Tea at Trianon: Commode

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

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Commode

Madame Royale's commode from Versailles. For those who are wondering what an 18th century commode is, do read the following:

The word commode can refer to a either a chest of drawers, or a chest that enclosed toilets. While it originally started out as a chest of drawers or a cabinet for storing personal items, in early 18th century France, later on a commode was also used to house chamber pots. Hence the use of commode to denote toilets.

The word commode derives from the French word for "convenient" or "suitable".

Commodes were introduced in the 18th century in France and were both decorative and useful. A French commode is a low cabinet or chest of drawers, often with elaborate decoration and usually standing on cabriole legs or short feet. Earlier commodes had a bombé or convex shape with a flat back that went against the wall. Later the shape became more rectilinear, with straighter legs.

Commodes were meant to stand against the wall and had greater width than height. This piece of furniture provided convenient storage for articles while also providing a surface on top for placing additional items.

A commode often had a marble slab top and was displayed prominently. Sometimes they were paired with mirrors, and matching pairs of commodes were often used in a room. (Read entire article.)