Marie du Deffand
b. 1697, Chamrond, France; d. 1780, Paris
Marie du Deffand was a prominent figure in the political and literary worlds of eighteenth-century France, as a salon hostess and a woman of letters. She was born into a noble family, schooled at a convent, and shortly thereafter married. Her marriage did not last and Deffand became the mistress of Philippe II, duc d’Orléans. She established her own salon and entertained a circle of aristocrats, scientists, and writers. After she became blind in the 1750s, she asked Julie de Lespinasse to assume hostess responsibilities. Lespinasse’s popularity, however, annoyed her; Deffand dismissed her in 1764, around the time her salon began to decline. In addition to hosting, Deffand wrote numerous letters, particularly to the duchess de Choiseul and Horace Walpole.
![Judy Chicago (American, b. 1939). <em>The Dinner Party</em> (Heritage Floor; detail), 1974–79. Porcelain with rainbow and gold luster, 48 x 48 x 48 ft. (14.6 x 14.6 x 14.6 m). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation, 2002.10. © Judy Chicago. Photograph by Jook Leung Photography](https://d1lfxha3ugu3d4.cloudfront.net/eascfa/images/heritage_floor_placeholder.jpg)
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