Portraits of the Marquise de Maintenon by Louis Ferdinand Elle II and Pierre Mignard are frequently reproduced in the various factual and fictional biographies of Maintenon, but have only been significantly mentioned by art historians in broader studies of the period or in comparison to other portraits. In this thesis, these portraits will be significantly and singularly addressed in a larger study of Maintenon as patron. Both portraits have connections to events occurring in the life of Maintenon at the time of their creation and can be clearly understood as representations of her intended public identity. In addition, each seems to have an interesting relationship to both negative contemporary criticism of Maintenon and to her subsequent legacy. The chapters are ordered chronologically and each involves a discussion of the meaningful visual elements in each portrait. As the earliest portrait that can be firmly considered part of Maintenon's constructed public identity, Louis Elle's Marquise de Maintenon and her Niece is the focus of the first chapter. An analysis of the many possible layers of meaning within this portrait is discussed in relation to Maintenon's complicated legacy. The second chapter centers upon revealing the original function of Mignard's Marquise de Maintenon as St. Frances of Rome and its relationship to the controversy involving Quietism with which Maintenon was involved at the time of the portrait's creation. In the final chapter, the way in which these portraits influence Maintenon's legacy is analyzed. Finally, in the conclusion, the obstacles involved in the study of representations of Maintenon are discussed and suggestions are made of issues requiring further study.

As a prominent female composer educated at the court of Louis the XIV, Elizabeth-Claude Jacquet de La Guerre already has a notable place in history. Among her compositions are a dozen cantatas based on Biblical texts. As most of her male counterparts primarily composed secular cantatas set to mythological texts, Jacquet de La Guerre’s sacred cantatas stand out as anomalous in the repertoire. Questions arise as to where they were performed and why they were written. The main barrier to this knowledge is the lack of primary sources on her daily life. This study proposes a new methodology to reevaluate Jacquet de La Guerre’s role in developing the French cantata form as a unique genre, further clarify the function and value of her sacred cantatas, and reconsider their place in the canon. Traditional methodologies in historical musicology, though foundational and valuable, by nature obscure relevant insight and appreciation of these works, which defy traditional categorization. To fill in the gaps in primary sources and broaden and deepen our understanding of French sacred cantatas and Jacquet de La Guerre’s work, this study uses Bruno Latour’s Actor-Network Theory, a sociological and philosophical model for describing and assembling information, in combination with Steven Feld’s series of qualitative, ethnographic questions for music evaluation, a sociomusicological and ethnomusicological model introduced in his article “Sound Structure as Social Structure.” In doing so, this study markedly diverges in perspective from traditional musicological and theoretical approaches. The goal of this methodology is to first reexamine Jacquet de La Guerre scholarship as a check for inherited assumptions or unconscious bias in the approach and then proceed with critical inquiry in this fresh space to unpack the function and value of her sacred cantatas. This study sheds light on the relatively rare and currently underperformed sacred cantata form in eighteenth century France, using Jacquet de La Guerre’s sacred cantatas as a case study. It finds that Jacquet de La Guerre’s sacred cantatas were experimental, progressive, and intellectual in form; likely meant for entertainment, edification, and instruction in function; and highly regarded in value. The methodology described and then employed in this study takes considerable strides in reassessing Jacquet de La Guerre’s activity as both a respected intellectual and celebrated composer in early modern France, in highlighting her role in developing the French cantata form, in clarifying the function and value of her sacred cantatas, and in demonstrating how this reassembled knowledge creates more informed and compelling performances of her music. / 2026-09-25T00:00:00Z

The proverbes dramatiques of Carmontelle have been well-studied. This dissertation explores instead the understudied precursors of the genre, the environment out of which it grew, and its earliest three authors. As seventeenth-century France’s first classic salon, the format, attitudes, and activities of the Hôtel de Rambouillet created a template for salons to follow. Within this milieu arose a collective seeking for a raised moral consciousness, improved intellectual prowess, and a forum for the discussion of progressive ideas. These desires also permeated their leisure activities, giving rise to games of wit, including the jeux des proverbes. An investigation of Charles Sorel’s La maison des jeux and these salon games uncovers the earliest incarnation of the proverbe dramatique, the proverbe improvisé, an impromptu play illustrating a proverb. Following a look at the French salon, the jeux des proverbes, and the proverbe improvisé, this dissertation first examines the proverbes dramatiques of Madame de Maintenon, second wife to Louis XIV and founder of the girls’ school Saint-Cyr. Written between 1686 and 1719, her forty Proverbes served as the foundation of the school’s théâtre d’éducation. Through the preparation, performance, and follow-up discussions of these short works, Madame de Maintenon sought to mold the moral values of her students and to prepare them for the lives that they would lead after finishing their studies at Saint-Cyr. Next, this study looks at the first published proverbes dramatiques, those written by Catherine Durand and housed in the Comtesse de Murat’s Le voyage de campagne. Most of the ten Comédies en proverbes showcase moliéresque humor and tend to depict male characters as less intelligent or more flawed than their female counterparts. Finally, this examination ends with the study of four of the proverb plays written by Charles Collé in context with the théâtre de société. These pieces expand the parameters of the genre and boast a licentious nature characteristic of the author’s work and appreciated in the earlier théâtres de société. Extending more than a century, The proverbe dramatique before Carmontelle seeks to offer a better understanding of the creation of the genre, its characteristics, and its connection to French society. / text

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