The English boy quoted above describes Robespierre's eyes as 'fawn', though I'd think the artist's notes would be more reliable, as, if the sketch was a prep to be worked up for a portrait, the eyes are the pivotal point. Charlotte's eyes seem to be blue-green-grey on the portrait maelicia posted a while ago: http://pics.livejournal.com/maelicia/pic/001ag8qe . I suppose he could be described as cat-like regardless of eye colour, and 'tiger' seems to be a popular term of abuse or awe at the time, though I wondered if eye-colour was the source of the story that he was Irish (unusual, typically Irish eye colour, coupled with a desire to claim no native frenchman could ever be so horrible - I suppose as part of the long tradition of that cross-channel attribution of sexual diseases, perversions etc, French pox, capote anglaise, French letter, vice anglais etc.! )
I still see 'sea green Incorruptible' turn up a lot in British newspapers, tv etc - Carlyle, presumably derived from de Stael and her vampire-Lestat veiny Robespierre, seems to have set that one in stone, whatever the truth is. How reliable is the source Hilary Mantel uses in the quote for her TLS essay title, 'If you had seen his green eyes'?
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2008-11-13 12:47 pm (UTC)I still see 'sea green Incorruptible' turn up a lot in British newspapers, tv etc - Carlyle, presumably derived from de Stael and her vampire-Lestat veiny Robespierre, seems to have set that one in stone, whatever the truth is. How reliable is the source Hilary Mantel uses in the quote for her TLS essay title, 'If you had seen his green eyes'?