. The scandal of Talleyrand, a ] former bishop, living together with his concubine<ref>Joelson, p.4</ref> caused ] to issue Talleyrand an ultimatum either marry Catherine or give her up. Concerned that he meant to abandon her, Catherine forced herself into a diplomatic dinner being hosted by Talleyrand and declared their engagement. Talleyrand was too surprised to contradict her.<ref>Joelson, pp.192-193</ref> They were married in a quiet ceremony at ] on 9 September, 1802; Napoleon and ] signed their marriage contract.<ref>Joelson, p.194</ref> After marriage, Catherine's relationship with Talleyrand cooled considerably; however, despite his many infidelities, Talleyrand admired her beauty, her docile nature, and her gracious hosting at their homes at ] and ].<ref>Joelson, p.181–182</ref><ref>Busteed, p.290.</ref>


The marriage did not change Napoleon's contemptuous attitude toward Catherine.<ref>Gupta, p.72</ref> At a reception at the ] soon after her marriage, Napoleon is alleged to have remarked, "I hope that the good conduct of {{lang|fr|]}} Talleyrand will cause the fickleness of Madame Grand to be forgotten." Catherine responded by saying, "In that respect, I cannot do better than to follow the example of {{lang|fr|citoyenne}} Bonaparte".<ref>Charrière de Sévery, pp. 14–15</ref><ref>Busteed, p.294</ref> The implied rebuke ensured that Catherine was rarely invited to Napoleon's court.<ref>Joelson, pp.205-206</ref> Catherine was also disfavoured by ], who found her background as a courtesan repugnant.<ref name=":5" /> He refused to meet her when he attended Napoleon's coronation in 1804, referring to her dismissively as "{{lang|it|questa donna}}" ("this woman").<ref name=":5">Garnier, p.571</ref>
{{Quote|text=''An Indian, very beautiful, very idle, one of the laziest women I have ever known.''|author=Charles de Talleyrand}}


⚫ When Talleyrand was made ] in 1806, Catherine became a princess of Napoleon's ]. In 1808, Napoleon placed the Spanish royal family in the custody of Talleyrand; Catherine was believed to have had a relationship with the Spanish ].<ref>Busteed, p.305</ref> Catherine was with her husband when they welcomed Tsar ] to Paris upon Napoleon's downfall in 1814.
The scandal of Talleyrand, a ] bishop, living together with his concubine<ref>Joelson, p.4</ref> caused ] to issue Talleyrand an ultimatum — either marry Catherine or give her up. Concerned that he meant to abandon her, Catherine forced herself into a diplomatic dinner being hosted by Talleyrand and declared their engagement — Talleyrand was too surprised to contradict her. They were married in a quiet ceremony on 9 September, 1802.<ref>Joelson, p.194</ref> Despite his infidelities, Talleyrand admired her beauty, her docile nature, and her gracious hosting at their homes at ] and ].<ref>Joelson, p.181-182</ref><ref>Busteed, p.290.</ref>


=== Separation and death ===
⚫ After marriage, their relationship cooled considerably. When Talleyrand was made Prince of Benevento in 1806, Catherine became a princess of Napoleon's ]. In 1808, Napoleon placed the Spanish royal family in the custody of Talleyrand. Catherine was believed to have had a relationship with the ]. Madame de Talleyrand was with her husband when they welcomed Tsar ] upon the downfall of Napoleon in 1814.
⚫ From the ] in 1815, Talleyrand took the much younger ] as his mistress and Catherine was banished to London. She returned to France in 1817, and settled into a life of quiet luxury from the income she received from Talleyrand and her own ventures. In her later years, Catherine grew excessively fat and vain of her rank of princess.<ref>Joelson, p.289</ref> She died in Paris on 10 December 1835, and was buried at ].<ref>Busteed, p.315</ref>

⚫ === Later life and death ===
⚫ From the ] in 1815, Talleyrand took the much younger ] as his mistress and Catherine was banished to London. She eventually returned to France in 1817, and settled into a life of quiet luxury from the income she received from Talleyrand and her own ventures. In her later years, Catherine grew excessively fat and vain of her rank of princess.<ref>Joelson, p.289</ref> She died in Paris on 10 December 1835, and was buried at ].


