Apollonie Sabatier | |
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| Born | Aglaé Joséphine Savatier (1822-04-08)8 April 1822 Mézières, France |
| Died | 3 January 1890(1890-01-03) (aged 67) Neuilly-sur-Seine, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Other names | La Présidente |
| Occupation(s) | Courtesan, salon hostess,artist's model |
Apollonie Sabatier (bornAglaé Joséphine Savatier;[2] 8 April 1822[3] – 3 January 1890)[4] was a French entertainer, artist's model andcourtesan, who became a salon hostess andbohemianmuse to many of the French artists of 1850sParis.
Aglaé Joséphine Savatier was born inMézières. Her mother was Marguerite Martin[5] who worked as a laundress for Count Louis Harmand d'Abancourt, Aglaé's biological father. The count arranged after Aglaé's birth that army sergeant André Savatier,[6] who was stationed near the village, become her stepfather. Martin and Savatier were married in Paris on 27 October 1825.
The family moved to Paris, where Aglaé started singing at theOpéra Garnier after school. She changed her name to Apollonie[7] and became apainter's model and posed for the statueFemme piquée par un serpent (1847) byAuguste Clésinger which is currently on display at theMusée d'Orsay. This image caused a scandal at the Salon of 1847 and made sculptor and model famous. The piece was commissioned by Belgian tycoonAlfred Mosselman, who was Sabatier's lover. The brass snake was hastily added prior to exhibition.[8]
Sabatier hosted asalon in Paris on Rue Frochot,[9] near thePlace Pigalle, where she met nearly all of the French artists of her time, such asGérard de Nerval,Nina de Villard,Arsène Houssaye,Edmond Richard,Gustave Flaubert,Louis Bouilhet,Maxime du Camp,Gustave Ricard,Judith Gautier, daughter of Théophile;Ernest Feydeau, father ofGeorges Feydeau,Hector Berlioz,Paul de Saint-Victor,Alfred de Musset,Henry Monnier,Victor Hugo,Ernest Meissonnier,Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve,Charles Jalabert,Ernesta Grisi,Gustave Doré, the musicianErnest Reyer,James Pradier,Auguste Préault,Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly,Auguste Clésinger andÉdouard Manet.[6][8]
Gustave Flaubert,Théophile Gautier and some others have written articles about her and she was one of four women (Caroline,Jeanne Duval, herself and Marie Daubrun) who inspiredCharles Baudelaire's famous workLes Fleurs du Mal. Sabatier and Baudelaire were lovers from 1857 to 1862.[10]Edmond de Goncourt was the first to nickname SabatierLa Présidente.[9] A term used by Gautier in hisLettre à la Présidente, which was published in print in 1890.[11]
One of her contemporaries described Sabatier as: "quite tall and well-proportioned and had very narrow joints and beautiful hands. Her hair was soft as silk, chestnut, and seemed to flatter itself in full waves with a golden sparkle around her head. Her skin was smooth and flawless, her features were regular, she had a small mouth, ready to laugh, and something scanty and witty, but above all she distinguished herself by a haze of triumph that seemed to envelop her like a halo of happiness. She dressed with a lot of taste and fantasy. She did not follow fashion closely, but created her own style. Great artists who frequented her Sunday meetings gave her advice and drew models for her".[8]
InGustave Courbet's 1855 paintingL'Atelier du peintre she is said to be shown together with her longtime lover,Alfred Mosselman. After his death she was the longtime mistress to art collector and donor to theWallace fountains,Sir Richard Wallace, 1st Baronet.[12]
She also entered works for the Paris Salon, and was among the artists rejected from the 1863 exhibition who chose to show their works in theSalon des Refusés[8] (Miniatures, Nos. 503-505).
Sabatier died frominfluenza[6] atNeuilly-sur-Seine on 3 January 1890.[4]
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