London Courtesans

Courtesans are high-class whores who often become long-term mistresses to rich and powerful men. Nowadays courtesans are more independent. One can hire London Escorts for any occasion for a week, day, or even an hour.

For centuries Courtesans lived the most free lives of all women. They owned their own property, were educated, traveled freely and charmed the world’s most powerful leaders. They were the arbiters of style, fashion and the womanly arts. They embraced pleasure, living via their desires and saying yes to anything that tickled their fancy.

On the surface a Courtesan was classically well educated; she spoke 4 languages, had extensive knowledge of art and music, history, and she understood warfare. However, the Courtesan’s greatest gift was not her mind or body – it was the gift of herself to her man. She offered her heart and trust to him and in return received his full adoration.

How did you become a Courtesan?

The Courtesan is a woman who entices her male client not just with her beauty and seductive qualities but also through her education, talents, charm, and wit. She is able to entertain as well as provide companionship such as accompanying her client to a social event in place of his wife. She often starts out as a common streetwalker or as a brothel worker but is able to shift her station through the benefactors she attracts.

An elite Courtesan is educated, intelligent, beautiful, classy and discerning in choosing her companions. She is an efficient operator who divides her time between several clients, and she focuses on pleasure and the womanly arts of seduction at various levels. She is a bit of a flirt and loves her inner bitch! She is also a trainer of her men. She understands and embraces the rule of gift economy. She offers her complete self as a gift, and in doing so ensures that the gift will be returned.

What is the ideal setting for a Courtesan performance?

If a courtesan is skilled enough to perform well and if she can seduce her customers then her earnings will be high. A well-established courtesan could make 10 gold pieces for an hour of performance.

A courtesan’s performances could vary depending on the level of intimacy or formality, and the configuration of her audience. Mantovani’s descriptions of Nina’s interactions with Barberini reveal that she would often elicit moments of physical proximity between her and her male guests, including a wide variety of contact patterns that moved beyond touch to include conversational exchanges and seductive strategies.

Kathak exponent Manjari Chaturvedi delves into the taboos surrounding the lives of Courtesans/Tawaifs and weaves lateral narratives on their art through her production – The Courtesan Project. The Project aims to shed light on the brilliant repertoire of the Courtesan and also throw light on their dwindling existence that is shrouded in disdain. Follow The Courtesan Project on Facebook to stay updated on their activities.

What advice would you give to aspiring Courtesans?

In a time when women were denied most of the freedoms that we take for granted today, Courtesans enjoyed the full range of womanly arts – they could choose their lovers, control their money, pursue education and cultivate the “Arts.” They were free.

They were divas – flamboyant, colourful, glamorous, larger than life, but their lives were also tinged with sadness, expressed through mirth and humour. They can be considered the foremothers to drag queens. Many gay men idolize Courtesans because of these depictions but have a limited understanding of the actual material conditions of these women’s lives.