Friedrich de Marcuard (fl. 1877--1882)

Research Status: Comprehensive Last Updated: 2026-05-25 Diary Coverage: Carnets 069--094, concentrated in 069--084 (March 1877 -- March 1879) Diary References: ~95 entry files across carnets 069--094 Type: Person -- Swiss patrician, friend, correspondent, rejected suitor

Overview

Friedrich ("F.") de Marcuard was a Swiss gentleman from the patrician Marcuard banking family of Berne, a friend of Count Alessandro de Larderel, and one of the most enduring secondary figures in Marie Bashkirtseff's diary. Introduced to Marie in Naples on March 29, 1877, he remained a loyal correspondent and social companion for over two years. He was simultaneously Marie's platonic confidant, a devoted admirer of her cousin Dina, and eventually, by late 1878, a suitor whom Marie herself deflected with a joke.

Marie's relationship with Marcuard is unique in the diary: he is neither a grand romantic obsession nor a mere social acquaintance, but something rarer -- a genuine male friend whom she trusted, teased, confided in, and used as an emotional anchor during her most turbulent period. She calls him "mon frère de lait et ami d'enfance" (my milk-brother and childhood friend) in mock-formal affection, and repeatedly describes him as a calming presence: "Marcuard agit sur moi comme un calmant" (Marcuard acts on me like a sedative). Yet she never considers him romantically, dismissing him as "bien rangé, bien propre, bien gentil" (well-ordered, clean, nice) -- the antithesis of the dangerous, glamorous men who consumed her heart.

Biographical Information

Family and Background

The Marcuard family was one of Berne's established patrician banking dynasties. Friedrich's address was "chez Marcuard et Cie, Banquiers" in Berne (073, July 25, 1877), confirming his connection to the family bank. Marie addressed her letters there, once sealing a grand envelope "Suisse, Berne. Valeur trois mille francs. A M. le commandeur F. de Marcuard. Aux soins de Marcuard et Cie Banquiers" -- the declared value being one of her characteristic jokes.

Friedrich held the title of "commandeur" (commander), likely an honorary order, which Marie uses both formally and mockingly. The raw carnet index identifies him as "Marcuard (Friedrich), [Pacha] peintre" -- "Pacha" being Marie's playful mock-Turkish nickname for him (echoing the Russo-Turkish War context of 1877), and "peintre" (painter) suggesting he had artistic interests or practiced painting as an amateur.

His father, based in Berne, was elderly and in declining health. In late 1877, the father planned to go to Menton rather than Nice for health reasons (077, Dec 30, 1877). He died in October 1878, prompting Marie's immediate practical observation: "Il a dû hériter pas mal d'argent" (He must have inherited quite a lot of money) (082, Oct 10, 1878). Marie wrote condolences the next day.

Friedrich had at least one brother, whose brother-in-law ("le frère du beau-frère de Marcuard") challenged Alexandre (Larderei) to a duel via a M. de Martino (076, Nov 27, 1877). Marie was introduced to "le frère de Marcuard" in Nice at the London House in February 1879 (084, Feb 23, 1879). The brother had been ill -- Marcuard visited him in Menton in early 1878 (078, Feb 22, 1878).

Physical Appearance

Marie's first description is unsparing in its candid dismissiveness:

> M. le commandeur Marcuard, prononcez Marcouard, mine suisse, à barbe rousse et aux yeux bleus, grasse figure et... Suisse, que nous ne reverrons même pas. (069, Mar 29, 1877)

Red-bearded, blue-eyed, plump-faced, and unmistakably Swiss -- Marie's portrait is affectionate in its bluntness. He is "impitoyablement froid pour sa passion" (mercilessly cold about his passion), conducting himself with "les mêmes termes simples" (the same simple manner) that never varies. Marie frequently teases his Swiss solidity, calling him "un illustre descendant de Guillaume Tell bien rangé, bien propre, bien gentil, amateur de porcelaines" (an illustrious descendant of William Tell, well-ordered, clean, nice, a porcelain collector) (raw carnet, Naples period).

