Contemporary copy of ‘Zaïre’ in the hand of Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte of France, produced in the prison du Temple c.1794-1795
Identifiers
CMV:
CMV37385
Repository:
Shelfmark:
Alde, Lot.332, ‘MARIE-THÉRÈSE-CHARLOTTE DE FRANCE (1778-1851) « Madame Royale », fille de Louis XVI et Marie-Antoinette, duchesse d’Angoulême.’
Title:
Contemporary copy of ‘Zaïre’ in the hand of Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte of France, produced in the prison du Temple c.1794-1795
Collection(s):
Related record(s):
No related manuscripts found.
Link to Archive Catalogue:
Link to Digital Resource:
OCLC Number:
Reproductions:
Content
People:
Incipit Diplomatic:
je ne m’attendois pa[?]
Incipit Modernised:
Je ne m’attendois pas
Language(s):
In Voltaire’s Hand:
No
Brief Summary:
Contemporary copy of Zaïre produced by Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte of France, during her imprisonment in the prison du Temple between 1794-1795.
Detailed Summary:
This MS is a copy of Acts One and Two only. It is probable that the princess drew parallels between Lusignan’s fate and her own captivity. After her liberation, engraved words etched into the wallpaper of her antechamber at the prison were found. These read: ‘je désire Zaïre, Alzire, Amenaïde’.
An account of the Princess writing this manuscript survives. Alcide de Beauchesne noted that the guardian of the Temple prison, Gomin, found the Pricess with a copy of Zaire the day after the death of the Dauphin. He writes: ‘elle écrivait, elle avait un livre ouvert sous les yeux ; ce livre c’était un volume du théâtre de Voltaire, et ce qu’elle copiait, c’était la tragédie de Zaïre. Je possède les deux premiers actes de cette tragédie écrits, sous les verrous du Temple, de la main de la jeune Marie-Thérèse’. A letter from Gomin’s widow, Jeanne Madeleine Antoinette Lafontaine, to Alcide de Beauchesne was sold alongside this MS copy of Zaïre in which she bequeaths him several manuscripts including this one.
Keyword(s):
Status:
Physical Description
Material(s):
Extent:
16 ff.
Format:
Dimensions:
Hands:
1
Watermark:
Countermark:
Binding:
The MS is a folio notebook bound with string.
Additional Comments:
There is a large ink stain across f.1r that obscures a large portion of the first ten lines. There is foxing and several minor stains throughout.
Decorations:
Undecorated
Additions:
Marginalia Keywords:
Inclusions:
History
Date:
1794-1795
Ownership:
Owned by Jean-Baptiste Gomin (1757-1841) and Alcide de Beauchesne (1800-1873).
Origin (transcript):
[prison du Temple]
Origin:
Provenance:
The manuscript was kept by guardian of the prison du Temple, Jean-Baptiste Gomin. After his death in 1841, his widow, Jeanne Madeleine Antoinette Lafontaine, bequeathed it, along with several others, to Alcide de Beauchesne, asking him to ‘conserver ce legs comme un souvenir de mon excellent mari’. The MS passed at the Alde sale on 2 April 2025 (Lot. 332) for €4,000.
Bibliography
Bibliography:
OCV Reference:
OCV Manuscript Reference:
Record created by:
Record created on: