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| Don Garzia de' Medici, by Bronzino, circa 1550. (Detail.) |
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| Portrait of a Boy with a Falcon, by Wallerant Vaillant, circa 1650-70. |
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| The Prince of the Asturias, future Luis I of Spain, by Michel-Ange Houasse, 1717. |
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| Unknown, 1831. (The painting is signed, but the signature is indecipherable.) |
ReplyDeleteLooking at the beautiful canvas of that august and young Spanish prince with the beautiful shoes with red heels, I was reminded of something I read long ago about Thomas Jefferson.
When Ambassador Thomas Jefferson returned from Paris, he brought a trunk full of the finest clothes a man could have at that time. His old friends and colleagues, seeing him again for the first time could not believe their eyes.
Here was Jefferson, looking absolutely dashing in his beautiful outfits, wearing make up (at that time men wore white powder on their faces, rouge on their cheeks and on their lips. But most incredible of all, Jefferson had the nerve to wear black patent leather shoes with RED heels! That being, of course an exclusive privilege reserved only for the nobility.
John Adams, always "outspoken" (and jealous) asked him point blank what did he think he was, dressed in such a manner, in his own country, that young and democratic republic.
But his true friends however (among them President Washington) were very happy to see the former inconsolable widower had found again joy in life.
During his time as head of the U.S. legation in Paris, Jefferson was the most popular and the handsomest ambassador to the court of Louis XVI.
Looking at the beautiful canvas of that august and young Prince of Asturias, with the beautiful shoes with red heels, I was reminded of something I read long ago about Thomas Jefferson.
When Ambassador Thomas Jefferson returned from Paris, he brought a trunk full of the finest clothes a man could have at that time. His old friends and colleagues, seeing him again for the first time could not believe their eyes.
Here was Jefferson, looking absolutely dashing in his beautiful outfits, wearing make up (at that time men wore white powder on their faces, rouge on their cheeks and on their lips.) But most incredible of all, Jefferson had the nerve to wear black patent leather shoes with RED heels! That being, of course an exclusive privilege reserved only for the nobility in France.
John Adams, always "outspoken" (and jealous) asked him point blank what did he think he was, dressed in such a manner, in his own country, the young and democratic republic.
But his true friends however (among them President Washington) were very happy to see the former inconsolable widower had found joy in life again.
During his time as head of the U.S. legation in Paris, Jefferson was the most popular and the handsomest ambassador to the court of Louis XVI.
Thank you, Stephen for this marvelous blog of yours.