Character

Marie's most concise assessment: "Nature franche, serrée, honnête. Je l'aime énormément" (Frank, tight, honest nature. I love him enormously) (070, Apr 8, 1877). In a world of calculating aristocrats and reckless romantics, Marcuard represented reliability. Marie valued that his words carried weight: "Marcuard ne dit pas une parole en vain, tout ce qu'il dit est comme cloué, comme on dit en Russie" (Marcuard doesn't say a word in vain, everything he says is like being nailed down, as they say in Russia) (071, May 13, 1877).

He harbored a reportedly "chimérique" (chimerical) passion for Empress Eugénie, who received him socially. Marie noted drily: "Cela lui a donné un air distingué" (It has given him a distinguished air) (raw carnet, Naples). He was also an avid collector of porcelains -- evenings spent discussing porcelain with Doenhoff nearly put Marie to sleep.

Relationship with Marie

Phase 1: Naples (March--April 1877)

Marcuard was introduced as Larderei's friend at the Hôtel du Louvre in Naples on March 29, 1877. Marie's initial reaction was dismissive -- "que nous ne reverrons même pas" (whom we won't even see again). But Marcuard became an integral member of the Neapolitan social circle that revolved around Larderei, and Marie quickly warmed to him even as she despised anyone in Larderei's orbit: "Je déteste Marcuard, (qui a fait sa visite aujourd'hui) je déteste Melissano... je déteste tous ses parasites" (069, Mar 30, 1877) -- a hatred born of jealousy rather than genuine dislike.

During the celebrated Sorrento excursion (April 3--5, 1877), Marcuard was part of the traveling party. Marie and Marcuard shared a carriage bench from Castellamare to Sorrento; he courted Dina while Melissano accompanied Maman. At the Hotel de la Sirène, Marcuard and Dina paired off naturally. Marie later used the hotel name to create her code-name "Silène" for Larderei (by substituting l for r in "Sirène").

By the races at Champ de Mars (April 7, 1877), Marcuard was part of the regular entourage. "Dina descend avec Marcuard et je les suis avec Porcinari" (070, Apr 7). He came to say farewell when the Bashkirtseffs left Naples (070, Apr 25, 1877).

Phase 2: Florence and Correspondence (May--October 1877)

In Florence (May 1877), Marcuard became Marie's social guide. He hosted lunches for the Mirafiore family (showing them Marie's photograph), informed her of concerts at the Cercle philharmonique and skating parties, and provided intelligence about Larderei's family. Marie found him painting her self-portrait when he visited (071, May 4, 1877).

After the Bashkirtseffs left Florence, Marcuard became Marie's principal male correspondent. Their letters -- several of which Marie copies into her diary in full -- reveal a relationship of affectionate teasing on Marie's side and earnest devotion on his. Marie's letters to him are literary performances: she references Dante's Inferno, draws him costumed as Guillaume Tell, sends him photographs inscribed "Portrait de mon unique amour," and addresses him as "Marcuard Pacha."

A letter from Schlangenbad (September 22, 1877) captures the tone perfectly: "J'avais envie de ne plus vous écrire, ô Marcuard Pacha, mais il me faut toujours raconter n'importe quoi à quelqu'un... Je ne vois donc que vous qui êtes mon frère de lait et ami d'enfance" (074, Sep 22, 1877). She proposes a walking excursion from Nice to Rome and promises to "empoigner" him and present him to Maman.

His letters to her, by contrast, are earnest and formal: inquiries about her grandfather's health, news from Florence and Berne, travel plans, holiday cakes sent from Switzerland. He signs "Votre très dévoué et affectionné, F. de Marcuard."

Phase 3: Paris (October--December 1877)

Marcuard visited the Bashkirtseffs in Paris in October 1877, appearing unexpectedly under their windows on the Champs-Élysées (075, Oct 25, 1877). He sent extravagant flowers ("des fleurs pour 300 francs au moins!"), dined at the family home, and participated in salon evenings. Marie's household nickname for him -- "Marcuard-Pacha" -- became standard. During a supper conversation (075, Oct 29, 1877), they had "une grande explication" about the Sorrento episode, with Marcuard pressing Marie about what had really happened with Larderei.

By December, when his father fell ill and he rushed to Berne, he wrote to Marie asking about her grandfather's health -- a parallel crisis that bound them. Marie called him "le plus célèbre de tous les Marcuard" (076, Dec 13, 1877).

