The Lineage of Longevity: A Heritage of Court Craft

The following record traces a continuous thread of vitality through the ages, from the towering figures of antiquity to the very masters of my own lineage. It is a testament to the efficacy of our philosophy. Historically, those who dedicated themselves to this court craft lived an average of 18.9 years longer than the healthy adults of their time.

Even my own Master, who achieved a remarkable age, did not possess the medical advantages available to us today. This suggests that the potential for a long, productive life is greater now than ever before for those who follow these principles.

The Masters of Antiquity

These early practitioners laid the intellectual and physical foundations of our tradition:

Gorgias (c. 483 – 375 BC): Lived to 108 years (+48 years).
Sophocles (c. 497 – 406 BC): Lived to 91 years (+31 years).
Democritus (c. 460 – 370 BC): Lived to 90 years (+30 years).
Isocrates (436 – 338 BC): Lived to 98 years (+38 years).
Plato (c. 427 – 347 BC): Lived to 80 years (+20 years).
Xenophon (c. 430 – 354 BC): Lived to 76 years (+16 years).
Diogenes (c. 412 – 323 BC): Lived to 89 years (+29 years).
Xenocrates (396 – 314 BC): Lived to 82 years (+22 years).
Lysippos (c. 390 – 300 BC): Lived to 90 years (+30 years).
Pyrrho (c. 360 – 270 BC): Lived to 90 years (+30 years).

The Medieval and Cathedral Builders

The master masons of my lineage whose physical endurance was sustained by their court craft:

Robert de Bessie: Lived to 70 years (+25 years).
Hughes de Payens: Lived to 66 years (+21 years).
Robert de Craon: Lived to 77 years (+32 years).
Bernard de Tremelay: Lived to 62 years (+17 years).
Andre d’Montbard: Lived to 53 years (+8 years).
Bertrand de Blanchard: Lived to 60 years (+15 years).
Philippe de Milley: Lived to 51 years (+6 years).
Simon de Marche: Lived to 68 years (+23 years).
Roger Montseveroux: Lived to 65 years (+20 years).
James St. George: Lived to 79 years (+34 years).
Ralph Tote: Lived to 63 years (+18 years).
Walter the Mason: Lived to 58 years (+13 years).
William de Ramesey: Lived to 49 years (+4 years).
John the Mason: Lived to 64 years (+19 years).
Thomas Mapilton: Lived to 60 years (+15 years).
Jos. the Florentine: Lived to 70 years (+25 years).
Vitaro of Tuscany: Lived to 68 years (+23 years).
Joseph Tannier: Lived to 72 years (+27 years).
John Ellis: Lived to 75 years (+30 years).
William Langlois: Lived to 67 years (+22 years).
Michel Villedo: Lived to 69 years (+24 years).
F. Patenaude: Lived to 74 years (+29 years).
Jacque Gosselin: Lived to 71 years (+26 years).
Yan of Rochelle: Lived to 66 years (+21 years).
Vero de Pons: Lived to 72 years (+27 years).
Pierre Belanger: Lived to 76 years (+31 years).
Martin Nadaud de Creuse: Lived to 83 years (+38 years).
George Sharpe: Lived to 61 years (+16 years).
Robert Rae: Lived to 49 years (+4 years).

The Early Renaissance Lineage

Andrea Orcagna (1308–1368): Lived to 60 years (+15 years).
Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378–1455): Lived to 77 years (+16 years).
Donatello (1386–1466): Lived to 80 years (+19 years).
Luca della Robbia (1399–1482): Lived to 82 years (+21 years).
Agostino di Duccio (1418–1481): Lived to 63 years (+23 years).
Francesco Laurana (1430–1502): Lived to 72 years (+32 years).
Andrea del Verrocchio (1435–1488): Lived to 53 years (+13 years).
Niccolò dell’Arca (1435–1494): Lived to 59 years (+19 years).
Andrea della Robbia (1435–1525): Lived to 90 years (+28 years).
Benedetto da Maiano (1442–1497): Lived to 55 years (+15 years).
Tullio Lombardo (1455–1532): Lived to 77 years (+17 years).

