#connoisseurs

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

Hanns Kurth - Guida Allo Studio Del Carattere - Euroclub/Varia Club - 1985 (cover photo by The Image Bank agency)

[100gayicons]

Charles de Noailles, the son of a French prince, was a wealthy man who married the already financially independent Marie-Laure in 1923. Reports suggest that Marie-Laure was devoted to Charles.

In addition to their homes in Paris and the French countryside, they also owned properties in New York City and Key West. They maintained a formal living style and, after the birth of their second child, kept separate bedrooms. Despite living in the same house, they communicated through telephone calls or leaving letters for each other under a door. Charles was an avid fitness enthusiast and often spent hours lying in the sun to achieve a deep tan.

Charles and Marie-Laure were also art connoisseurs, particularly interested in avant-garde art. They collected works by artists like Max Ernst, Man Ray, and Piet Mondrian. They also financially supported films by Man Ray, Salvador Dalí, and Luis Buñuel.

Alexis von Rosenberg, a close friend and confidante of Marie-Laure, once asked her if Charles preferred men or women. Marie-Laure’s response was, “Charles? He likes flowers.” However, Charles was actually attracted to men. Early in their marriage, Marie-Laure unexpectedly entered Charles’ bedroom and found him in bed with his attractive gym instructor.

This incident may have contributed to their later formal living arrangement. It also gave Marie-Laure the freedom to pursue romantic relationships with her own kind, including director Jean Cocteau, composer Igor Markevitch, and surrealist painter Óscar Domínguez.

Charles and Marie-Laure remained together until her death in 1970. Charles passed away in 1989.

[nobeerreviews]

There are connoisseurs of blue just as there are connoisseurs of wine.

-- Sidonie Gabrielle Colette

[fieriframes]

[What, about 350, 325? Cats are connoisseurs of comfort. We cook at a very different temperature.]

[thepaintedchateau]

...taste the secrets of a connoisseur....

[1five1two]

Cats are connoisseurs of comfort.

James Herriot

[deardenmarkdiary]

The villainous connoisseurs never returned with an answer. Another revenge plot down the drain.