Leaf: engravings, retouched.
Frame: mother-of-pearl, carving, engraving, gilding.
The leaf depicts Moliere reading “Tartuffe” in the salon of Ninon de Lenclos, based on the painting of the same name by the French artist Nicolas-Andre Monciau (1754-1837).
In 1664, Moliere read his “Tartuffe” for the first time to a select circle of friends and patrons at the home of Ninon de Lenclos in Paris. This legendary reading was attended by the leading intellectuals of the age of Louis XIV, including Jean Racine, Jean de La Fontaine, Nicolas Bouhalo and Pierre Corneille.
On the leaf, the reading takes place against the backdrop of the Palace of Versailles and its grounds; however, following the premiere of “Tartuffe” at a festival in Versailles, the play was banned for many years and was only staged in the theatre after several revisions.
The other side of the leaf depicts “The Triumph of Amphitrite”. The goddess, surrounded by nymphs and cupids, crosses the water’s surface in seashell.
