Tea at Trianon: Venice's Hotel Bauer Palazzo

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, January 14, 2024

Venice's Hotel Bauer Palazzo

From Artnet:

The Hotel Bauer Palazzo, an iconic symbol of grandeur overlooking the Grand Canal in Venice, is embarking on an ambitious renovation project. In order to make room, the storied palace sold off many of its historic furnishings in a $1.6 million auction. The auction included more than 10,000 items from the interior of the Bauer, grouped into 4,000 lots ranging from Murano glassware to tableware, silks, textiles, and artisanal pieces of furniture commissioned from esteemed Venetian and Italian manufacturers.
[...]
Among the other treasures on offer are pieces from luxury textile houses Rubelli and Bevilacqua, upholsterer Alessandro Vianello, Italian furniture-maker Bussandri, and master glassmaker Seguso Vetri d’Arte, based on the famed island of Murano. Some of the more unique furnishings include curved Venetian chests of drawers and armchairs, as well as baroque-style cabinets from one of the Royal Suites. In addition, contemporary furniture from the terrace of the Settimo Cielo (Seventh Heaven) restaurant atop the Bauer is also available. The sale is a chance for collectors and design enthusiasts to acquire a piece of Venetian history from one of the most celebrated hotels in Venice. Previously, Artcurial sold the contents of other five-star hotels including the Hôtel de Crillon, Hôtel Plaza Athénée, and Hôtel Ritz Paris. (Read more.)