Tea at Trianon: Antiquity at Versailles

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, October 10, 2012

Antiquity at Versailles

Andiron from Marie-Antoinette's bedchamber

There is a new exhibition at Versailles about how the art of ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt influenced the decor of the palace and gardens.

A world dominated by the figure of Apollo and designed for the Sun King, the Palace of Versailles is packed with references to Greek and Roman Antiquity and mythology.

From the collections of antique pieces amassed by the kings to the outstanding decorative work featuring the gods and heroes of the Pantheon, this exhibition explores all the relations between Versailles and Antiquity.

For the first time since the Revolution, the Diana of Versailles, the Venus of Arles, the Cincinnatus and some of the most prestigious antiques of the Louvre museum return to Versailles.

Also for the first time, sets of works hitherto scattered around different institutions are brought together again and works invisible to the public for decades are once again on view.

The exhibition design by the theatre and ballet director Pier Luigi Pizzi creates surprises and exciting effects in its original display of the works. The exhibition thus gives us a graphic reminder of the atmosphere that reigned during the monarchical period in the Palace of Versailles, a theatre dedicated to the royal glory whose aesthetic themes were dominated by permanent references to the world of Antiquity.

Practical information
Exhibition from 13 November 2012 to 17 March 2013
Africa and Crimea rooms
Admission included in the Palace and Passport tickets (Read entire post.)