Reception of French 17th and 18th century paintings in “The Artificial Princess” by Ronald Firbank

Abstract

   The article studies the intermedial problem of the reception of French 17^th and 18^th century paintings in the novel “The Artificial Princess” by Ronald Firbank. We analyze the representation of visual material in fiction. The direct naming of the artists Nicolas de Largilliers and Jean-Marc Nattier and the identification of the paintings by Charles André Van Loo and Louis Tauquet, based on pictorial details, determine different forms of representing French paintings by Ronald Firbank. The ekphrasis of fictional and real classic and rococo paintings, the discrepancy between empire style and everyday life in the Princess’s environment reveal other characters’ perception of the Princess, the pretentiousness and irony of her character. The 17^th and the 18^th centuries are perceived via English decadence at the turn of the 19^th–20^th centuries. This is expressed in the stylization and pastization of John Collier, Charles Conder, William Morris and Oscar Wilde and their works. The visuality of the Princess’s image is emphasized by means of the ekphrasis of the paintings, portraying historical figures, and the corresponding behavior and emotions of the female protagonist, her perception of the surrounding space and events through color.