== References == == References ==
{{Commons category|Catherine Grand}} {{Commons category|Catherine Grand}}
⚫ {{Reflist|2}}


=== Bibliography === === Notes ===
{{notelist-num}}
⚫ *{{Cite book |last=Baillio |first=Joseph |url=https://resources.metmuseum.org/resources/metpublications/pdf/Vigee_Le_Brun.pdf |title=Vigée Le Brun |last2=Baetjer |first2=Katharine |last3=Lang |first3=Paul |date=2016 |publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |isbn=978-1-58839-581-8 |edition=1st}}
⚫ * Busteed, H. E. (1908). ''Echoes of Old Calcutta: Being Chiefly Reminiscences of the Days of Warren Hastings.'' London: Thacker, Spink, & Co. (first published 1882).
⚫ * Gupta, Abhijit (2018). "Dangerous Liaisons: Portraits of Two Indians in the Court of Napoleon". ''Trivium: A Multi Disciplinary Journal of Humanities of Chandernagore College'', 2(2), pp. 62–76.
⚫ * {{Cite book |last=Joelson |first=Annette |url=https://archive.org/details/courtesanprinces00joel |title=Courtesan Princess: Catherine Grand, Princess de Tallyrand |date= |publisher=] |year=1965 |edition=1st |location=Philadelphia |pages= |language=EN}}
⚫ * {{Cite web |last=Shapland |first=Lesley |date=2023-08-23 |title=A Scandalous Annotation: the story of Madame Grand |url=https://blogs.bl.uk/untoldlives/2021/05/a-scandalous-annotation-the-story-of-madame-grand.html |website=British Library - Untold lives blog}}


=== Citations ===
⚫ {{Reflist|2}}


=== Sources ===
*{{Cite web |last=Baetjer |first=Katharine |date=2014 |title=Madame Grand (Noël Catherine Vorlée, 1761–1835) |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437898 |access-date=2024-12-10 |website=]}}
⚫ *{{Cite book |last1=Baillio |first1=Joseph |url=https://resources.metmuseum.org/resources/metpublications/pdf/Vigee_Le_Brun.pdf |title=Vigée Le Brun |last2=Baetjer |first2=Katharine |last3=Lang |first3=Paul |date=2016 |publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |isbn=978-1-58839-581-8 |edition=1st}}
⚫ * {{Cite book |last=Busteed |first=H. E. |url=https://archive.org/details/echoesfromoldcal00bustuoft |title=Echoes of Old Calcutta: Being Chiefly Reminiscences of the Days of Warren Hastings |date=1908 |publisher=Thacker, Spink, & Co. |edition=4th |location=London}} (first published 1882)
* {{Cite journal |last=Charrière de Sévery |first=William |date=1925 |title=George-François (-Francis) Grand, premier mari de la princesse de Talleyrand: Quelques lettres de lui écrites de 1802 à 1808 |url=https://www.e-periodica.ch/digbib/view?pid=rhv-001%3A1925%3A33%3A%3A39#39 |journal=Revue historique vaudoise |language=FR |volume=33 |issue=2 |pages=33–47 |via=]}}
* {{Citejournal |last=Garnier |first=Jean-Paul |date=1963-04-15 |title=La Jeunesse Indienne: de la Princesse de Talleyrand |trans-title=The Indian Girl: the Princess de Talleyrand |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44590900 |journal=] |language=FR |pages=558-572 |via=JSTOR}}
* {{Citation |last=Grand |first=George François |title=Narrative of the Life of a Gentleman Long Resident in India |date=1814 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mJheAAAAcAAJ |place=Cape of Good Hope |publisher=G. F. Grand}}
⚫ * {{Cite journal |last=Gupta |first=Abhijit |date=2018-03-31 |title=Dangerous Liaisons: Portraits of Two Indians in the Court of Napoleon |url=https://zenodo.org/records/13826340 |journal=Trivium: A Multi Disciplinary Journal of Humanities of Chandernagore College |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=62–76 |doi=10.5281/zenodo.13826340}}
⚫ * {{Cite book |last=Joelson |first=Annette |url=https://archive.org/details/courtesanprinces00joel |title=Courtesan Princess: Catherine Grand, Princess de Tallyrand |publisher=] |year=1965 |edition=1st |location=Philadelphia |pages= |language=EN}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Lehuraux |first=A. |date=1908 |title=Echoes of Old Chandernagore |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.46794 |journal=Bengal, Past & Present |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=343–431 |via=Internet Archive}}
⚫ * {{Cite web |last=Shapland |first=Lesley |date=2021-05-26 |title=A Scandalous Annotation Part I: the story of Madame Grand |url=https://blogs.bl.uk/untoldlives/2021/05/a-scandalous-annotation-the-story-of-madame-grand.html |access-date=2024-12-10 |website=British Library - Untold Lives}}
* {{Cite web |last=Shapland |first=Lesley |date=2021-06-08 |title=A Scandalous Annotation Part II: George Francis Grand |url=https://blogs.bl.uk/untoldlives/2021/06/a-scandalous-annotation-part-ii-george-francis-grand.html |website=British Library - Untold Lives |access-date=2024-12-10}}
{{Prostitution in France|state=collapsed}} {{Prostitution in France|state=collapsed}}
{{Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun}} {{Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Grand, Catherine}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Grand, Catherine}}
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Latest revision as of 03:26, 13 January 2025

