Portrait of Princess Talleyrand
by PRUD'HON, Pierre-Paul, Black and white chalk on grey paper, 230 x 178 mm
Catherine Noëlle Worl�e was a well known Parisian courtesan who in 1798 attracted the attention of Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-P�rigord (1754–1838), France’s powerful minister of Foreign Affairs. Upon learning about the liaison in 1802, Napoleon forced the minister to marry her.