Sunday, February 7, 2010

MISTRESS OF THE MONTH DIANE DE POITIERS (KING HENRY II OF FRANCE)

Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of King Henry II of France, in this London Daily Telegraph, is said to have died of the gold she drank to appear 20 years younger than she was....

"One courtier said she was "as fresh and lovable" in her final years as when aged 30 and had skin "of great whiteness"... "Three scientists unearthed her bones last year and found the jaw perfectly matched her portrait while her leg bone had a clean break from a documented riding accident....The breakthrough came when they studied locks of her hair kept at the chateau d'Anet: these were found to contain gold 500 times above normal levels, as well as mercury – used as a "purifier" in the elixir." - Henry Samuel reporting.

This article link is under the title... go there to see her portrait and read the rest of this fascinating article that came out in December 2009.

No comments: