Louis de Mondran, portrait of a memoirist as a card player between Paris and Toulouse (1719-1744)
Louis de Mondran, portrait d’un mémorialiste en joueur, entre Paris et Toulouse (1719-1744)
Résumé
Essentially known for his leading role in the urban renewal of Toulouse during the second half of the 18th century or as patron of the arts within the city’s Académie royale de peinture, sculpture et architecture, Louis de Mondran was also a memorialist. His memoirs, intended for his children, depict a multifaceted character. It is one of them that this article intends to shed light on : that of the inveterate card player that Mondran was. It was an unhoped-for payoff that led the young adult to Paris, where he learned the codes of good society, including those of the gaming tables. Back in Toulouse, he used his Parisian apprenticeships to finance a bohemian life in aristocratic circles. Thus, Mondran’s writings give access to the various social venues that were then available to Toulouse gamblers (aristocratic residences, clandestine academies, cafés), and also show the preponderant role of cards in the life of this character