20:
66:, the son of a farmer and his wife. He was unusually small at birth and continued to grow slowly, although all contemporary sources and surviving portraits agree that his limbs and features were in proportion to his height ("proportionate dwarfism"). His fame spread, and in 1746, he was visited by ladies from the court of Stanisław, who was also the Duke of
78:. Stanisław sent his physician to examine the child, who was now five years old and approximately 24 inches (60 cm) tall, and subsequently sent for him. He offered Ferry's parents money in return for their son, who was to be maintained and educated in the Leszczyński household as the court dwarf.
163:
In 2006 and 2008, French researchers published detailed studies of Ferry's skeletal remains, with particular attention to his jaws and facial bones. They concluded that Ferry suffered from a rare genetic form of primordial dwarfism characterised by small, abnormal teeth without roots, and dubbed the
109:
visited the court. He was a witty, urbane young man of 20, shorter than Ferry and well versed in court manners. Unflattering comparisons were drawn, and Ferry became so angry that he attacked Boruwłaski and tried to throw him onto the fire. The indulgent Stanisław ordered Ferry beaten for this
94:, and he was spoiled and indulged by his master and the entire court. He played practical jokes on visitors and often behaved very badly, but he was the king's favourite and a great attraction. Those entertained by his antics included the
86:
At court, Ferry quickly acquired the nickname Bébé ("Baby"). He was given to the queen as a birthday present in 1747, and, after her death in 1748, he became the property of her cousin, the
90:. He had tutors, but proved to be of relatively low intelligence and is reported never to have learned to read or write. A small wooden house was built for him in one of the halls of the
305:. French-language paper describing a study of Ferry's skeleton, skull and teeth, lacking an English translation but with illustrations of contemporary paintings and sculptures of Ferry.
95:
114:
152:, Ferry's inscribed mausoleum was preserved and is now at the Chateau de Lunéville. Some of Ferry's outfits are preserved in the historical museum at
333:
160:
statue of Ferry, 22 inches (56 cm) tall, modelled from life, was kept at the
Chateau de Lunéville, but was destroyed in a fire in 2003.
199:
221:
348:
328:
144:
and a chronic invalid, and died on 8 June 1764; aged 22. His skeleton was prepared and mounted for study, and is currently kept at the
289:
343:
338:
124:
Ferry remained at Stanisław's court throughout his life, eventually growing to a height of 34 inches (86 cm).
43:
148:
in Paris. The rest of his remains were buried in the church at Lunéville; when the church was destroyed during the
118:
117:, who visited the Lunéville court to receive an honour from Stanisław. De Tressan later delivered a paper to the
353:
91:
87:
145:
113:
Ferry was also compared unfavourably with Boruwłaski by the aristocratic writer, scientist and physician
106:
19:
323:
318:
141:
67:
285:
218:
195:
189:
157:
149:
121:
likening Ferry to an animal in comparison with the intelligent, well-educated Polish dwarf.
55:
225:
299:
243:
312:
153:
71:
39:
156:
and there are a number of wax statues of him still in existence. A unique
133:
99:
59:
35:
140:
of the soft tissues and signs of premature aging. Eventually he became
137:
244:"Bébé, entre norme et pathologie, biométrie d'un nain (XVIIIe siècle)"
75:
63:
282:
The Pig-faced Lady of
Manchester Square & Other Medical Marvels
18:
303:
Actes. Société française d'histoire de l'art dentaire, 2006, 11
300:
Bébé, le nain de la cour de
Stanislas Leczinski à Lunéville
110:
outrage, reportedly to his severe shock and mortification.
132:
Ferry's health declined in his late teens. He developed a
251:
Actes. Société française d'histoire de l'art dentaire
230:
The French
Porcelain Society Spring 2004 newsletter
23:Portrait of Ferry with King Stanisław Leszczyński.
194:. Cornell University Press. pp. 198–203.
191:The Two-headed Boy, and Other Medical Marvels
54:Nicolas Ferry was born on 14 October 1741 in
38:who became renowned throughout Europe as the
8:
136:and had difficulty walking, and he suffered
183:
181:
242:Granat, Jean & Peyre, Évelyne (2008).
213:
211:
177:
115:Louis-Élisabeth de La Vergne de Tressan
7:
219:IN MEMORIAM BÉBÉ alias Nicolas Ferry
74:, although he was no longer King of
298:Granat, Jean & Peyre, Évelyne,
217:Foster, Kate (Lady Davson) (2004).
14:
334:French people with disabilities
1:
34:) (1741–1764) was a French
370:
349:18th-century French people
329:Entertainers with dwarfism
119:French Academy of Sciences
105:In 1759, the Polish dwarf
70:and maintained a court at
50:Early life and discovery
280:Bondeson, Jan (2000).
188:Bondeson, Jan (2004).
24:
44:Stanisław Leszczyński
22:
344:People with dwarfism
339:People from Bas-Rhin
92:Chateau de Lunéville
88:Princesse de Talmont
224:2016-03-03 at the
25:
201:978-0-8014-8958-7
158:Luneville Faience
150:French Revolution
128:Decline and death
361:
354:Royal favourites
295:
267:
266:
264:
262:
248:
239:
233:
215:
206:
205:
185:
146:Musée de l'Homme
107:Józef Boruwłaski
96:Duc du Richelieu
369:
368:
364:
363:
362:
360:
359:
358:
309:
308:
292:
279:
276:
274:Further reading
271:
270:
260:
258:
246:
241:
240:
236:
226:Wayback Machine
216:
209:
202:
187:
186:
179:
174:
130:
84:
52:
17:
12:
11:
5:
367:
365:
357:
356:
351:
346:
341:
336:
331:
326:
321:
311:
310:
307:
306:
296:
290:
275:
272:
269:
268:
234:
207:
200:
176:
175:
173:
170:
129:
126:
83:
80:
51:
48:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
366:
355:
352:
350:
347:
345:
342:
340:
337:
335:
332:
330:
327:
325:
322:
320:
317:
316:
314:
304:
301:
297:
293:
291:0-7524-2968-X
287:
283:
278:
277:
273:
256:
252:
245:
238:
235:
231:
227:
223:
220:
214:
212:
208:
203:
197:
193:
192:
184:
182:
178:
171:
169:
167:
161:
159:
155:
151:
147:
143:
139:
135:
127:
125:
122:
120:
116:
111:
108:
103:
101:
97:
93:
89:
82:Life at court
81:
79:
77:
73:
69:
65:
61:
57:
49:
47:
45:
41:
37:
33:
29:
28:Nicolas Ferry
21:
302:
281:
259:. Retrieved
254:
250:
237:
229:
190:
165:
162:
131:
123:
112:
104:
85:
53:
31:
27:
26:
16:French dwarf
324:1764 deaths
319:1741 births
232:, pp 26-29.
142:incontinent
40:court dwarf
313:Categories
284:. Tempus.
172:References
164:condition
30:(known as
134:hunchback
72:Lunéville
261:June 15,
222:Archived
100:Voltaire
68:Lorraine
60:Bas-Rhin
42:of King
138:wasting
288:
198:
76:Poland
64:France
56:Plaine
247:(PDF)
166:NMOSR
154:Nancy
36:dwarf
286:ISBN
263:2012
257:: 23
196:ISBN
98:and
32:Bébé
315::
255:13
253:.
249:.
228:.
210:^
180:^
168:.
102:.
62:,
58:,
46:.
294:.
265:.
204:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
