Apollonie Sabatier (born Aglaé Joséphine Savatier; 8 April 1822 – 3 January 1890) was a French entertainer, artist's model and courtesan, who became a salon hostess and bohemian

muse In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...

to many of the French artists of 1850s

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Biography

Aglaé Joséphine Savatier was born in Mézières. Her mother was Marguerite Martin who worked as a laundress for Count Louis Harmand d'Abancourt, Aglaé's biological father. The count arranged after Aglaé's birth that army sergeant André Savatier, who was stationed near the village, become her stepfather. Martin and Savatier were married in Paris on 27 October 1825. The family moved to Paris, where Aglaé started singing at the Opéra Garnier after school. She changed her name to Apollonie and became a painter's model and posed for the statue '' Femme piquée par un serpent'' (1847) by Auguste Clésinger which is currently on display at the

Musée d'Orsay The Musée d'Orsay ( , , ) () is a museum in Paris, France, on the Rive Gauche, Left Bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts railway station built from 1898 to 1900. The museum holds mai ...

. This image caused a scandal at the Salon of 1847 and made sculptor and model famous. The piece was commissioned by Belgian tycoon Alfred Mosselman, who was Sabatier's lover. The brass snake was hastily added prior to exhibition.

Salon

Sabatier hosted a

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

in Paris on Rue Frochot, near the Place Pigalle, where she met nearly all of the French artists of her time, such as

Gérard de Nerval Gérard de Nerval (; 22 May 1808 – 26 January 1855), the pen name of the French writer, poet, and translator Gérard Labrunie, was a French essayist, poet, translator, and travel writer. He was a major figure during the era of French romantici ...

, Nina de Villard, Arsène Houssaye, Edmond Richard,

Gustave Flaubert Gustave Flaubert ( , ; ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. He has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country and abroad. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flaubert, realis ...

, Louis Bouilhet, Maxime du Camp, Gustave Ricard, Judith Gautier, daughter of Théophile; Ernest Feydeau, father of Georges Feydeau,

Hector Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...

, Paul de Saint-Victor, Alfred de Musset, Henry Monnier,

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

, Ernest Meissonnier,

Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve (; 23 December 1804 – 13 October 1869) was a French literary critic. Early life He was born in Boulogne, educated there, and studied medicine at the Collège Charlemagne in Paris (1824–27). In 1828, he se ...

, Charles Jalabert, Ernesta Grisi,

Gustave Doré Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré ( , , ; 6January 1832 – 23January 1883) was a French printmaker, illustrator, painter, comics artist, caricaturist, and sculptor. He is best known for his prolific output of wood-engravings illustrati ...

, the musician Ernest Reyer, James Pradier, Auguste Préault, Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly, Auguste Clésinger and

Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French Modernism, modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism (art movement), R ...

Théophile Gautier Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier ( , ; 30 August 1811 – 23 October 1872) was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and art and literary critic. While an ardent defender of Romanticism, Gautier's work is difficult to classify and rema ...

and some others have written articles about her and she was one of four women (Caroline,

Jeanne Duval Jeanne Duval (; -1870s) was a French-born actress and courtesan of French and Caribbean descent. She was a key muse and longtime, tumultuous partner of poet and art critic Charles Baudelaire, with whom she had an on-and-off-again relationship sp ...

, herself and Marie Daubrun) who inspired

Charles Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet, essayist, translator and art critic. His poems are described as exhibiting mastery of rhythm and rhyme, containing an exoticism inherited from the Romantics ...

's famous work '' Les Fleurs du Mal''. Sabatier and Baudelaire were lovers from 1857 to 1862. Edmond de Goncourt was the first to nickname Sabatier ''La Présidente''. A term used by Gautier in his ''Lettre à la Présidente'', which was published in print in 1890. One of her contemporaries described Sabatier as: "quite tall and well-proportioned and had very narrow joints and beautiful hands. Her hair was soft as silk, chestnut, and seemed to flatter itself in full waves with a golden sparkle around her head. Her skin was smooth and flawless, her features were regular, she had a small mouth, ready to laugh, and something scanty and witty, but above all she distinguished herself by a haze of triumph that seemed to envelop her like a halo of happiness. She dressed with a lot of taste and fantasy. She did not follow fashion closely, but created her own style. Great artists who frequented her Sunday meetings gave her advice and drew models for her". In

Gustave Courbet Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet ( ; ; ; 10 June 1819 – 31 December 1877) was a French painter who led the Realism movement in 19th-century French painting. Committed to painting only what he could see, he rejected academic convention and the ...

's 1855 painting '' L'Atelier du peintre'' she is said to be shown together with her longtime lover, Alfred Mosselman. After his death she was the longtime mistress to art collector and donor to the Wallace fountains, Sir Richard Wallace, 1st Baronet. She also entered works for the Paris Salon, and was among the artists rejected from the 1863 exhibition who chose to show their works in the

Salon des Refusés The Salon des Refusés, French for "exhibition of rejects" (), is generally known as an exhibition of works rejected by the jury of the official Paris Salon, but the term is most famously used to refer to the Salon des Refusés of 1863. Today, ...

(Miniatures, Nos. 503-505). Sabatier died from

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...

on 3 January 1890.

Gallery

File:Étienne Carjat, Portrait of Charles Baudelaire, circa 1862.jpg, Charles Baudelaire Image:Jean-Baptiste Clésinger dit Auguste, 1814-1883.jpg, Auguste Clésinger Image:Alfred Mosselman (1810-1867).jpg, Alfred Mosselman Image:Sir Richard Wallace.jpg, Sir Richard Wallace

References

Bibliography

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External links

''Woman Bitten by a Snake'' by Auguste Clésinger
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabatier, Apollonie French artists' models Courtesans from Paris 1822 births 1890 deaths French salon-holders 19th-century French painters Muses (persons)