Tea at Trianon: King Louis XVI Returns to City Hall

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, December 3, 2020

King Louis XVI Returns to City Hall

From Leo Weekly:

A resolution to repair the King Louis XVI statue and reinstall it as quickly as possible outside of Metro Hall passed 6-4 out of a council committee Tuesday.

The marble depiction of the French ruler for whom Louisville was named was damaged by graffiti and lost a hand during protests over the police killing of Breonna Taylor earlier this year. It was removed on Sept. 3. The resolution to repair the statue now heads before Metro Council with amendments addressing concerns.

Sponsors of the resolution said that the quick restoration of the statue was important because the city must repair its property that is vandalized.

“Normally, when damage is done, especially when damage like this is done, as a result of the evenings that folks were expressing legitimate frustrations — windows were broken, graffiti was painted, things were burned — typically, when those things happen, you repair that damage, and you try to get back to some sense of community that appreciates and respects one another and the property that belongs to all of the citizens of Louisville,” said Councilman Kevin Kramer, R-District 11, the primary sponsor of the resolution.

Opponents of the resolution said they were concerned about prioritizing replacing the statue without a full assessment of its condition and cost. That assessment will contain a cost estimate, and it might say the statue is not durable enough to be returned outside.

“I think we’re just jumping ahead of things,” said Councilman Bill Hollander, D-District 9. “We’re saying, first of all, we want to restore it no matter what the cost. And two, we want to be at this location, even if it’s not the best location to preserve it in the future.”

In response to some concerns from colleagues, Kramer added two amendments. One stipulated that the mayor’s office would have to present the cost of repairing the statue to the council if it requires city funds to do so. The other amendment altered a sentence in the original resolution that said the mayor should pursue federal coronavirus-related funds, in addition to other third-party funds, before using city money to pay for the repairs. Now, the resolution says only that the mayor should first pursue philanthropic, federal and/or other third-party funds before dipping into municipal coffers.

The council did not address suggestions from some community members that the statue not be replaced at all.

In a recent interview with LEO, Ramona Lindsey, a member of the city’s Commission on Public Art, said the vandalism of the statue is a sign that the public might be divided on it — and that returning the statue to its prominent location might not be appropriate now. (Read more.)

julygirl said...: I am fed up hearing the President's enemies chide him for acting like a big baby about the election, and not conceding. (First of all, he is still President until the Electoral College meets and the next President is sworn in.) They are unable or unwilling to see that what has taken place affects us all for years to come. The most hypocritical statement yet is that the President is undermining our Democracy!; December 3, 2020 at 3:37:00 PM EST