The Vicomte de Bragelonne · Chapter
In Which Something Will Be Said of Cropoli—Of Cropoli and of a Great Unknown Painter explained
The chapter describes the bustling preparations in Blois for the king's arrival, then focuses on the history of the hostelry 'To the Medici' run by the Cropoli family, the story of its sign painted by the Italian artist Pittrino, and the co
What happens
The chapter describes the bustling preparations in Blois for the king's arrival, then focuses on the history of the hostelry 'To the Medici' run by the Cropoli family, the story of its sign painted by the Italian artist Pittrino, and the comical dispute over whether the sign should depict queens or physicians.
Themes in this chapter
Class and Social Mobility
The story of Cropoli's rise from a poor Italian cook to a prosperous innkeeper, and his son's efforts to Frenchify his name and secure a dowry, illustrate social climbing.
Court Intrigue and Deception
The historical references to Catherine de Medici's possible strangulation and Marie de Medici's escape evoke the dangerous deceptions of court life.
Characters to notice
- Athos
Mentioned visiting new buildings and horses with Raoul at the start of the chapter.
- Raoul de Bragelonne
Accompanies Athos on his visit to new buildings and horses.
- Cropole
The innkeeper of the hostelry 'To the Medici', son of the original Cropoli, who commissions the sign and insists on the legend.
- Pittrino
The elderly Italian painter who paints the sign for Cropole, first depicting queens then physicians.
Key passages
“What is expectation but a kind of folly, and what is that folly but an excess of hope?”
Anticipation is a form of foolishness driven by excessive hope.
Reflects the townspeople's eager waiting for the king's arrival.
“The worthy Cropoli, after these recommendations, had only sufficient time to point out to his young successor a chimney, under the slab of which he had hidden a thousand ten-franc pieces, and then expired.”
The elder Cropoli barely had time to reveal the hidden money under the chimney slab before he died.
Highlights the secret inheritance passed to the next generation.