The harmony of narcissus, brushstrokes of exotic fruits and touches of iris and vanilla, outline the portrait of Mathilde: eclecticism and grace. Matilde Letizia Guglielmina Bonaparte (1820-1904), niece of Napoleon I and cousin of the future Napoleon III, was a patron of the Arts, and an artist herself. A deeply eclectic and independent woman, Mathilde was the soul of one of the most celebrated artistic milieux of 19th-Century Paris. In her elegant palace, she would host the greatest artists and writers of her time: Anatole France, Marcel Proust, Gustave Flaubert, Gustave Doré, Paul Baudry were among her guests. She was known as 'Notre-Dame des Arts', 'Our Lady of the Arts'.
