En miroir et sous le masque : Gaston d’Orléans et l’Antiquité dans le spectacle de cour

Abstract

Gaston d’Orléans made his debut in court ballet at a time when the ballet-mascarade was dominant in France. Monsieur seems to have been particularly fond of this genre, which featured grotesque figures ostensibly far removed from the prestige of the antique references that were part of serious court ballet. Yet analysis of the verses written, read or spoken when these grotesque figures appeared onstage reveals that Antiquity was nevertheless present in the background, in the words at least if not visually. The article examines the modalities and the reasons for this ‘Antiquity behind the mask’ with the aim of highlighting the hierarchical superiority of the ancient references used for Louis XIII compared to those used for his younger brother. However, other, more striking, ways of enhancing Monsieur’s status through Antiquity existed in the performances organized by his friend, ally and brother-in-law, Duke Charles IV of Lorraine. The article therefore goes on to show how Charles IV used Antiquity as a mirror to celebrate the triumphs of a prince and ally whom he already considered to be an ‘almost king’, through the curial celebrations organized by the Duke of Lorraine when the prince took refuge in Nancy in 1629 and 1631, and then in Brussels in 1632.

Keywords

• court ballet
• ballet mascarade
• combat at the barrier
• Lorraine
• Nancy
• Callot