The petit appartement de la reine was a suite of rooms at Versailles used by the Queens of France in their private hours. Since the state rooms were open to the public, even the Queen's bedroom, it was necessary to have a place to go for minimal privacy. In Marie-Antoinette's time the petit appartement de la reine consisted of two libraries, a bathroom, le Salon Doré and the boudoir, called la Méridienne. In 1781 Louis XVI ordered the architect Mique to design the small octagonal chamber for Marie-Antoinette in honor of birth of their first son the dauphin Louis-Joseph. It was a place for the Queen to rest in the afternoons after dinner and before the festivities of the evening. It was also the place where she received her dressmaker and decided which clothes she was going to wear to certain events. The Salon Doré on the other hand, was where the Queen would recieve guests and those who sought her patronage or benefaction.
La Méridienne was decorated in grenadine blue silk and in spite of the destruction of revolutions and centuries, has been skillfully recreated by French craftsmen.
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7 comments:
Beautiful!
Stunning! magnificent yet at the same time restful.
Yes, I think it's the blue that achieves that double effect.
it's amazing in that, although her detractors accused her of living in opulence, the queen was content in live in relatively small quarters even in the main palace of versailles.
Yes, very small quarters, much smaller than they appear in the photos.
I know why Her Majesty's favorite color was blue; it is so soothing and elegant. I am struck again by what exquisite taste Queen Marie Antoinette had in her decorative choices. Thank you Elena Maria for posting these lovely photos.
Hi Lara77. I also admire the bleus, muted greys, and mint shades Queen Marie Antoinette favored. I am searching for the 'right bleu' to paint my room with, one very much like the shades she used. I brought home a color tab of Ralph Lauren "Light Sky," or Ciel Pale in french. While it is a most pleasing shade, it is not quite 'Marie Antoinette french bleu,' if you will. Behr's "French Court" also did not quite do it for me.
Does anyone have any suggestions for paint shades and/or brands to achieve that beautiful Marie Antoinette bleu??
Sincere thanks, and thanks to Elena Maria for always providing such lovely articles.
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