Pair of children's clogs, reputed to have belonged to Madame de Maintenon, in carved, engraved and openwork wood decorated with fleur-de-lis, heart, chevrons and ridges; thin twisted iron rod reinforcing the shaft; studded sole and heel. Poitou, circa 1645 H. 7.1 cm - L. 17 cm Old label inside the left hoof inscribed Lot n°233 Sabots de Mde de Maintenon par Mr Simon fils d'un ... (minor damage, pitting) Madame de Maintenon, born Françoise d'Aubigné, granddaughter of the great Protestant poet and leader Agrippa, was born in Niort in 1635, not far from the prison where her father was confined. Penniless and abandoned by her mother, she spent part of her early childhood with her Protestant aunt at Château de Mursay, a few kilometers from Niort. After a stay in the West Indies, where she followed her father, she returned to Mursay. Françoise was then taken in by an old relative, Madame de Neuillant, wife of the Governor of Niort, who was responsible for getting the young girl to recant. This new protector proved to be "avarice itself", in Saint-Simon's own words. Madame de Maintenon herself later recounted how she had to herd turkeys and wear clogs, Madame de Neuillant only giving her shoes when visitors came. These clogs, worn by a little girl of around ten years of age, may well bear witness to the harsh adolescence of Madame de Maintenon, a woman with an extraordinary destiny.