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# "Of course, her pleasant face bore traces of corpulence," – I recommend all ageists to read Byron's description of Catherine II, the imperial mistress of Don Juan
- URL: https://theparnassian.com/en/konechno-ozhireniia-sledy-litso-ee-priiatnoe-nosilo-vsem-eidzhistam-predlagaiu-prochitat-baironovskoe-opisanie-ekateriny-ii-tsarstvennoi-liubovnitsy-don-zhuana-2/
- Published: 2025-05-06T14:35:46.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-01T05:30:17.000Z
- Author: Alexandr Radayev
- Tags: Books, Monarchies, Observations, Humour

"Of course, her pleasant face bore traces of corpulence," – I recommend all ageists to read Byron's description of Catherine II, the imperial mistress of Don Juan. A not especially flattering beginning, one would think. But in fact Byron is kind and benevolent towards the 62-year-old Empress of All the Russias, speaking of her years as maturity and the very prime of life: "her lively, juicy bloom... her smile, the smoothness of her plumpness and the regal whim of preference... all this together, needless to say, could turn a boy's head."