Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier
*sob!* They killed Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier! I hate the Reign of Terror!
I was looking up info on Lavoisier whose design was the basis for Stephen Maturin's trephine ("I have an improved Lavoisier's trephine, a magnificent instrument with extraordinary biting power; and if you choose, you shall turn the handle!") because I wanted to see pictures of an actual trephine in that style, if such an instrument exists. And naturally, I began reading more about the man himself. I wonder if Stephen knew him? It's no wonder that the French revolution would have sickened his heart, if they could send such men to the guillotine, "the father of modern chemistry" himself!
I think his name was already familiar to me because of the portrait by Jaques Louis David, one of my favorite artists. My love for David was tempered, though, when I learned of his own involvement in the committee of public safety, and rumors that he omitted to intervene on behalf of condemned people who had actually sat for his portraits! I don't know if David had any involvement at all when Lavoisier was condemned, though. I don't even know if the rumors were true. But still, it's sad that he was such a supporter of Robespierre, Marat and Danton. I mean, I love The Death of Marat - it's beautiful - but I'm glad he was killed, GLAD. Poor France, how I love her, and how she suffered.
And Lavoisier's wife was sooooo coooool! She was an artist, (and painted a beautiful portrait of Benjamin Franklin), and did engravings of her husband's experiments for his treatise and edited his writings!!! And translated things into French for him! And hosted parties of scientific people! I wonder if she invited Stephen? Look, here she is helping her husband in the lab! Oh wow, she received artistic training from David. Well I hope David stayed friends with the Lavoisiers... But back to the portrait, look at how loving they are! It's wonderful, considering they had an arranged marriage, more or less - her father approached Lavoisier to marry her when she was 13. Her father had already been approached by a much older man asking for her hand, and he was scared to tell him no, so getting Lavoisier to marry her instead made it easier to refuse undesirable suitor, ha!
When he was arrested, Lavoisier asked for eight more days to finish an experiment. The judge is reported to have said "The Republic needs neither scientists nor chemists; the course of justice can not be delayed." That would have broken Stephen's heart, and mine too. And he had previously intervened on behalf of foreign-born scientists and mathematicians. Heh, I like the image of his arrest (see below). The look on his face! So Stephenish, pissed off at having his work interrupted. I can just hear him saying, "Your soul to the devil!" WHIP OUT A SWORD AND STAB THEM, STEPHEN LAVOISIER!
I'm glad there's someone else fangirling (fanboying?) such a man, at the Panopticon Lavoisier. It's full of beautiful images, including the portraits and photographs of many of his instruments. After reading about him, I don't think he actually is the one who would have developed Stephen's trephine. He sounds much more a chemist and physicist than a man who would develop surgical instruments. But what a man!
Monsieur Lavoisier, je pense que je vous aime.
Thoughtful emo Lavoisier.
Better Than Thou Lavoisier
Mme. Lavoisier in the laboratory. (What are they doing to that man? Well, she did nude male drawings, very skillful too, so she's seen it all. What a woman!)
Your Soul To The Devil! Lavoisier
Not Now I'm Busy Lavoisier - Give me eight days and I'll be at your service.
Just Lavoisier
Who Could Not Love Lavoisier?
Lavoisiers in Love. (Click for large image. It's beautiful.)
ETA: How exciting, here's his actual gasometer! Which appears in the painting! I love things like that, actual items from old paintings. And a gas balloon like the one at his feet!
ETA again - icons.
I was looking up info on Lavoisier whose design was the basis for Stephen Maturin's trephine ("I have an improved Lavoisier's trephine, a magnificent instrument with extraordinary biting power; and if you choose, you shall turn the handle!") because I wanted to see pictures of an actual trephine in that style, if such an instrument exists. And naturally, I began reading more about the man himself. I wonder if Stephen knew him? It's no wonder that the French revolution would have sickened his heart, if they could send such men to the guillotine, "the father of modern chemistry" himself!
I think his name was already familiar to me because of the portrait by Jaques Louis David, one of my favorite artists. My love for David was tempered, though, when I learned of his own involvement in the committee of public safety, and rumors that he omitted to intervene on behalf of condemned people who had actually sat for his portraits! I don't know if David had any involvement at all when Lavoisier was condemned, though. I don't even know if the rumors were true. But still, it's sad that he was such a supporter of Robespierre, Marat and Danton. I mean, I love The Death of Marat - it's beautiful - but I'm glad he was killed, GLAD. Poor France, how I love her, and how she suffered.
And Lavoisier's wife was sooooo coooool! She was an artist, (and painted a beautiful portrait of Benjamin Franklin), and did engravings of her husband's experiments for his treatise and edited his writings!!! And translated things into French for him! And hosted parties of scientific people! I wonder if she invited Stephen? Look, here she is helping her husband in the lab! Oh wow, she received artistic training from David. Well I hope David stayed friends with the Lavoisiers... But back to the portrait, look at how loving they are! It's wonderful, considering they had an arranged marriage, more or less - her father approached Lavoisier to marry her when she was 13. Her father had already been approached by a much older man asking for her hand, and he was scared to tell him no, so getting Lavoisier to marry her instead made it easier to refuse undesirable suitor, ha!
When he was arrested, Lavoisier asked for eight more days to finish an experiment. The judge is reported to have said "The Republic needs neither scientists nor chemists; the course of justice can not be delayed." That would have broken Stephen's heart, and mine too. And he had previously intervened on behalf of foreign-born scientists and mathematicians. Heh, I like the image of his arrest (see below). The look on his face! So Stephenish, pissed off at having his work interrupted. I can just hear him saying, "Your soul to the devil!" WHIP OUT A SWORD AND STAB THEM, STEPHEN LAVOISIER!
I'm glad there's someone else fangirling (fanboying?) such a man, at the Panopticon Lavoisier. It's full of beautiful images, including the portraits and photographs of many of his instruments. After reading about him, I don't think he actually is the one who would have developed Stephen's trephine. He sounds much more a chemist and physicist than a man who would develop surgical instruments. But what a man!
Monsieur Lavoisier, je pense que je vous aime.
Thoughtful emo Lavoisier.
Better Than Thou Lavoisier
Mme. Lavoisier in the laboratory. (What are they doing to that man? Well, she did nude male drawings, very skillful too, so she's seen it all. What a woman!)
Your Soul To The Devil! Lavoisier
Not Now I'm Busy Lavoisier - Give me eight days and I'll be at your service.
Just Lavoisier
Who Could Not Love Lavoisier?
Lavoisiers in Love. (Click for large image. It's beautiful.)
ETA: How exciting, here's his actual gasometer! Which appears in the painting! I love things like that, actual items from old paintings. And a gas balloon like the one at his feet!
ETA again - icons.