Eminence (pronounced em-uh-nuhns)
(1) A position of superiority; high station, rank, or
repute.
(2) The quality or state of being eminent; Prominence in
a particular order or accumulation; esteem.
(3) In topography, a high place or part; a hill or
elevation; height.
(4) As a color, a dark or deep shade of purple.
(5) In anatomy, a protuberance.
(6) In the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church, a title
used to address or refer to a cardinal (in the form “eminence”, “your eminence”,
“his eminence” or “their eminences”).
(7) As “gray eminence” (the usual spelling of éminence grise), a “power behind the
throne”.
1375–1425: From the late Middle English eminence (projection, protuberance (and
by the early fifteenth century a “high or exalted position”)), from the Anglo-French,
from the Old French eminence, from the
Latin ēminēntia (prominence, protuberance;
eminence, excellence; a standing out, a distinctive feature, most conspicuous
part), the construct being equivalent to ēmin-
(base of ēminēre (to stand out) + -entia (-ence) (the noun suffix), from eminentem
(nominative eminens) (standing out,
projecting (and figuratively “prominent, distinctive”)), from an assimilated
form of the construct ex- (out) + -minere (related to mons (hill), from the primitive Indo-European root men- (to project). The adjective eminent dates from the early
fifteenth century and was used in the sense of “standing or rising above other
places; exceeding other things in quality or degree” and was from the thirteenth
century Old French éminent (prominent)
or directly from the Latin eminentem. From the 1610s, it came be used of those “distinguished
in character or attainments”. The noun pre-eminence
(also as pre-eminence) was known as early as the twelfth century and then meant
“surpassing eminence; superiority, distinction; precedence, a place of rank or
distinction”. It was from the Late Latin
praeeminentia (distinction,
superiority), from the Classical Latin praeeminentem
(nominative praeeminens), the present
participle of praeeminere (transcend,
excel (literally “project forward, rise above”)) the construct being prae (before) + eminere (stand out, project).
The alternative for eminency is listed usually as archaic or
obsolete. Synonyms include conspicuousness,
distinction, prominence, renown, celebrity, note & fame in the context of
status and elevation or prominence when applied to topography. Eminence & eminency are nouns, eminently
is an adverb and eminent is an adjective (and a non-standard noun); the noun
plural is eminences or eminencies.
The use in anatomy is to describe certain protuberances
including (1) hypothenar eminence (plural hypothenar eminences) (the ulnar side
of the human hand; the edge of the hand between the pinky and the outer side of
the wrist, (2) ileocecal eminence (plural ileocecal eminences) (the ileocecal
valve), (3) median eminence (plural median eminences) (part of the inferior
boundary for the hypothalamus in the human brain and (4) frontal eminence
(plural frontal eminences) (either of two rounded elevations on the frontal
bone of the skull (known also as the “tuber frontale”).
Extract from xona.com's color list.
As a name for a deep or dark shade of purple, name eminence has been in regular use since the nineteenth century and there have always been variations in the shades so described; on the color charts of different manufacturers, this continues. In digital use however, eminence as a shade of purple has been (more or less) standardized since 2001 when xona.com promulgated their influential color list. Although “eminence” is the form of address for a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church, it’s presumable this has no relationship with the color eminence because cardinals wear red and it’s the monsignors who don a purple which does look like the shade typically described as eminence. As far as is known, the name “monsignor” has never been applied to any shade. Monsignor is one of the honorary titles Popes for centuries granted to priests within their Papal Court and there were many degrees of these, conferred usually on priests worked closely with the Holy Father in Rome. Over time, the use of monsignor was expanded and could be granted to priests beyond Rome on the recommendation of a bishop. Recently, Pope Francis (b 1936; pope since 2013) has restricted this, returning to the older ways and this will have please some bishops, not all of whom were anxious to see too much purple in their diocese. The monsignor’s purple (which most would probably call a magenta) was connected to the tradition in the Roman empire to vest new dignitaries with a purple toga and in medieval heraldry the color symbolized justice, regal majesty and sovereignty although not so much should be made of this in the context of the Vatican’s choices in ecclesiastical fashion: Originally, it was never envisaged monsignors would wander far from the Holy See.
Pope Francis passes the coffin (casket) at the funeral of Cardinal George Pell (1941-2023), St Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican, January 2023.
