Tea at Trianon: The Real Richard III

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, December 1, 2018

The Real Richard III

From The Daily Mail:

Steve Beer, who owns fine art gallery The Medieval Gallery in Dunster, Somerset is set to host a major event on December 1, called 'Picturing Richard's World'. Featuring artwork displays and talks by experts, he says it may 'radically overturn' the image most people have of the controversial king. Mr Beer said: 'This event offers a rare opportunity to see artistic interpretations of the latest scientific evidence and modern historical research. 'Richard III has been demonised by generations of historians, artists and playwrights as the sinister, physically misshapen figure who murdered his nephews - the Princes in the Tower. He told MailOnline the new exhibition is a 'complete re-writing of this part of history'. (Read more.)