Le rideau levé, ou l’éducation de Laure (The Curtain Lifted, or the Education of Laura) is a classic sexual awakening fantasy, almost certainly written in 1786 by Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, the Count of Mirabeau (1749–91), though some sources attribute it to his contemporary the Marquis de Sentilly. Mirabeau was a free-thinking French nobleman who was involved in numerous scandals before the start of the French Revolution in 1789. The revolution established his reputation as a successful orator and champion of the people, favouring a liberal constitutional monarchy.

Mirabeau wrote extensively on sexual freedom and exploration, L’éducation de Laure being his best-known work on the subject. Including incest, convent lesbianism and youthful defloration, Laure was a perfect vehicle for Suzanne Ballivet’s artistic imagination, resulting in some of her most explicit erotic images.

The Ballivet-illustrated edition of L’éducation de Laure was published by Les éditions du Priape d’Argent in a limited numbered edition of 223 copies.