Tea at Trianon: Wines for Versailles

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

Sunday, April 21, 2019

Wines for Versailles

From Architectural Digest:

In an ideal world, museums seeking to fund projects would tap enthusiastic donors, and the monies would simply appear. Today, however, cultural institutions are getting increasingly creative in order to reach out beyond their core supporters. Consider the intriguing initiatives that are fueling improvements at Château de Versailles, the French royal domain that’s so big—700 rooms, 2,000-plus acres—that “there is no shortage of urgent and exciting projects,” Catherine Pégard, the veteran political journalist who became the president of Versailles in 2016, told AD. “Versailles is unique not only in the immensity of its needs if it is to continue to live and flourish in this day and age but also in the extraordinary riches it has to offer to everyone, so it is only natural that our response should be a creative one.”

For the benefit of Versailles, Hermès once created a limited edition scarf, Guerlain conjured up a limited edition scent based on Marie Antoinette’s favorite flower (that would be jasmine), and Saint-Louis is working on glassware that looks to 18th- and early-19th century examples in Versailles’ collections. Then there’s Château Mouton Rothschild, the legendary, premier cru winery in Pauillac, France, near Bordeaux, which has partnered with Versailles for a series of wine auctions. Says Pégard, “The entire proceeds of this act of patronage will be devoted to the restoration and decoration of the Royal Apartments in the Palace of Versailles and the fountains in the Grand Trianon gardens.” (Read more.)