Retrato do autor
5 Works 306 Membros 2 Críticas

Obras por Brett Dolman

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Sexo
male

Membros

Críticas

3.5 I just wish there was a bit more in here. A lot of it I knew from just reading some of the plaques at the Tower. Still a good souvenir purchase though.
 
Assinalado
afrozenbookparadise | Apr 22, 2021 |
Peak-a-boo! That’s Nell Gwynn peering from behind the curtains of a bed on the cover of Brett Dolman and Historic Royal Palace’s book about beauty and its possessors at the late Stuart courts. So who would you prefer to be? Lucy Walters (poor girl died before Charles II returned from exile), Barbara Villiers (insatiable for money, men and property), Nell Gwyn (the Protestant whore good people), Louise de Keroualle (the French import), Hortense Mancini (foreign and interested in men and women) or Frances Stuart (the one who wouldn’t but got to be Britannia on our coins). This group were painted by Lely in various states of undress and mythological poses and make up the Windsor Castle beauties.

Their successors were the Hampton Court beauties painted by Kneller at Queen Mary’s behest and it’s like the division between head and heart. The earlier mistresses make sumptuous paintings, established great landed families and acquired material advantage to excess but one can’t forget those poor women did not make it to the top but who fell under the charge of Charles II’s pimp William Chaffinch. Their lives were sordid and they were nameless, penniless and forgotten. The Hampton Court beauties are like the morning after; sober, clothed and rather disdaining the louche party girls of a previous generation for their antics. They appear in their pictures frames like prim, judgemental daughters ticking off their wild free-living permissive mothers and aunts. In effect none of the women had any legal freedom or protection and were all dependent on the indulgence and interest (in the case of Pepys a peeping tom variety) of men for better or worse. And yet there are some things that I want from this book for myself - the sexy Sleeping Shepherd painted by Benedetto Gennari (c. 1680-81) and Queen Mary’s patch box from about 1694.

Nell Gwynn has one of the best comments in the book, and gives the best of impressions of the lewd Charles II when she said of him: ‘He was my friend and allowed me to tell him all my griefs and did like a friend advise me and told me who was my friend and who was not.’ Perhaps that’s really the best we can all hope for from our lovers, husbands or just the kings we occasionally sleep with.
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
Sarahursula | May 23, 2013 |

You May Also Like

Associated Authors

Estatísticas

Obras
5
Membros
306
Popularidade
#76,934
Avaliação
½ 3.4
Críticas
2
ISBN
5

Tabelas & Gráficos