French salon-holder
Catherine Grand
Catherine Noël de Talleyrand-Périgord
1806-07, by Pierre-Paul Prud'hon
BornCatherine Noël Worlée
21 November 1761
Tranquebar, Danish India (now Tamil Nadu, India)
Died10 December 1835 (1835-12-11) (aged 73)
Paris, Kingdom of France
Resting placeMontparnasse Cemetery, Paris
Other namesMadame Grand
Catherine Noël de Talleyrand-Périgord, Princesse de Bénévent
OccupationCourtesan
Spouses
George François Grand ​ ​(m. 1777; ann. 1798)​
Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord ​ ​(m. 1802)​

Catherine Noël de Talleyrand-Périgord (née Grand, née Worlée; 21 November 1761 – 10 December 1835), was a French courtesan and noblewoman. Born in India the daughter of an office of the French East India Company, she married George Grand, an officer of the English Company. She had a scandalous liaison with Bengal councillor Philip Francis in Calcutta.

She relocated to Paris, where she was known as Madame Grand and became a popular courtesan having relationships with several powerful men. She became the mistress and later the wife of French diplomat Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, the first Prime Minister of France. Catherine was known for her exceptional beauty, which was captured in her 1783 portrait by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun. She was Princess of Benevent by marriage from 1806 until her death.

Early life in India

Family and parentage

Catherine Noël Worlée (also spelled Werlée) was born in Tranquebar, then a town under Danish control. She had both French and Danish heritage. Both her parents were French Catholics: her father Pierre Werlée was a colonial official stationed at nearby Pondicherry, and her mother was Laurence Alleigne, daughter of a colonial armourer. Laurence was Pierre's second wife: in 1744, at the age of 23, he had married Marguerite da Silva, who was aged 14. Marguerite died after having borne him four children, Catherine's half-siblings.

At the time of Catherine's birth, her father was held as a prisoner of the Third Carnatic War between France and Britain; Catherine's family had escaped to Tranquebar when Pondicherry was sieged by the British in 1760. After his release the family settled in Chandernagore, a town in French India near Calcutta. She had a basic private education — taught to read and write by her mother — but she excelled at art, dance, and etiquette. Her brother, Jean Xavier, was born on 20 September 1766.

