(Chur 1741–1807 Rome)
Portrait of Charles d’Eon de Beaumont, called Le Chevalier d’Eon (1728–1810) in women’s clothes,
oil on canvas, 64 x 52.4 cm, unframed

The Chevalier d’Eon was one of the most dazzling figures among the adventurers of the 18th century. He was a French diplomat, spy, soldier, Freemason, writer and épée fencer. He began his career in 1756 as a secret agent at the court of Tsarina Elisabeth, whose trust he swiftly won. He quickly reached his goal: as of 1757, Russia fought alongside France and Austria in the Seven Years’ War against Prussia. In 1761 d’Eon returned to France. In 1763 he went, officially as the secretary of the French ambassador, the Duc de Nivernais, to London, where he became entangled in numerous intrigues. Following the peace agreement, he was ennobled as a Chevalier through King Louis XV’s bestowal of the Order of Saint Louis. He later got in a conflict with the new French ambassador, which led to his dismissal. He refused to leave London, however, and remained in England as a political exile. From about 1763 onwards, the Chevalier d’Eon assumed a female identity, probably to impede his extradition to France. As of 1766, he received an annual pension from King Louis XV and resumed his activities in espionage. From 1777 d’Eon again lived in France, at the request of the king as a woman with the name Chevalière d’Eon. In 1785 he moved back to England, where he spent the rest of his life. As a consequence of the Revolution he lost his pension, such that he was forced to earn a living through the sale of his library and through public duels in women’s attire. In 1796, in order to support the Revolution, d’Eon endeavoured to establish a women’s regiment, which was nevertheless rejected. In the final years of his life, the Chevalier received a pension granted to him by the English Queen Charlotte.