Posted 6 days ago
vintagelamp
(1147 items)
This is a book featuring prints of watercolor paintings of "Incroyables et Merveilleuses." I was fortunate enough to add to my collection and post a small painting of an "Incroyable" previously (see photo #4). I find the story of this group of people fascinating. The following is a description of them from my previous post...
"Incroyables et Merveilleuses" - (Incredibles and marvelous) the slightly smug face of a spoiled rich fashionable Parisian making political statement. Outlandish fashion of the thick cravat and double-breasted short coat in navy blue, high collar, The white cravat with bib, (thick-wrapped cravat - reminder of the neck wounds of the guillotined Royals). The portrait is c.1795-99, An aristocrat in support of Royalty overthrown and beheaded in The Terror. "Mods" in their time. A fashion celebrating excess, riches, these young people scandalized Paris in the days after the execution of Robespierre. The history is wonderful and must be read. The fat cravat is a typical sign of support and memorial to those aristocrats who were overthrown in the French Revolution, late 1700s. So he's somewhere between 1795 to 1799 when the fashion exuberance faded. All the history is so interesting. The rare inclusion of earring and cravat pin raise his "Incroyables" quotient, as well.
Notice the red cravat pin representing blood.
Wow, what a cool book! These guys were the dandies of their era. In 2018 I saw a fantastic exhibition of menswear through the ages at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, it was called Reigning Men, & did feature some “Incroyables” fashion, also that of the “Macaronis”, & all the way through to present day. I think this exhibition traveled from a US gallery collection, can’t recall which.
High fashion comes to town !~
IronLace,
Thank you! I would love to get another "incroyables" painting. The females often wore red shawls to represent blood lost at the guillotine. The whole story is really cool.
PhilDMorris,
For sure! Thank you!