Tea at Trianon: Chambre de Madame de Pompadour

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, August 3, 2013

Chambre de Madame de Pompadour

Whatever else can be said about Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, she certainly had good taste. See more photos HERE. Share

6 comments:

tubbs said...: LOL, I would have expected something more 'Mae West.'; August 3, 2013 at 12:02:00 PM EDT
May said...: I love the soft green.; August 3, 2013 at 9:53:00 PM EDT
May said...: It's unfortunate, though, that Pompadour, too, was called 'Antoinette.'; August 3, 2013 at 9:57:00 PM EDT
Gio said...: Beautiful! That green shade is very pretty.; August 4, 2013 at 3:02:00 AM EDT
The North Coast said...: I would definitely not expect anything "Mae West" from Jeanne de Pompadour, who was known in her time for intelligence, taste, and discernment. She was highly educated and took a keen interest in literature, philosophy, art, theater, and politics from an early age. She actively promoted the arts and letters in France, and supported philosophers and men of letters, while also assisting in establishing the Sevres porcelain factory.

The blackest mark against her is her obscene extravagance. She cost the Crown much, much more than Marie Antoinette ever could, and her interventions in politics and foreign policy were not felicitous.

You could say many bad things about her: she was ruthless toward enemies, and descended to real lows in morality in her efforts to keep the King from losing interest in her and to hang onto her power. But you could not accuse her of the kind of cheerful vulgarity we associate with Mae West.; August 5, 2013 at 10:41:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Excellent summary. Thank you, NC.; August 6, 2013 at 4:46:00 PM EDT