Oeil-de-boeuf is Touchard-Lafosse’s pseudonym used to sign off on his gossip reports about Louis XIV’s court and Parisian society Oeil-de-boeuf is a circular window, often indoors, above a doorway. As a metaphor, it suggests gossip that is sexually tinged or embarrassing.
Americans may celebrate 1776 as the year of their nation’s birth. Still, Georges Touchard-Lafosse remembers it as a year of Parian scandal, particularly a pique-nique manqué known for its “first-class” debauchery attended by counts, dukes, and “famous courtesans of Paris.”
According to Touchard-Lafosse’s pique-nique, each male guest contributed five gold Louis (a hefty sum) for a sumptuously catered dinner and erotic theatrical entertainment provided by the courtesans supervised by the demi-monde hostess Madame Ervieux. The pique-nique was a success until agents of the king ended the party. Without skipping a beat, the enterprising Madam Ervieux donated food to a charity. Not to be outdone, the hapless men contributed, too, earning them the satiric sobriquet of Chevaliers de Saint-Louis.
See G. Touchard-Lafosse. Chroniques de l’Oeil-de-boeuf, des petits appartements de la Cour et des salons de Paris, sous Louis XIV, la Régence, Louis XV et Louis XVI. II. [1714-1789]