LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Courtesan
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A true “Courtesan” is someone who is more beautiful inside than she is outside, regardless of how beautiful she might be… She is often unaware of the extent of her outer beauty. She ... chooses to be a pleasure provider and sexual healer, she is not someone who “has” to do things she does not enjoy. She derives unique pleasure from knowing she has made a positive difference in her gentleman's life. The donation received is simply the "cherry on top", she is not concerned with the money so much as the mutual joy and quality of pleasure that can be achieved.
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While the old model of the Courtesan royal still exists, it is somewhat rare. With the fall of most Monarchies and the rise of democratic societies, the role of the courtesan changed. In government, they have acted as spies such as was alleged with Mata Hari. Courtesans are not necessarily kept for the purpose of companionship or sexual pleasure. Source: wikipedia.org
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Courtesan cultures have emerged powerfully in various times and places, often generating antagonisms and debate in environments where sexual politics have been highly charged. Invariably, too, these courtesan cultures have strongly emphasized the arts. This cross-cultural conference on "The Courtesan’s Arts" integrates performance and scholarship to explore how writing, music, dance, and painting, as cultivated by courtesans, have been related to wider cultural and political problems.
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[B]egins In the Company of the Courtesan, Sarah Dunant's epic novel of life in Renaissance Italy. Escaping the sack of Rome in 1527, with their stomachs churning on the jewels they have swallowed, the courtesan Fiammetta and her dwarf companion, Bucino, head for Venice, the shimmering city born out of water to become a miracle of east-west trade: rich and rancid, pious and profitable, beautiful and squalid.
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As women couldn't own property in Greece, they lived within an “economy of gifts”, and in this economy jewels became an important part of a courtesan's wealth and portfolio. Phryne was the most famous such courtesan, and by all accounts one of the most manipulative of ancient Greece, and is widely believed to have been the model for the sculpture of Venus. As with many of her persuasion she made frequent court appearances. Phryne was the subject of one of the most famous trials of ancient Greece accused of “introducing false gods”. Legend has it that her consort Hyperides defended her, and, failing to make an impact with the jurors reached over to expose her breasts. This according to legend inspired the jurors with “religious awe" and she was acquitted.
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[I]s the reader catapulted into Sarah Dunant’s second historical novel, In the Company of the Courtesan, on the heels of her bestselling The Birth of Venus. Setting a pace that never subsides, her latest story, told by Bucino, dwarf and faithful servant to Roman courtesan Fiammetta, chronicles trials endured following the brutal 1527 sack of Rome. The duo flee the destroyed city with little more than their lives and several hastily swallowed jewels, making their way to Fiammetta’s native Venice. Here they will recover, then attempt to reclaim their livelihood and fortunes.
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