Catherine met her first husband, George Grand, at Ghiretta House
Engraving by James Moffat, Calcutta, 1800

First marriage

Catherine met George François Grand, a British colonial clerk of French-Swiss Huguenot background stationed at Calcutta, at a ball at Ghiretta House, situated upon the banks of the Hooghly River. Also spelled Ghyretti House, it was considered "one of the finest buildings in India". It served as the country house of the French Governors of Chandernagore.

George Grand was born sometime after 1750, to a Swiss merchant family. He was educated in Lausanne and apprenticed in London, before joining a military cadetship in Bengal in 1766. He achieved the rank of captain before resigning from military service in March 1773 owing to illness and returned to England. In 1775, Grand obtained a "writership" (a clerkship at the East India Company) and sailed again for India, arriving in Bengal via Madras in June 1776. His salary was a respectable 1300 rupees. His diary, published in 1814, provides much information about their marriage.

Despite George being nearly twice Catherine's age, they were married in a Catholic ceremony in Chandernagore on 10 July 1777, followed by a Protestant ceremony a few hours later. Exquisitely beautiful and very charming, the new Mrs Grand was well-received by the English ton of Calcutta. The newly-weds took up residence in a house near Alipore in south Calcutta and seemed to have had a happy first year of married life.

Affair with Philip Francis

Mrs Grand caught the attention of British colonial official Philip Francis, member of the Supreme Council of Bengal, who was discovered trying to seduce her at her home on the night of 8 December 1778 by her servants. The scandal caused Catherine's husband to send her back to live with her family in Chandernagore, and successfully sued Francis for adultery, receiving 50,000 rupees in damages on 6 March, 1779. Catherine became Francis's mistress soon after.

On 17 August, 1780, Francis was seriously injured in a duel with his political rival Warren Hastings and decided to leave India. Francis and Catherine embarked on separate ships in December 1780 — Francis to London and Catherine to Paris to live with her relatives — although they planned to meet later on the Continent. Once aboard, Catherine began an affair with fellow passenger Thomas Lewin, a colonial official from Madras and later father of Harriet Grote. Their ship was diverted to Cádiz, and the pair arrived together in London by a different ship in the summer of 1781.

Life in Europe

In 1782 Mrs Grand and Lewin moved to Paris; their affair ended amicably soon after. She restarted her relationship with Francis, who would rendezvous with her in Paris and Spa several times.

1783 portrait

Madame Grand, 1783 portrait by Élisabeth Louise Vigée-Le Brun

Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun painted Catherine's portrait in 1783, which was exhibited at the Parisian Salon of the Royal Academy the same year as no. 117, one of at least ten portraits Le Brun submitted. The oval painting shows Madame Grand holding a musical score. Her pose, and in particular her eyes, have been compared to Domenichino's Saint Cecilia (1618). It was favorably received, one of the reviewers remarking on its "volupté enchanteresse" ("bewitching sensuality").

The painting is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York. It has travelled extensively for exhibition, including at the 1939 New York World's Fair, twice at the Grand Palais of Paris, at the Yokohama Museum of Art in 1989, and various other museums around the world.

Parisian courtesan

A beautiful blonde, musical and clever, Catherine became a very fashionable courtesan. Catherine served as companion to Claude Antoine de Valdec de Lessart, Édouard Dillon, Louis Monneron, François-Auguste Fauveau de Frénilly and others. In later years, Édouard Colmache would describer thus:

Madame Grand had the kind of beauty which is the rarest and most admired in Europe. She was tall and slight, with that languor in her carriage peculiar to creole ladies; her eyes were well open and affectionate, her features delicate, her golden hair playing in numberless curls, set off a forehead as white as a lily.

Catherine fled to Britain in 1792 during the French Revolution, but returned to Paris in 1797. In 1798 she was arrested on suspicion of being a foreign agent, but was released upon the intervention of French Foreign Minister Charles Maurice de Talleyrand. In a letter to Paul Barras, Talleyrand describes her as "an Indian, very beautiful, very idle, one of the laziest women I have ever known."

