The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-09-14
MIPPOLYTE CLARION.

MIPPOLYTE CLARION.
In the eoalisses and in social circles
Nile. Clarion resigned supreme, her beau.
ty and the imposing majesty of her tone
and manner, even more than her acknowl-
edged talent, attracted equally the most
fashionable courtiers and the leading wits
of the day; and so fattered was her vanity
by this universal homage that she is re-
ported to have contemptuously said OF
Nine. De Pompadour: "She is indebted
to chance for her sovereignty; owe mine
to my genius alone" The highest ladies
Of the court, Nine. D'Aiguilon and Nine.
DForcalquier among Others did not dis
dain to frequent her society; and Horace
Walpole, in a journal kept by him of his
visit to Paris in 17G7 has the following
entry, dated Aug. 23: '"Arrved at Paris
at a quarter before seven; at eight, to
Nine. Du Defand's found the Clairon act
ing Agrippine and Phedre; not tall, but 1
liked her acting better than I expected.
Supped there with her, and the Duchess de
Villeroi, dAiguillon, &C." Garrick was
not the last to recognize her extraordinary
merit; during his stay in Paris he dedicated
to her an engraving designed by Gravelot,
and representing her crowned by Mel
pomene, and leaning her arm on pile of
hoo - l.
Racine Crebillon, and Voltaire. A SINH
lar honor was conferred on her by the
Princesse de Galitzin, by whose order the
portrait of the actress in the character of
Nedea was painted by the celebrated Van
loo. When it was nearly completed Louis
XIV. wished to see it, and came to the
painters studio while Mile. Clarion was
sitting ''You are indeed fortunate, he
said to the former, "to have been inspired
by such model" and, turning to the
latter added, "and you, Mademoiselle,
have reason to congratulate yourself on
being immortalized hy SO great an artist"
He announced moreover his intention of
defraying the cost of the frame and of the
engraving, amounting together to $4,000
livres. Nevertheless, in the midst of all
this splendor, it appears that owing to the
irregular payment of their salaries, even
the principal artists of the Comedie Fran
caise were at times distressed for ready
money; for on one occasion our heroine,
being invited by the Marechal de Richelieu
to an entertainment he was about to give,
refused, alleging as her excuse that she
had no dress to fit to wear. The Marshall
burst out laughing. "No dress!" he ex-
claimed increduously. ''It is perfectly
true," she replied, 'our receipts have been
so bad lately that the best part of my
wardrobe is already sold and the remain
der is in pawn. With the exception of my
theatrical costumes, all that is left to me is
the dress I have on" Here was fine op-
portunity for NJ. De Rchelieu to display
his iberality, but the story goes no further.
In the course of her dramatic career, be-
sides sustaining the chief characters of the
ancient repertoire, Mile Clairon contributed
largely to the success of various contem-
porary tragedies, including Voltaire's
"Tancrede" and "L'Orphelin de la Chine"
Cole, with whom she was no favorite, but
who hated the philosopher of Ferney still
more cordially, speaking of the production
of the latter piece in 1855, thus alludes to
her performance of Idome: ''She must
have played divinely to have obtained a
hearing for such wretched stuff as M. De
Votaires tragedy" Marmontel was in
debted to her for the indulgent reception
of Denis lie Tyran," and considerable
share of the prodigious success of De
Belloys's Siege de Calais" was due to her
admirable personation of AHenor. Temple
Bar.