It took 152 years, but we finally know the name of the model of Gustave Courbet’s «Origin of the world»
By topffer
@topffer (42156)
France
October 3, 2018 9:47am CST
Sign of our times it was announced on Twitter last week by the French National Library. It had been found last year by Claude Schopp, a specialist of Alexandre Dumas Jr, when he was working on an edition of the Correspondance of Dumas Jr, in a letter to George Sand. A book by Claude Schopp, «The Origin of the world, life of the model» will be available tomorrow in French book shops. All we knew of this famous painting which is now in the Orsay museum is that it was painted in 1866 by Courbet for an Ottoman-Egyptian diplomat, Khalil Bey, who sold his collection of paintings when he left France in 1868.
The tweet gives only a photo of the model and a pdf link to the manuscript of the letter. I found it yesterday when visiting the online web of the National Library.
It is another sign of our times that, if they reported quickly the find, not a media dared to try to transcribe the difficult writing of Dumas Jr. The culture among journalists in France is no more what it used to be.
So, one day before the transcription of Schopp will be available, here a translation of what was writing Dumas to Sand on June 17th 1871 concerning this painting of Courbet, only for myLot :
«(speaking of Courbet)One do not paint with his most delicate and most sonorous brush the inside of Miss Quéniault from the Opera, for the Turk who was hosting there times to times, the whole thing real-life size, and real-life size too two women doing without men.»
The second refers to «The Sleep», also known as «The Two Friends» which is in the Petit-Palais museum, and was also painted for Khalil Bey in 1866. No doubt now, the model of «The Origin of the world» is Constance Quéniaux (1832-1908), a second class dancer of the Paris Opera. Many Opera dancers were improving their wages with the gifts of their lovers, smartly coached in the choice of these lovers by their mothers, but Quéniaux was known to be part of the LGBT community, and telling that she had been the occasional mistress of Khalil Bey is perhaps a slander, although Dumas was knowing well Courbet and Khalil Bey. What is sure is that Khalil Bey, who was a big gambler, gave her a lot of money coming from what he was winning, telling that she was bringing him luck, and now we can add that she accepted to pose for this painting. As Khalil Bey had several paintings of lesbians in his collection, I think it is difficult to conclude, but maybe the book of Claude Schopp will bring something more.
Photo : Constance Quéniaux by Nadar in 1861.
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7 responses
@topffer (42156)
• France
3 Oct 18
"Le Sommeil" is a good painting lost in the Petit Palais among other good paintings from Courbet perhaps more conforming to his style (Proudhon and his children, Young women on the banks of the Seine...). It is a bit "maniéré", which is unusual for Courbet, I suppose he was following the wishes of his backer. What is disturbing in "L'Origine du Monde" is the hyper-realism of the painting, and Dumas, who was also a collector, was right to speak of his "most delicate and most sonorous brush" about it, it is a great Courbet.
3 people like this
@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
3 Oct 18
A great discovery for the art World
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@topffer (42156)
• France
3 Oct 18
This is an interesting discovery, kind of thing that you would have thought lost forever. Dumas Jr was writing like a pig (or like a writer
), the edition of the Correspondence of George Sand had already published this letter, but the editor read "interview" instead of "intérieur/inside", making the identification of the painting impossible. It is a proof that checking on the original is indispensable.
), the edition of the Correspondence of George Sand had already published this letter, but the editor read "interview" instead of "intérieur/inside", making the identification of the painting impossible. It is a proof that checking on the original is indispensable.2 people like this
@cupkitties (7421)
• United States
6 Oct 18
*Looks up image*
*clears search history*
*clears search history*1 person likes this
@cupkitties (7421)
• United States
6 Oct 18
@topffer Nope first time learning of it.
Bit harsh of FB to deactivate him over that one image
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
6 Oct 18
@cupkitties Facebook battled during 7 years to not have the trial judged in France but in USA, they finally lost, and any French may now sue FB in France, thanks to this painting.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
6 Oct 18
You had never heard of this painting before ? Facebook lost partly a trial in France to have de-activated the account of an art teacher who had posted it.
