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Philippot on the Pont Neuf
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View of Paris from the Pont Neuf. |
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Émile Vuarnet [Vuarnet, p. 562] reproduces a detail from a painting,
Cortège du bélier thought to be the work of the artist S. Bourdon, from
the 1650's. (The original painting is in the Philadelphia Museum.) Vuarnet feels
certain that the hurdy-gurdy player is Philippot. Starting with this image, and another of the Pont Neuf from [Labat], I created this scene meant to visualize Philippot and his wife (also blind) in front of the statue of Henri IV, where Philippot is said to have performed. Rather than try to make something realistic, I visualized the scene as a kind of board game with moveable pieces.
A footnote: Guillemot-Magitot's account of the meeting between Lully and Philippot, in his novel Lully, petit violon du roi [Magitot] follows very closely the account by the chansonnier Dassoucy of his encounter with Philippot, "the Orpheus of the Pont Neuf" [Duneton, vol. I, pp. 537 - 539]. Another retelling of the Philippot is the play Philippe le Savoyard, ou l'origine des ponts-neufs by Chazet and Duval [Chazet], a résumé of which is given in Shepherd's Delight, 2nd edition. |