Bas relief erotic hard stone Voltaire and Catherine II
France circa 1900
Rare erotic representation
21,7cm x 18 cm
Catherine the Great of Russia
(Augusta - Sophia - Frederica of Anhalt -Zerbst)
Catherine the Great read the works of Voltaire for 17 years and this is in 1763 she began a correspondence with him.
When Voltaire died in 1778, his niece, Madame Denis, inherited his property. Catherine is then proposed to acquire his library and his manuscripts. Ms. Denis was agreed to sell him. Catherine paid 135,398 pounds for the library containing 6,210 volumes. His library was then sent to St. Petersburg.
On the eve of the Revolution, through the base of Beaumarchais and despite the protests of the Empress, the correspondence between Voltaire and Catherine II is delivered to the public.
These letters tell of a platonic love story that takes the form of philosophical dialogue. True to his cult of great men, Voltaire sanctifies the Empress. After his stinging defeat of Versailles and Berlin, Voltaire took his revenge with St. Petersburg.
In the present covering of Catherine II in exchange receives a priceless gift : the reputation as the protector of the Enlightenment.