Tea at Trianon: Scenes from 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

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Scenes from Petit Trianon

A young architect explores Marie-Antoinette's Petit Trianon, with some detailed photos the like of which I have never seen, especially those of the grand stair hall and the guard room.

Anonymous said...: How fun! Notice that the MA insignia, as shown on the stairs looks very much like the Ave Maria insignia most Catholics are familiar with (quick google search yielded this example: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2501/3817232789_bfa60dddc0_m.jpg )

And the fact that Antoinette gave those rooms to her guards truly shows the thoughtfulness and care she had even for her servants. What a regal lady, indeed! I imagine the thought never even occurred to Louis XV's mistress to do any such thing to alleviate the boredom of the guards!; February 3, 2010 at 7:59:00 PM EST
lara77 said...: I try to imagine the flicker of many candles, fresh flowers everywhere and the rustle of silk and taffeta as the Queen and her friends made the Petit Trianon a special retreat. It is amazing that architecture and furnishings created over 200 years ago are as beautiful as ever. Elegance and refinement never do go out of style.; February 4, 2010 at 8:16:00 AM EST