Tea at Trianon: Le Petit Trianon

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Le Petit Trianon

It's restored and open to the public. More HERE. Share

7 comments:

Ann Murray said...: I do hope you get the chance to visit sometime, Elena, and of course you must not forget to have tea.
The diminutive theatre sounds delightful - a real treat for any visitor especially a child or those who are children at heart.; September 27, 2008 at 7:07:00 AM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Yes, I wish I could go soon! When I was last there in 1999, the house itself was closed.; September 27, 2008 at 8:22:00 AM EDT
Unknown said...: It looks charming--a refreshing respite from the opulent formality of Versailles.; September 27, 2008 at 12:59:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Yes. Pictured is Marie-Antoinette's bedroom at Petit Trianon. The photo makes it look larger than it actually is.; September 27, 2008 at 1:04:00 PM EDT
Anonymous said...: How so very simple, not fussy at all. And so tasteful.

~Georgette; September 27, 2008 at 10:17:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Yes, the queen's taste was exquisite; she loved the simplicity of white.; September 27, 2008 at 10:28:00 PM EDT
Alexandra said...: I like the white as well - very soothing. I can't wait to take the children. I just need to get the passports renewed! So expensive these days.; September 28, 2008 at 12:52:00 AM EDT