Tea at Trianon: The Allure of Monograms

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, December 3, 2014

The Allure of Monograms

From Victoria:

It is difficult to put into words the allure of a monogram. Is it found in the beauty of hand-engraved script on polished silver, in the loops and flourishes of letters intertwining to transform a simple series of initials into fine art? Is the answer etched in history—marking the rise and fall of kingdoms through royal insignias on coins and crests? Perhaps the appeal stems from pride of family and an innate need for connection. Or, as evidenced by artists of old who used Phoenician letterforms to sign their creations, is the value derived from the satisfaction of self-expression?

We find the imprint of monograms throughout history, but for many centuries, the practice was a rite reserved for the privileged few. During the Middle Ages, this script conveyed prestige for people of wealth, nobility, or royalty—a favor denied lower echelons in fourteenth-century England. Gradually, the accessibility of monograms expanded, and by the time of Queen Victoria’s reign, all classes embraced the custom with increasingly elaborate interpretations.

Given their eternal popularity and historical prevalence, perhaps there is little need to explain the affection for monograms, after all. Whether appreciated for its intrinsic beauty, regal heritage, or ancestral significance, the art form continues to flourish. And with so many options for creating a custom cipher, the splendor of a monogram simply speaks for itself. (Read more.)