cahn | Historical Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 45

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Unfortunately, there was then at Berlin a King who pursued one policy only, who deceived his enemies, but not his servants, and who lied without scruple, but never without necessity.

(from The King's Secret - by Duke de Broglie, grand-nephew of the subject of the book, Comte de Broglie, and grandfather of the physicist) )

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From:

mildred_of_midgard

That is a singularly ineffective fig leaf!

From:

selenak

I'll say. Meanwhile, Voltaire's nude statue has a strategically placed bit of robe, not a fig leaf, as a reminder:

From:

mildred_of_midgard

Let us not forget Duke Mazarin*, who chopped off and painted over all the genitalia in the art collection he'd inherited, in the 17th century!

*

cahn and

luzula, not the famous Mazarin, but a nephew of Richelieu who became Duke Mazarin by marrying Mazarin's niece Hortense Mancini.

From:

cahn

Aww, Voltaire!

I have a confession: It wasn't until reading about him in Proud Destiny that I realized I'd always mistakenly assumed he was tall (despite seeing this and other pictures)! I think the actor who played him in the musical was tall, and also apparently I associate him with a tall coworker of mine who has that quality of being willing to do anything for his friends, but also who trolls everyone!

From:

selenak

I never wondered about Voltaire's size, but given that he and Fritz are depicted as about equal in stature in any drawings, engravings and the like showing them both together...