The Paris Court ruled that censoring Gustave Courbet painting on Facebook activates the right of French users to sue Facebook
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@much2say (53958)
• Los Angeles, California
11 Oct 18
Scandalous back then, scandalous still 
. I know the painting, the mystery, and the painter - but I didn't know much about the cast of players involved in the controversy. As I do not know much about opera dancers either, is this Constance Quéniaux "famous"? Well I guess she is now .
. I know the painting, the mystery, and the painter - but I didn't know much about the cast of players involved in the controversy. As I do not know much about opera dancers either, is this Constance Quéniaux "famous"? Well I guess she is now .1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
12 Oct 18
Not that scandalous today, although 20 years ago it created a controversy when they put it in Orsay in a room with no warning preventing to enter with children. They have modified the exhibition of Courbet's paintings this year. He had a large room with a high cellar because of the size of some of his paintings (The Burial at Ornans and The Studio of the painter) ; they are now in a hall near the rooms of temporary exhibitions, and the rest is in a smaller room, including The Origin of the world.
I collected 19th C books and newspapers during 30 years and I was knowing the name. Constance Quéniaux was a minor dancer. She was old when she entered in the Paris Opera (14, maybe Claude Schopp found where she studied dance before, as you do not start classical dance at 14 but at 7 or 8) and has never been famous, but a few articles gave her name. The French Wikipedia has just created a page for her because of this discovery ; she is now famous for a part of her anatomy.
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@much2say (53958)
• Los Angeles, California
15 Oct 18
@topffer It would be scandalous to the prudes here 
. Not only the anatomy, but the pose of it (I can only imagine how it had been for that time!). I hadn't realized people were using it as an avatar on FB - well, I think they were reported and taken down.
I just took a peek at the translated wiki page. I suppose not much else is known about her? Not sure that I would want to be famous for that .
. Not only the anatomy, but the pose of it (I can only imagine how it had been for that time!). I hadn't realized people were using it as an avatar on FB - well, I think they were reported and taken down.
I just took a peek at the translated wiki page. I suppose not much else is known about her? Not sure that I would want to be famous for that .1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
16 Oct 18
@much2say We never had a queen Victoria in France, the mid 19th C was more prude that the beginning of the century, but never at the same level than British, the prince of Wales was crossing the Channel to see can-can dancers.
As Claude Schopp wrote a full book on her life, I suppose he found a lot more. To have worked on a couple of 19th C writers, I know that you can find a lot more on them than on people living today. There are masses of letters still existing ; everything was written during the 19th C, it was a century of paper.
.
As Claude Schopp wrote a full book on her life, I suppose he found a lot more. To have worked on a couple of 19th C writers, I know that you can find a lot more on them than on people living today. There are masses of letters still existing ; everything was written during the 19th C, it was a century of paper.1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
3 Oct 18
I saw the news only yesterday on the National Library web where I will go next Monday for something else than this important discovery. But I read the letter by curiosity, and looked at a few newspapers. I collected 19th C books and newspapers during 30 years and knew who was Constance Quéniaux, but I do not think she would have deserved a biography if her p*ssy had not posed for Courbet. A weird way to become famous.
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@topffer (42156)
• France
3 Oct 18
@pgntwo You need to visit the Petit Palais next time you go to Paris. First, it is not "petit" but large ; second it has many major 19th C paintings and sculptures ; third the entrance to the permanent collections is free like for all the museums owned by the city. And, cherry on the cake, there is a beautiful round garden where you can have a coffee under a gallery during your visit
.
.1 person likes this
.@topffer (42156)
• France
5 Oct 18
It is anecdotal, and a bit surprising as one would have thought that this news was lost forever ; it would be the case today where Sand and Dumas would text or email each other, but the 19th C was a century where everything was put on paper. I was knowing her a bit to have collected 19th C newspapers during 30 years. I do not think she would have deserved a biography as an Opera dancer, but I have not read the book of Claude Schopp yet.
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Are you likely to read it even if you could?
@jobelbojel (34729)
• Philippines
6 Oct 18
She is a lovely lady. She looks at the painter as if "make sure that I will look beautiful"
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@topffer (42156)
• France
6 Oct 18
Yes, she seems to smile on the photo, it was not easy at a time where you still had to hold the pose a bit.
Nadar was a famous photograph and cartoonist, not a painter. He did the first underground (in the catacombs of Paris) and aerial (from a balloon) photos.
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