BnF Acquires Casanova Manuscript, Exhibition and Catalog Reveal Libertine's Life
In February 2010, the Bibliothèque nationale de France obtained Giacomo Girolamo Casanova's manuscript of Histoire de ma vie, which resulted in a complete edition published in the Pléiade collection and an exhibition at the BnF. The exhibition catalog, curated by Marie-Laure Prévost and Chantal Thomas, encapsulates Casanova's life while welcoming new audiences. It showcases 18th-century typography and illustrations by artists such as Boucher, Guardi, and Tiepolo, along with facsimiles of significant manuscript pages. The catalog delves into Casanova's varied professions and his extensive travels throughout Europe, particularly in Venice and Paris. It also discusses his Paris lottery, cloth shop, culinary passions, and suggests his potential influence on the libretto of Mozart's Don Giovanni.
Key facts
- BnF acquired Casanova's Histoire de ma vie manuscript in February 2010.
- A complete edition based on the manuscript will be published in the Pléiade collection.
- The exhibition catalog is edited by Marie-Laure Prévost and Chantal Thomas.
- The catalog includes illustrations by Boucher, Guardi, Tiepolo, and fabric samples from the Maréchal de Richelieu collection.
- Casanova was an abbé, soldier, fake doctor, violinist, inventor of the French lottery, translator, cloth merchant, spy, librarian, writer, and libertine.
- He traveled to Rome, Constantinople, Corfu, Vienna, Saint Petersburg, Prague, Madrid, London, Amsterdam, and Marseille.
- His favorite cities were Venice and Paris; he wrote Histoire de ma vie in French.
- He may have contributed to Mozart's Don Giovanni libretto and wrote for Mondonville and Rameau.
Entities
Artists
- Giacomo Girolamo Casanova
- François Boucher
- Francesco Guardi
- Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
- Mozart
- Mondonville
- Rameau
- Federico Fellini
- Marie-Laure Prévost
- Chantal Thomas
- Helmut Watzlawick
- Michel Delon
- Alain Jaubert
- Ilona Kovács
- Daniel Roche
- Maréchal de Richelieu
Institutions
- Bibliothèque nationale de France
- BnF
- Seuil
- Pléiade
Locations
- Venice
- Italy
- Paris
- France
- Rome
- Constantinople
- Istanbul
- Corfu
- Greece
- Vienna
- Austria
- Saint Petersburg
- Russia
- Prague
- Czech Republic
- Madrid
- Spain
- London
- UK
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Marseille
- Murano
Sources
- artpress —