Phase 4: Long-Distance Correspondence (1878)

Throughout 1878, Marcuard's letters from Florence, Menton, and Berne arrive regularly. They served as Marie's conduit for Italian social news: who was in Florence, what had happened to Larderei, whether Alexandre was behaving. He relayed gossip -- including a rumor from M. des Perrières at Monte Carlo that Marie was marrying Paul de Cassagnac, which infuriated her (078, Feb 22, 1878). She sent him the April Fool's prank announcing "Alexandre est mort" (079, Apr 1, 1878), which she feared might anger him: "Ce pauvre Marcuard, quel joli poisson d'avril cela va lui faire" (079, Mar 27, 1878). Indeed, he may have been "fâché pour son poisson d'avril, car il ne vient pas une seconde fois" when passing through Paris in June (080, Jun 4, 1878).

Marie's letter to him after her aunt's death (September 1878) demonstrates her "diplomatic skill" (per existing RSR): mourning clothes enabling "exquisite affability" replacing "impertinence toward the unworthy" (082, Sep 10, 1878).

Phase 5: The Rejected Proposal (November 1878)

By November 1878, Marcuard had shifted from Dina's suitor to Marie's. The diary records: "Déjà la fois passée il m'avait demandé si je pouvais m'engager à l'aimer comme il m'aime... j'ai répondu par une plaisanterie" (083, Nov 28, 1878). This is the only explicit proposal-like moment between them. Marie dismisses it in a single sentence, immediately returning to her Cassagnac obsession. The pattern of "spurning real options for an impossible fantasy" (per existing RSR) is fully in evidence.

Phase 6: Nice and Final Mentions (1879--1882)

In Nice during the winter of 1879, Marcuard remained a presence: Marie met his brother (084, Feb 23), he attended the theater (084, Feb 27), and his letters about Mlle Tanska's social triumph in Florence inspired Marie's own scheme to go there, socialize, and find a husband (084, Mar 6, 1879).

By August 1879, Marie analyzed Dina's vulgar flirting and concluded: "Déjà elle a perdu Marcuard en le dégoûtant d'elle par ces manières" (Already she has lost Marcuard by disgusting him with such behavior) (086, Aug 31, 1879).

The final mention comes in April 1882 (094, Apr 11), when Marie retrospectively reflects on the Naples period: "Marcuard a dit que sa mère était si heureuse en croyant qu'il faisait la cour à une jeune fille... Et tout le monde excepté cet idiot, et même lui si j'avais été moins une enfant." The "idiot" is ambiguous -- likely Larderei himself -- and the comment suggests that had Marie been less juvenile, a serious attachment between her and Marcuard (or Larderei) might have formed. It is a rare moment of mature retrospective regret.

Role in Marie's Social Network

As Larderei's Friend

Marcuard belonged to the Neapolitan-Florentine circle around Larderei. Marie initially resented him as one of the "sangsues" (leeches) who surrounded Larderei and "ruined" him. She feared Marcuard and the others were trying to reunite Larderei with la Righi (069, Mar 31, 1877). But she also used Marcuard as a source of intelligence about Larderei, and he willingly obliged -- sometimes "too helpfully," painting Larderei's financial ruin and dishonesty in vivid colors.

As Dina's Suitor

Marcuard was "amoureux de Dina" from the Naples period (070, Apr 4, 1877). He courted her through the Florence stay, but Dina's erratic behavior -- alternating between allowing hand-kisses and ignoring him, being "coquette avec tous ces petits jeunes gens" -- frustrated him. Marie diagnosed the failure with clinical precision: "Ces farces-là réussissent quelquefois, mais très rarement avec des hommes sérieux, positifs, suisses et qui ont des idées de mariage" (Such games work sometimes, but very rarely with serious, practical, Swiss men who have ideas about marriage) (073, Jul 15, 1877).

As Marie's Confidant

Rosalie counted Marcuard among Marie's three "enemies" -- meaning the three men whose advances Marie was "playing tricks on" without realizing it (081, Jul 21, 1878). But of the three (Marcuard, Multedo, Cassagnac), Marcuard was the only one Marie considered a genuine friend. She confided in him about Larderei, sought his advice, and used him as an emotional stabilizer during her most agitated moments: "Je me suis secouée comme une possédée et je suis allée me livrer à trente-six extravagances m'adressant à Marcuard qui me semble ami" (raw carnet, Naples).

