Comtesse Élisabeth de Greffulhe (1860–1952)
Madame de Greffulhe (Marie Anatole Louise Élisabeth Greffulhe, née de Riquet de Caraman-Chimay), one of the inspirations for the Duchess de Guermantes and Proust’s “muse,” was a Parisian society beauty and patron of the arts, whose salon gathered the crème de la crème of the Belle Époque – from artists to politicians.
Élisabeth was born into the princely Caraman-Chimay family of the Belgian nobility. Her father was Prince Joseph de Riquet de Caraman-Chimay, and her mother was Marie de Montesquiou-Fezensac. At the age of seventeen, she married Comte Henri de Greffulhe. Though wealthy and ambitious, he was also jealous and controlling, and their marriage was difficult. They had one daughter, Élaine Greffulhe, who later became Duchess de Caraman-Chimay.
Comtesse de Greffulhe’s salon brought together artists, scientists, politicians, and writers of her time. Around her grew something close to a cult: she was celebrated for her extraordinary beauty, sociability, dazzling presence, and refined sense of dress. Her portraits – particularly Paul Nadar’s photographs and Antonio de La Gandara’s paintings – made her a symbol of style and elegance.
Proust first met her at a reception hosted by Princess de Wagram in July 1893. Much like the Duchess de Guermantes in his novel, Greffulhe’s lofty, almost mythical public image, combined with her cold reserve, gave Proust the impression of a beautiful but unattainable ideal. Immediately after seeing her, he wrote to Montesquiou, her cousin, that he had “never seen such a beautiful woman.” Yet this was an admiration steeped in aesthetics rather than an emotionally charged infatuation – unlike his passionate attachment to Comtesse de Chevigné.
In a draft article (The Salon of the Comtesse Greffulhe, c. 1902–1903), which Proust sent her for approval, he described her “gem-like, mineral-beautiful eyes,” which – “as soon as she smiles at the arrival of a friend – seem almost to become immaterial, radiating a noble gentleness, a mysterious, translucent charm such as only the stars can convey.” The Comtesse’s response to her admirer was polite but reserved. Fearing her husband’s disapproval (he disliked unnecessary publicity), she “forgot” the article in a drawer. Their correspondence remained infrequent.
Although Élisabeth was surrounded by what might seem like superficial worship of her beauty, she was intelligent, cultivated, and ambitious. She supported scientists such as Marie Curie and Édouard Branly, as well as composers and writers. She was involved in bringing Richard Wagner’s operas to France and supported, for example, Gabriel Fauré, who composed music for her. She often wore creations by Charles Frederick Worth and later by Jeanne Lanvin. Her wardrobe and photographs have been preserved and are now part of the collections of the Palais Galliera (the Paris fashion museum).
During the First World War, the Comtesse directed the Œuvre d’assistance aux convalescents militaires (Organization for the Assistance of Military Convalescents), which cared for wounded and sick soldiers who had received initial treatment but were not yet ready to return to the front. She also served as president of the Union de France in Belgium and the Allied countries; the organization hosted events such as the gala at the Paris Opera on December 9, 1915, in aid of the Belgian Red Cross.* She lived to be over ninety, surviving through both World Wars, but gradually withdrew from public life.
Sources:
Corr., XI, p.344 (171).
Lettres 2022, pp.271,508,554,1235.
Cossé-Brissac, A. de, La Comtesse Greffulhe, Perrin, 1991, p.189.
Hillerin, Laure, La comtesse Greffulhe à l’ombre des Guermantes. Paris: Editions Flammarion, 2014.
Proust, Marcel, Lettres à Reynaldo Hahn, ed. P. Kolb, Gallimard, 1956, pp.88-92.
Tadié 2000, pp.163,316-320.337.
Painter 1971, Vol. I, pp.142,145-150,152.
Weber 2018, p.582.
*Bernard, Alice, « Le grand monde parisien à l’épreuve de la Guerre. » In Vingtième Siècle. Revue d’histoire 2008/3 n° 99. Presses de Sciences Po, 24.
Photo: Paul Nadar 1895. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Digitally colourised print. Public Domain.