Talleyrand and second marriage

Catherine painted by François Gérard between 1804-1805, now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Catherine's marriage to George François Grand was annulled in 1798 in absentia and she became Talleyrand's mistress in the same year. The scandal of Talleyrand, a secularized former bishop, living together with his concubine caused Napoleon Bonaparte to issue Talleyrand an ultimatum either marry Catherine or give her up. Concerned that he meant to abandon her, Catherine forced herself into a diplomatic dinner being hosted by Talleyrand and declared their engagement. Talleyrand was too surprised to contradict her. They were married in a quiet ceremony at Neuilly on 9 September, 1802; Napoleon and his wife Joséphine signed their marriage contract. After marriage, Catherine's relationship with Talleyrand cooled considerably; however, despite his many infidelities, Talleyrand admired her beauty, her docile nature, and her gracious hosting at their homes at Hôtel de Galliffet and Château de Valençay.

The marriage did not change Napoleon's contemptuous attitude toward Catherine. At a reception at the Tuileries Palace soon after her marriage, Napoleon is alleged to have remarked, "I hope that the good conduct of citoyen Talleyrand will cause the fickleness of Madame Grand to be forgotten." Catherine responded by saying, "In that respect, I cannot do better than to follow the example of citoyenne Bonaparte". The implied rebuke ensured that Catherine was rarely invited to Napoleon's court. Catherine was also disfavoured by Pope Pius VII, who found her background as a courtesan repugnant. He refused to meet her when he attended Napoleon's coronation in 1804, referring to her dismissively as "questa donna" ("this woman").

When Talleyrand was made Prince of Benevento in 1806, Catherine became a princess of Napoleon's First French Empire. In 1808, Napoleon placed the Spanish royal family in the custody of Talleyrand; Catherine was believed to have had a relationship with the Spanish Duke of San Carlos. Catherine was with her husband when they welcomed Tsar Alexander I of Russia to Paris upon Napoleon's downfall in 1814.

Separation and death

From the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Talleyrand took the much younger Duchess of Dino as his mistress and Catherine was banished to London. She returned to France in 1817, and settled into a life of quiet luxury from the income she received from Talleyrand and her own ventures. In her later years, Catherine grew excessively fat and vain of her rank of princess. She died in Paris on 10 December 1835, and was buried at Montparnasse Cemetery.

References

Notes

  1. Sources variously report her date of birth as 21 November 1761 or 1762; the 1761 date reported by Busteed (1908) p. 231 is used in this article.

Citations

  1. ^ Shapland, Pt. I
  2. Joelson, p.15
  3. Joelson, p.16
  4. ^ Lehuraux, p. 344
  5. Garnier, p. 559
  6. Garnier, p.562
  7. Joelson, p. 18-19
  8. Joelson, p.20
  9. "The Editor's Notebook". Bengal, Past & Present. 40 (78–80). Calcutta Historical Society: 151.
  10. ^ Shapland, Pt. II
  11. Garnier, p.564
  12. Grand (1814)
  13. Joelson, p.29
  14. Gupta, p.64
  15. Joelson, pp.57-59
  16. Joelson, p.67
  17. Busteed, pp. 267–268
  18. Joelson, p.81
  19. Garnier, pp.568-569
  20. ^ Baillio et al., p.90
  21. ^ Baetjer
  22. Gupta, p.74
  23. Joelson, p.4
  24. Joelson, pp.192-193
  25. Joelson, p.194
  26. Joelson, p.181–182
  27. Busteed, p.290.
  28. Gupta, p.72
  29. Charrière de Sévery, pp. 14–15
  30. Busteed, p.294
  31. Joelson, pp.205-206
  32. ^ Garnier, p.571
  33. Busteed, p.305
  34. Joelson, p.289
  35. Busteed, p.315

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