CHEVALIER D’ÉON, Charles-Geneviève de Beaumont (1728-1810) - Foto 1

CHEVALIER D’ÉON, Charles-Geneviève de Beaumont (1728-1810)

Los 72
12.07.2023 00:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Verkauft
£ 5 670
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
VeranstaltungsortVereinigtes Königreich, London
Aufgeldsee on Website%
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ID 993315
Los 72 | CHEVALIER D’ÉON, Charles-Geneviève de Beaumont (1728-1810)
Schätzwert
£ 5 000 – 8 000
CHEVALIER D’ÉON, Charles-Geneviève de Beaumont (1728-1810)

20 autograph letters to Colonel and Mrs John Tynte, 1791-1809, and related financial documents.

20 autograph letters, all but one signed (‘La Ch.re D’Eon’, ‘Genevieve D’Eon’, 'Charlotte-Genevieve-Louise D'Eon' and ‘D’), London and 'the countryside', 1791-1809 and n.d., comprising: 13 to Colonel John Kemys Tynte [formerly Captain John Johnson] (‘Mr Tynte’), 9 January 1791-12 January 1804; and seven to Mrs Tynte, 14 June 1798-5 June 1809; along with a copy letter to Miss Tynte, 23 April 1803. In French. c. 32 pages in total, various sizes;

[and:] one letter to [Colonel Tynte] ('Monsieur') from an unidentified correspondent ('Martin'), Paris, 29 April 1767, with an endorsement signed ‘W. Wolff’ and dated 6 May 1767, relating to two bills of exchange (for £264, 11 shillings and eightpence and £263, 10 shillings and 10 pence respectively) made out to the Chevalier [together in an envelope with:] a receipt signed by 'W. Wolff' and the Chevalier (‘Le Chev. D’Eon’), London, 9 March 1767, confirming payment of the second sum by 'Le Capitaine Johnson'. In French, three pages in total; [and:] bond document for the sum of £2,000 signed by the Chevalier (‘La Ch.re D’Eon de Beaumont’) and John Kemys Tynte [the obligors] and Samuel Robert Gaussen 'of Brookmans Park' [the obligee; his signed endorsement testifying to receipt of funds on 25 February 1799], 15 August 1789. In English, part printed, one page; [and:] receipt for the deposit of a letter of exchange with John Tynte signed ‘La Ch.re D’Eon’, London, 22 November 1790. In French, one page (in two pieces); [and:] a cut signature (‘Mlle D’Eon’). 26 items in total.



Provenance: By descent to Charles John Halswell Kemeys-Tynte, 9th Baron Wharton (1908-1969); the envelope containing two documents relating to bills of exchange is annotated 'Two letters from Louis 15th King of France to my Gt. Gd. Father in reference to D'Eon' and signed 'C K-T' (presumably the 9th Baron Wharton or his father, the 8th Baron). Given by the 9th Baron to - Major Malcolm Munthe (1910-1995), soldier, writer, curator - from whom acquired by the present owner.



Letters written in later life by the extraordinary Chevalier d’Éon, then living as a woman in 18th-century England, a political exile of the French state. Writing of their disenchantment with the French Revolution, their financial struggles, and Christian faith. 'I cannot yet express all the gratitude I owe you for so long': repeated throughout the Chevalier d’Éon's letters to the Tynte family are similar warm professions, thanking Colonel Tynte - Captain John Johnson, before the inheritance of his title - and his wife for their friendship and protection across the years. Yet amidst the kind words and numerous replies to dinner invitations is evidence of more solemn preoccupations. The Chevalier’s financial woes during their exile in England are evident: in 1803, d’Éon emphasises that all efforts have been made to claim money to repay Mr Gaussen - the same obligee named in the 1789 bond included in this lot - lamenting that 'without the succession of Revolutions in France', this would have already happened. The political situation in France continues to occupy their thoughts in exile; an undated letter, marked only 'Ce jeudi soir', is written in turmoil: ‘I am so distressed, my dear friend, by all that has happened, that I am astounded. If you can come and see me tomorrow morning, I will give you the little detail I know for sure. It shall happen as it pleases God, He who holds in His hand the hearts of men and even the crowns of Kings, knows better than we do what suits us for His great glory’. In April 1793, shortly after the execution of Louis XVI, d’Éon still hopes for the continuation of the monarchy, writing hastily to Colonel Tynte: 'Louis XVII is proclaimed King, the Queen proclaimed Regent. God be praised!'. Later that year, the Chevalier expresses a wish to play a role in 'negotiating long-lasting peace between France and England'. Five years on, however, and d’Éon is bitterly disappointed in this hope: 'Far from an ungrateful and cruel Motherland, deprived of my pension and my patrimony. Our famous Revolution should have made us all happy and it has made us all unhappy! Worthy fruits of the beautiful garden of a blind Philosophy which tore the true God from our hearts, to plant the Gods of Egypt'.



After distinguished service as a diplomat in Russia at the court of the Empress Elizabeth and as a captain of Dragoons during the Seven Years War, the Chevalier D’Éon first came to Britain in 1762 with the French diplomatic mission tasked with negotiating a treaty between the warring countries. The Duc de Nivernois, sent as ambassador to Britain, was unaware that his secretary had been for some years a member of le Secret du Roi, the shadowy espionage organisation reporting directly to Louis XV, and was working in parallel to his peace mission, gathering information for a potential invasion of England. Awarded the prestigious Croix de of Saint-Louis for his efforts, the Chevalier nevertheless refused to return to France when recalled, instead publishing secret correspondence that revealed French ministerial corruption and blackmailing the French King by threatening to disclose further secret information about the French invasion plans. At first, an uneasy stalemate ensued – the Chevalier remained in London, in the unofficial employ of Louis XV – but following the death of the King in 1774 and the failure of Louis XVI’s agent, none other than Pierre de Beaumarchais, to bring the Chevalier back to France and into the fold, the new King of France took unprecedented action to guarantee their silence: in 1776, Louis XVI offered the Chevalier an official pension on the condition that they should henceforth dress as a woman. This command – designed to put an effective end to the political career of the Chevalier and neutralise any threat they might pose – was likely inspired by the rumour, which had circulated for years in London, that the Chevalier had been born a woman, speculation apparently encouraged by d’Éon. The Chevalier reputedly attended cross-dressing balls during their diplomatic mission to Russia, later claiming to have passed convincingly as a woman at the Russian court to gain access to the Empress Elizabeth, and bought corsets while living as a man in London. For some years beforehand, British newspapers, pamphleteers and satirical printmakers had speculated salaciously as to the biological sex of the Chevalier and, by May 1771, £60,000 is said to have been wagered with the bookmakers on the question. The Chevalier returned to France – as a woman – in 1777 a celebrated public figure and was promptly banished; in 1785, they were allowed to return to England, where a new female identity brought even greater fame. The Chevalier forged a career performing fencing demonstrations – popular prints show d’Éon fencing in a black dress – and lurid speculation about their sex (which went as far as a court trial) gave way to widespread acceptance of d’Éon as a woman by London society. A lack of feminine ‘delicacy’ notwithstanding, the Chevalier was upheld by feminists such as Mary Robinson and Mary Wollstonecraft as a shining example of ‘female fortitude’ to which British women might aspire. In spite of this, d’Éon’s later years in London were marked by financial difficulties and a final disillusionment with French politics: despite initial enthusiasm for the French Revolution, d’Éon distanced themselves from the cause following the executions of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, and their pension was abolished under the new Revolutionary government.

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