Tea at Trianon: Modern and Marie-Antoinette Inspired

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

Monday, April 30, 2018

Modern and Marie-Antoinette Inspired

From Maison Global:

No matter the room, Ms. Bikoff loves mixing modern and antique pieces. Her bedroom is no exception. “This is one of my favorite rooms as it reminds me of a more modern Marie Antoinette-inspired space,” she said. “A few amazing pieces live in my bedroom, like the chrome bench covered in Marc Jacobs ruffled velvet fabric and a Chinese black rug from the 1920s. The bedside table is a special piece because I added the floating glass top myself. It makes that space on either side of my bed feel more contemporary, due to the glossy surface atop the velvet cheetah-printed Italian side tables. When turned on, the Victorian heart lamp radiates the most beautiful pink hue and adds a romantic yet charming feel to the whole room.” The 18th century vanity, sourced at a Paris flea market, is a treasured piece, one that Ms. Bikoff thinks every woman should have. “I put the amethyst crystal knobs on and then I did the chair with the Hermès scarf stool,” she said. “I love that this vanity is such a throwback. I love things that make you feel nostalgic, and when you sit there and do your makeup, you feel so glamorous, like Marie Antoinette or Marilyn Monroe.” (Read more.)