Tea at Trianon: Marie-Antoinette: On Display at the V&A

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, September 20, 2025

Marie-Antoinette: On Display at the V&A

NOT Marie-Antoinette's wedding gown, but probably similar

Many of the items displayed have either a doubtful connection with Marie-Antoinette, or none at all. And it is not true that Queens of France were not crowned. Most were. Marie-Antoinette was not crowned because it was deemed too expensive. She did wear a special gown, though. As for her wedding gown, it no longer exists because it was made into vestments. From The Daily Mail:

The V&A's inimitable homage to the French queen Marie Antoinette, comes only months after its twinkling tribute to another French icon: Cartier; and this latest blockbuster is no less sparkling. It is also, surprisingly, the first ever UK exhibition dedicated to the tragic teen-Queen. But it is definitely worth the wait - and it's worth bearing in mind that the majority of her plethora of possessions disappeared or were destroyed while she and her husband, Louis XVI, were in prison.
And it is in this vein that one of the most magnificent of the 200 plus items did not belong to Marie Antoinette but is in fact the spectacular 1774 wedding gown of the future Queen Charlotte of Sweden. However thanks to the looters and rioters of the Revolution, this is the closest that we will get to that of the queen's. And resembles the dress worn by her in contemporary engravings.nd it is cleverly displayed in a room of mirrors, obviously nodding to the most famous of the 2300 rooms at the Palais de Versailles (several of which might well have gaping holes on their walls thanks to the 17 portraits of its most famous resident that are hanging here - more below), which only makes the diamond-encrusted dress even more regal. Which was intentional.
The queens of France were not crowned, there were no elaborate coronation gowns like in the United Kingdom, so their wedding gowns would be the most significant dress that they would ever wear.
The skirt and train (attached to the waist with metal hooks) of the silk dress are so heavily brocaded with silver and gold, and in the queen's case diamonds, that it would be have incredibly cumbersome to walk in - ironically might have felt like walking in chains.
They were also as wide as the dress was high, because of panniers, a frame below the skirts that extended them horizontally to show off the expensive fabric and emphasise wealth and status, creating an exaggerated silhouette that was fashionable at the formal court occasions. Visitors will be astounded by the width of the waist, of this robe de cour: wasp-like thanks to being almost vacuumed packed into it. (Read more.)

From Marie-Antoinette's traveling case

The "breast-bowls" were not modeled from Marie-Antoinette's breast, the Queen being almost neurotically modest. They were to be found at Rambouillet, which was the dairy of Louis XVI. The royal dairies undertook to glamorize agriculture in order to encourage the nobles to imitate such endeavors and become self-sufficient. From ArtNet:

Though very few items from Marie Antoinette’s wardrobe survive, her shoes are among the most coveted items. At one time, she received four new pairs each week. These pink silk slippers decorated with very fine black beads were worn with the grand habit, the most formal type of court dress. Like many of her peers, the queen perfected the so-called “Versailles glide,” a particularly graceful way of walking that gives the impression of feet barely touching the ground.
Marie Antoinette’s famous bol-sein, or “breast bowl,” was part of a larger porcelain service of 108 pieces commissioned for her charming ceremonial dairy at Rambouillet, the King’s holiday getaway outside Paris. Though functional, the dairy was primarily intended for the Queen to indulge in the late 18th-century fashion for tasting dairy products.

The design is a much more realistic interpretation of a classical Greek “mastos” drinking vessel, similarly shaped like a woman’s breast. The Sèvres example’s greater naturalism has caused many to speculate that it was modeled on Marie Antoinette’s own breast. The bowl is supported by a tripod decorated with ram heads. (Read more.)

a pair of shoes displayed against a pain beige background, they are clearly very old and they have detailing in black

Yes, these are the Queen's mules.

Actually, the Queen's taste was not as much "flamboyant" as it was elegant and understated. From Tatler:

Throughout some 250 pieces, Marie Antoinette’s penchant for the finer things in life are flamboyantly - and fabulously - evident. While her lavish tendencies are what ultimately landed her in haute water when it came to her dwindling public image, she was undeniably a force of new-world glamour, having her courtiers travel the world to find what was next in sumptuous style, often from over here in old Blighty. ‘She was a total Anglophile. A huge aspect of her modernity is her love of everything English, because England was the most modern country in Europe at that time, and London was the most modern city,’ confirmed Dr Grant. (Read more.)