Falero’s „Wine of Tokai“
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Luis Ricardo Falero, born in Granada in 1851, originally pursued a career in the Spanish Navy, but gave it up to his parents' disappointment. He ran away and walked all the way to Paris by foot, praying for his food and lodging by doing crayon portraits. In Paris, he became known to his countrymen and to many of his Paris friends as „Don Luis“, and studied art, chemistry and mechanical engineering. The experiments that he had to conduct in the latter two were so dangerous, however, that he decided to focus on painting alone. After Paris, he moved to London. |
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Falero is one of a number of painters concentrating on the nude, shown in a highly-finished manner, and in a mythological or fairy tale setting. His painting „Wine of Tokai“ shows a luscious young nude lady leaning across a wine caraffe. The model, Maud Harvey, posed for numerous of Falero’s paintings. In 1896 Maud Harvey sued Falero for paternity. The suit alleged that Falero seduced Harvey when she was 17 first serving as his housemaid, and then model. When he discovered she was pregnant, he dismissed her. She won the case and was awarded five shillings per week in support of their child. Shortly after, Falero died at the University College Hospital in London, at the age of only 45. „Wine of Tokai“ |
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Louis XIV "Le Roi Soleil"
Prince Ferenc Rákóczi II of Transylvania (1676-1735), who owned most of the vineyards in the Tokaj region at his time, visited the French Royal Court quite often. During his war for independence from the Hapsburgs in the early 18th century, he tried to ally himself with influential European monarchs, amongst them Louis XIV of France. As the House of Hapsburg was on the verge of dying out in Spain, the French Royal Court was looking for allies in its fight against Austrian hegemony.
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Consequently, they established contact with Rákóczi and promised support if he took up the cause of Hungarian independence. An Austrian spy seized this correspondence and brought it to the attention of the Austrian Emperor. As a direct result of this, Rákóczi was arrested on 18 April 1700 and imprisoned in Vienna, but managed to escape and flee to Poland, where he was sheltered by the French ambassador. Three years later, the War of the Spanish Succession caused a large part of the Austrian forces in the Kingdom of Hungary to temporarily leave the country. Taking advantage of the situation, Rákóczi headed a new uprising, which finally failed in 1711. "Sun King" Louis XIV of France |
After refusing an amnesty by the Hapsburgs, Louis XIV offered Rákóczi exile in France in 1713 and paid him a pension. On the occassion of a feast in Versailles, when Tokaji wines had been served, the menu card showed His Majesty’s hedonistic quote „C’est le roi des vins, et le vin des rois“ (The king of wines, and the wine of kings). The successor Louis XV used to serve Tokaji to his famous mistress – Madame Pompadour. „Vinum Regum, Rex Vinorum“ - this famous line is used to this day in the marketing of Tokaji wines.
The Assassination of Rasputin
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Although some sources mention Madeira, it was most probably poisoned Tokaji wine, which they tried to assassinate Grigori Rasputin with. In fact, during his last evening, Rasputin consumed high quantities of pastries and sweet wine - both poisoned with cyanide. Indeed, Rasputin didn´t show any symptoms of poisoning. His murderers finally resorted to the gun. After Rasputin's death there could not be detected any cyanide in his body, but alcohol ... |
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Just Said ...
„The count himself came forward and took off the cover of a dish, and I fell to at once on an excellent roast chicken. This, with some cheese and a salad and a bottle of old tokay, of which I had two glasses, was my supper.”
from „Dracula”
Abraham „Bram” Stoker
(1847-1912)