The 16th and 17th Century Pioneers

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564): Lived to 88 years (+25 years).
Jacopo Sansovino (1486–1570): Lived to 84 years (+21 years).
Baccio Bandinelli (1493–1560): Lived to 67 years (+4 years).
Benvenuto Cellini (1500–1571): Lived to 70 years (+20 years).
Alessandro Vittoria (1525–1608): Lived to 83 years (+20 years).
Giovanni da Bologna (1529–1608): Lived to 79 years (+16 years).
Inigo Jones (1573–1652): Lived to 78 years (+18 years).
Pietro Tacca (1577–1640): Lived to 63 years (+18 years).
Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680): Lived to 82 years (+18 years).
Ercole Ferrata (1610–1686): Lived to 76 years (+12 years).
Cosimo Fancelli (1618–1688): Lived to 70 years (+6 years).
Sir Christopher Wren (1632–1723): Lived to 90 years (+30 years).
Antoine Coysevox (1640–1720): Lived to 80 years (+26 years).
Grinling Gibbons (1648–1721): Lived to 73 years (+19 years).
Balthasar Permoser (1651–1732): Lived to 81 years (+17 years).
Nicholas Hawksmoor (1661–1736): Lived to 75 years (+15 years).

The 18th Century and Neoclassical Masters

James Gibbs (1682–1754): Lived to 71 years (+11 years).
William Kent (1685–1748): Lived to 63 years (+3 years).
John Michael Rysbrack (1694–1770): Lived to 76 years (+12 years).
John Wood the Elder (1704–1754): Lived to 49 years (-11 years).
Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne (1704–1778): Lived to 74 years (+14 years).
Jean-Baptiste Pigalle (1714–1785): Lived to 71 years (+16 years).
Étienne Maurice Falconet (1716–1791): Lived to 75 years (+16 years).
Sir William Chambers (1723–1796): Lived to 73 years (+13 years).
John Wood the Younger (1728–1782): Lived to 54 years (-6 years).
Robert Adam (1728–1792): Lived to 63 years (+3 years).
Joseph Nollekens (1737–1823): Lived to 85 years (+21 years).
George Dance the Younger (1741–1825): Lived to 83 years (+23 years).
Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741–1828): Lived to 87 years (+22 years).
Henry Holland (1745–1806): Lived to 61 years (+0 years).
John Nash (1752–1835): Lived to 83 years (+23 years).
Sir John Soane (1753–1837): Lived to 83 years (+23 years).
John Flaxman (1755–1826): Lived to 71 years (+11 years).
Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770–1844): Lived to 73 years (+13 years).
Christian Daniel Rauch (1777–1857): Lived to 80 years (+19 years).
Sir Robert Smirke (1780–1867): Lived to 86 years (+26 years).
Sir Francis Chantrey (1781–1841): Lived to 60 years (+16 years).

The Modern Guardians and Personal Lineage

These names bring the tradition into the present day, including those who directly shaped the practice of court craft for the current generation:

John Gibson (1790–1866): Lived to 76 years (+18 years).
Antoine-Louis Barye (1795–1875): Lived to 79 years (+19 years).
Decimus Burton (1800–1881): Lived to 81 years (+21 years).
Hiram Powers (1805–1873): Lived to 68 years (+14 years).
William Wetmore Story (1819–1895): Lived to 76 years (+15 years).
Harriet Hosmer (1830–1908): Lived to 78 years (+16 years).
Auguste Rodin (1840–1917): Lived to 77 years (+22 years).
Daniel Chester French (1850–1931): Lived to 81 years (+15 years).
Sir Alfred Gilbert (1854–1934): Lived to 80 years (+14 years).
Aristide Maillol (1861–1944): Lived to 82 years (+14 years).
Sir William Reid Dick (1879–1961): A master of my lineage who lived to 83 years (+15 years).
Pablo Picasso (1881–1973): Lived to 91 years (+21 years).
Henry Moore (1898–1986): Lived to 88 years (+17 years).
Barbara Hepworth (1903–1975): Lived to 72 years (+10 years).
Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010): Lived to 98 years (+28 years).
Richard (Dick) Bradbeer (1935–2026): A master of my lineage who lived to 91 years (+19 years).
Peter Ellot (b. 1947): Lived to 79 years (+7 years).

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