Tea at Trianon: Raphael's Last Paintings

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

Thursday, June 4, 2020

Raphael's Last Paintings

From Vatican News:

The allegories of Justice (Latin: Iustitia) and Friendship (Comitas) likely represent the last work of Raphael before his death in 1520. These two figures were painted in oil alongside the frescos in the Hall of Constantine in the Vatican. The exceptional discovery is the result of a careful restoration begun in March 2015. Restoration work has so far been executed on three of walls of the great Hall, which measures 18 by 12 meters with a height of about 13 meters. The Hall of Constantine was destined by Pope Leo X (Medici) for meetings with representatives and diplomats. Restoration efforts have been carried out over the past 5 years by the Restoration Laboratory of the Vatican Museums with the support of the Patrons of the Arts. Francesca Persegati leads the composed of experts coordinated by Fabio Piacentini under the scientific direction of Guido Cornini.

The paintings were meant to be unveiled on 20 April during an international conference to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Raphael's death. Due to the coronavirus emergency, the event was cancelled. The canvases which had covered the paintings were removed on the morning of Wednesday, 13 May, in the presence of the director of the Vatican Museums, Barbara Jatta, and about 20 other people, including technicians and experts. (Read more.)

More HERE. And HERE. Share