Angélique de Froissy

Philippe Angélique de Froissy (1702 – Paris, 15 October 1785) was an illegitimate daughter of Philippe II Charles, duc d'Orléans, the nephew and son-in-law of Louis XIV of France. She was comtesse de Ségur by marriage, and a courtier of Louis XV, her cousin.

Her mother was Christine Antoinette Charlotte Desmares (1682 – 1753), a beautiful actress ("tragedienne") of the Théâtre-Français who was painted by Jean-Baptiste Santerre.

Charlotte Desmares was a niece of Marie Champmeslé and one of the many mistresses of the regent, Philippe d'Orléans, around 1702, the year their daughter was born. Also born in 1702 was another illegitimate child of the duke, Jean Philippe d'Orléans, by a lady-in-waiting, Madame d'Argenton. Angélique's half-brother was legitimised in 1706, whereas Angélique was neither acknowledged nor recognized,[2] although Madame du Prat erroneously states in her memoirs that she was recognized on April 22, 1722, the same day as the abbé de Saint-Albin, another illegitimate son of the Duke of Orléans by his mistress Florence Pellerin.

Madame de Ségur belonged to the inner circle of Louis XV's intimates.[3] She is described as "fresh, white, well made, strong and intoxicating".[4]

She married Henri François, comte de Ségur (1689–1751) at Cagny or Paris on 10 or 12 September 1718. He was the son Henri Joseph, comte de Ségur and Claude Élisabeth Binet.

Called le beau Ségur ("the handsome Ségur"), her husband had been "master of the wardrobe" of the Regent (maître de la garderobe du Régent). He lived in an hôtel in Passy, Paris on a beautiful ten-acre property, which later passed to the Duchess of Valentinois and was named Hôtel de Valentinois after her. (The property is famous for being the residence of Benjamin Franklin for nearly ten years.)[5][6]

They had at least five children:

Angélique died in Paris 1785 at 83 years of age, and was buried at the Église Saint-Eustache, Paris.

Ancestors

References and notes

  1. ^ Her male dancing partner is Nicolas Vleughels. Watteau included himself as the seated musician playing a musette.
  2. ^ Letters Palatine, II, 178 and 542
  3. ^ The Encyclopaedia Britannica, volume 24
  4. ^ Le Carnet, Volume 19
  5. ^ Bulletin de la Société historique d'Auteuil et de Passy, Volume 4
  6. ^ "Le marquis de Ségur, dit le beau Ségur, occupait un des hôtels les plus importants de Passy, qui s'étendait, avec ses annexes, de la rue de l'Annonciation, n° 9, à l'institution des Frères. Cette belle propriété, d'une contenance de dix arpents, passa après lui à la comtesse de Valentinois et en prit le nom."

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