Inspired by the story of Esther Lachmann, better known as La Païva, the most famous French Courtesan, this series explores sexuality, promiscuity and opulence.

Having acquired extreme wealth by marrying some of Europe's richest men, La Païva reigned as a hostess at her luxurious mansion in Paris.

La Païva was known for the lavish literary Salon and fabulous feasts she hosted at Hôtel de la Païva at 25 Avenue des Champs-Elysées.

The Salon was frequented by prominent writers and artists, including Gustave Flaubert, Émile Zola, and Eugène Delacroix.

One of the most magnificent features of Hôtel de la Païva was the Napoleon III-style bathtub which was sculpted from a block of onyx marble.

La Paîva is said to have taken baths of milk, lime blossom, and even champagne.

The Winter Garden inside the Hôtel de la Païva was one of many examples of the courtesan's extravagant taste.

The garden boasted a variety of plants and offered the capacity to accommodate nine horses.

Author François Ponsard once said: "Ainsi que la vertu, le vice a ses degrés", meaning "Like virtue, vice has its degrees".

A cunning, promiscuous woman who seduced men for their wealth and titles, La Païva was also a poor immigrant dreaming of a better life: intelligent and cultured, a patron of the Arts, and a savvy investor.

While La Païva was known as "the queen of kept women", she was not considered conventionally beautiful.

One eyewitness observed: "On the surface, the face is that of a courtesan who will not be too old for her profession when she is a hundred years old; but underneath, another face is visible from time to time, the terrible face of a painted corpse".

According to legend, La Païva's body was preserved in embalming fluid and never buried.