Until the sixteenth century bishops wore green and this use persists on the traditional coat of arms that each bishop chooses when elected. In the 1500s, the switch was made to “amaranth red,” named after the amaranth flower although, despite the name, the actual hue is more like fuchsia but, being similar to a purple, church historians maintain there’s some symbolic value linking with the bishop being charged to govern his local diocese. Technically, the Holy See describes the color worn by cardinals as “scarlet” and their eminences are described as “princes” of the church although part of the mystique of the place is that the red symbolizes the blood they’re all supposed to be prepared to spill to defend the pope. When the Pope places the biretta (the hat with 3 or 4 stiffened corners worn as part of liturgical dress) on top of the cardinal’s head, he says, “(This is) scarlet as a sign of the dignity of the cardinalate, signifying your readiness to act with courage, even to the shedding of your blood, for the increase of the Christian faith, for the peace and tranquility of the people of God and for the freedom and growth of Holy Roman Church.” As a title of honor within the church, eminence was in use as early as the 1650s although apparently since the 1720s, the honorific has been exclusive to cardinals.
Cardinal Richelieu (1636), oil on canvas by Philippe de Champaigne (1602–1674) (left) and Engraving of Francois Leclerc du Tremblay (circa 1630) by an unknown artist.
The term gray eminence was from the French éminence grise, plural eminences grises or eminence grises (literally “grey eminence” and the French spelling is sometimes used in the English-speaking world). It was applied originally to François Leclerc du Tremblay (1577–1638), also known as Père Joseph, a French Capuchin friar who was the confidant and agent of Cardinal Richelieu (1585–1642), the chief minister of France under Louis XIII (1601–1643; King of France 1610-1643). The term refers to du Tremblay’s influence over the Cardinal (who bore the honorific of Eminence), and the colour of his habit (he wore gray). Aldous Huxley (1894–1963) sub-titled his biography of Leclerc (L'Éminence Grise (1941)): A Study in Religion and Politics. Huxley discussed the nature of both religion & politics, his purpose being to explore the relationship between the two and his work was a kind of warning to those of faith who are led astray by proximity to power.
Use of the term éminence grise suggests a shadowy, backroom operator who avoids publicity, operating in secret if possible yet exercising great influence over decisions, even to the point of being “the power behind the throne”. In this a gray eminence differs from a king-maker or a svengali is that those designations are applied typically to those who operate in the public view, even flaunting their power and authority. Probably the closest synonym of the gray eminence is a “puppetmaster” because of the implication of remaining hidden, and although never seen, the strings they pull are if one looks closely enough. The svengali was named for the hypnotist character Svengali in George du Maurier’s (1834–1896) novel Trilby (1894). Svengali seduced, dominated and manipulated Trilby who was a young, half-Irish girl, transforming her into a great singer but in doing so he made her utterly dependent on him and this ruthlessly he exploited.
The brown eminence
Bormann attached himself to the Nazi Party in the 1920s and proved diligent and industrious, rewarded in 1933 by being appointed chief of staff in the office of Rudolf Hess (1894–1987; Nazi Deputy Führer 1933-1941) where he first built his power base. After Hess bizarrely flew to Scotland in 1941, Hitler abolished the post of Deputy Führer, assigning his offices to Bormann and styling him Head of the Parteikanzlei (Party Chancellery), a position of extraordinary influence, strengthened further when in 1943 he was appointed Personal Secretary to the Führer, a title he exploited to allow him to act as a kind of viceroy, exercising power in Hitler’s name. Known within the party as the der brauner Schatten (the brown shadow) which was translated usually as “Brown Eminence” (an allusion to an éminence grise), he maintained his authority by controlling access to Hitler to whom his efficiency and dutifulness proved invaluable. The "brown" refers to the Nazi's brown uniforms, a color adopted not by choice but because when the cash-strapped party in the 1920s needed uniforms for their Sturmabteilung (The SA, literally "Storm Division" or Storm Troopers and known as the "brownshirts"), what were available cheaply and in bulk was the stock of brown army clothing intended for use in the tropical territories the Germans would have occupied had they won World War I (1914-1918). Bormann committed suicide while trying to make his escape from Berlin in 1945 although this wasn't confirmed until 1973.
Lindsay Lohan's inner eminence on film.
Lindsay Lohan (2011) by Richard Phillips & Taylor Steele.
Screened in conjunction with the 54th international exhibition of the Venice Biennale (June 2011), Lindsay Lohan was a short film the director said represented a “new kind of portraiture.” Filmed in Malibu, California, the piece was included in the Commercial Break series, presented by Venice’s Garage Center for Contemporary Culture and although the promotional notes indicated it would include footage of the ankle monitor she helped make famous, the device doesn't appear in the final cut.
At the festival, co-director Richard Phillips (b 1962) was interviewed by V Magazine and explained: “Lindsay has an incredible emotional and physical presence on screen. “[She] holds an existential vulnerability, while harnessing the power of the transcendental — the moment in transition. She is able to connect with us past all of our memory and projection, expressing our own inner eminence.”
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