who presided over the first of the salons that dominated the intellectual life of 17th-century Paris. The Hôtel de Rambouillet was at the height of its influence between 1620 and 1645 and was frequented by such figures as the playwright Corneille, the writer Madame de Sévigné, and the clergyman Bossuet. The Marquise sought to promote philosophical conversation, refinement, and good taste, earning her the description précieuse, later mocked in Molière’s comedy Les Précieuses Ridicules.