Key Diary References

| Date | Carnet | Significance | |------|--------|-------------| | 1877-03-29 | 069 | First meeting in Naples, introduced by Larderei as "M. le commandeur Marcuard" | | 1877-04-03 | 070 | Sorrento excursion -- shares carriage with Marie, courts Dina | | 1877-04-08 | 070 | "Nature franche, serrée, honnête. Je l'aime énormément" | | 1877-05-04 | 071 | Florence -- finds Marie painting, hosts Mirafiore lunch | | 1877-05-13 | 071 | "Marcuard ne dit pas une parole en vain" -- the Guillaume Tell speech | | 1877-07-15 | 073 | Marie analyzes his failed courtship of Dina | | 1877-07-25 | 073 | Marie draws him as Guillaume Tell, sends comic letter | | 1877-09-05 | 074 | Letter with Mignon photograph and Dante references | | 1877-09-22 | 074 | "O Marcuard Pacha" letter -- "mon frère de lait" | | 1877-10-25 | 075 | Appears under the Bashkirtseff windows in Paris | | 1877-10-28 | 075 | Sends 300 francs worth of flowers -- "Marcuard-Pacha" | | 1877-10-29 | 075 | "Grande explication" about Sorrento at supper | | 1877-12-13 | 076 | Letter from Berne about father's illness | | 1877-12-30 | 077 | Letter from Berne -- sends holiday cakes | | 1878-02-22 | 078 | Relays Cassagnac marriage rumor from Monte Carlo | | 1878-04-01 | 079 | Delivers April Fool's prank about Alexandre's death | | 1878-10-10 | 082 | Father's death -- Marie calculates inheritance | | 1878-11-28 | 083 | Had asked Marie to "m'engager à l'aimer" -- she deflected | | 1879-02-23 | 084 | Marie meets his brother in Nice | | 1879-03-06 | 084 | His letter about Mlle Tanska inspires Marie's Florence plan | | 1879-08-31 | 086 | Retrospective: "Dina lost Marcuard through her behavior" | | 1882-04-11 | 094 | Final mention: "sa mère était si heureuse" -- retrospective |

Marie's Nicknames and Epithets

- "Marcuard Pacha" / "Marcuard-Pacha": Mock-Turkish honorific, used in the Russo-Turkish War period (1877). Became the household standard.
- "le plus célèbre de tous les Marcuard": Ironic superlative, used when quoting his letters.
- "illustre descendant de Guillaume Tell": Mocking his Swiss identity and solid virtues.
- "le plus Suisse de tous": Superlative Swissness, used at a bouquet-distributing scene.
- "le Suisse": Generic identifier in conversation.
- "le commandeur": His actual title, used semi-formally.
- "Suisse empaillé": "Stuffed Swiss" -- used once, when Larderei walks arm-in-arm with Marie to make Marcuard think he is kissing her (raw carnet, Naples).

Historical Context

The Marcuard banking house of Berne (Marcuard et Cie) was a well-established Swiss private bank. The family belonged to the Bernese patriciate -- old Protestant wealth, conservative, respectable, and deeply rooted in Swiss civic life. Friedrich's title of "commandeur" suggests membership in a chivalric or papal order, which would have been consistent with a well-connected Swiss patrician moving in Italian aristocratic circles.

His presence in the Naples-Florence social circuit of the 1870s was typical of wealthy Swiss gentlemen who spent the winter season in Italy. His friendship with Larderei, Doenhoff, and the Neapolitan aristocracy placed him in the upper tier of international society. The "chimérique passion" for Empress Eugénie (in exile after 1870) suggests he moved in Bonapartist or legitimist circles as well.

Related Entries

- LARDEREI -- Larderei, his close friend and the catalyst for his introduction to Marie
- DINA -- Dina, Marie's cousin, whom Marcuard initially courted
- DOENHOFF -- Doenhoff, fellow member of the Neapolitan circle, porcelain discussion partner
- MELISSANO -- Prince Melissano, another member of the Naples entourage
- CASSAGNAC -- Cassagnac, whose rumored engagement to Marie was relayed by Marcuard
- F_DE_MARCUARD -- Duplicate stub entry (same person)