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Showing posts with label Petite Trianon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Petite Trianon. Show all posts
Bonjour my friends! I am of course a huge fan of the very talented Mr. Karl Lagerfeld. I love his designs, his vision, his creativity, and his photography. I have many times swooned over his perfect editorial pages and his ads (for example his gorgeous photos for the Dom Perignon ads). However, this must be my favorite!
This photo shoot by the world-famous couturier takes place on the grounds of one of my favorite locales...Versailles. I can't imagine a more breath taking backdrop than the gardens of Versailles for any photo. 
The shoot was inspired by the outrageous and fashionable Marie~Antoinette and is just beautiful. 
Models: Jessica Stam and Snejana Onopka.
I love this one...
This one reminds me of Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face
I do believe that the next time I visit I shall dress in couture and commission a hat from my local millinery designer, feathers and all! A dream, I know...:)All photos taken by Karl Lagerfeld and published in the Harper's Bazaar Romania
Photo via My Fashion Life
Bonjour my friends! After months and months of waiting...This morning I breathlessly typed in the website address....There it was ~ better than I ever could have imagined! The Christian Louboutin website !!! Okay, so it officially launched on January 29th, but I've been out of the loop lately and a little behind. It is fun, whimsy, and fabulous! Just like his shoes. I'm in love...with at least 30 pairs. *sigh*
From the TimesI was actually inspired to go look at the sight after reading Kelli's latest fabulous post at A Rendez~Vous With Style. She talks about Louboutin's Marie~Antoinette inspired collection. What could be better than that, Marie~Antoinette, shoes, and a French designer? It sounds heavenly to me! Thanks Kelli! A poke around her site is so much fun! I especially love all of the Parisian tidbits and vintage finds! She is a girl after my own heart!
The man and Legend~Christian Louboutin
Photo from the NY Times
The website was launched with a huge party in Paris (I wonder if the gift bags included a pair of shoes)? They set the city ablaze with fireworks and partied all night long. Louboutin was quoted saying that "dawn never looked so beautiful in Paris".
A Louboutin Boutique
Ny Times showcasing the Ribbon shoe!
The inception of Louboutin's trademark red sole is somewhat vague, but it seems that he was inspired to paint the sole of his shoe red after seeing an assistant painting her nails (red) while he was working on a shoe design. He immediately seized the bottle of nail polish and painted it directly on to the sole of the (prototype) shoe. Being pleased with the effect, he originally planned to paint all of his shoes with different coloured soles, however, after seeing the popularity of the red soled shoe he abandoned this idea, and allowed the red sole to become his signature.~Excerpt from Wikipedia
At the Rodarte show
xoxo,
Judith~
The furniture in Versailles is some of the loveliest I have ever seen in person. Unfortunately, most of the original furnishings and decorations are gone forever. Versailles was a symbol of all the Revolution was against, and the Revolution stripped it bare. It was stripped it of its art, the Mona Lisa, the Titians, the Rubenses and so much more were carted off to the Louvre and other museums. The tapestries were burned to recover their gold and silver thread to help fund the expensive Revolution. 
The furnishings were more or less well inventoried, some of them were put in storage and some were sent to government buildings, but the most of them were put up for public sale to help pay for the mounting costs of Revolution. The Revolutionary leaders were eager to see the last of Versailles and all its reminders of autocracy so they preferred foreign buyers to buy the objects from the palace and enticed them by selling them tax free, they came from all over Europe and America to take advantage of this. Much of today's Buckingham Palace is a legacy of the taste of the Prince of Wales whose agents took away shiploads of Versailles treasures.
The furnishings were more or less well inventoried, some of them were put in storage and some were sent to government buildings, but the most of them were put up for public sale to help pay for the mounting costs of Revolution. The Revolutionary leaders were eager to see the last of Versailles and all its reminders of autocracy so they preferred foreign buyers to buy the objects from the palace and enticed them by selling them tax free, they came from all over Europe and America to take advantage of this. Much of today's Buckingham Palace is a legacy of the taste of the Prince of Wales whose agents took away shiploads of Versailles treasures. 
A poster advertising the sale of the furniture and effects of the person referred to as the "So-Called Queen" took place on Sunday, August 25, 1793 - seven months after the execution of her husband and two months before her own death on the scaffold. In small print at the bottom of the poster it states that any items bought at the sale could be taken abroad tax-free.
Commissioned for Marie~Antoinette it bears the royal markingsIn Louis XIV's great days, the state furniture of Versailles was all in massive solid silver ~ tables, armchairs, sideboards, mirrors, sconces, hundreds of pieces. All of these pieces were melted down in 1690 to help pay for the king's disastrous wars and replaced by wood pieces.
This table probably came from the Trianon de Porcelaine, which is now where the Grand Trianon stands, a small house built for the King's mistress, Madame de Montespan. This table's marquetry of ivory and horn, painted blue underneath, would have followed the chateau's blue and white color scheme, imitating blue and white Chinese porcelain, a fashionable and highly prized material at the time. The table's top may be raised to form an angled reading or writing stand, while a drawer at the side is fitted for writing equipment. It is now housed in the Getty.
I always wondered how the Belvedere was furnished and now I have an idea after finding this chair, also housed in the Getty. This chair was part of a suite of eight side chairs and eight armchairs made for Queen Marie-Antoinette. Designed in the Neoclassical style with carved bands of ivy, laurel wreaths, and fluting, they stood in the salon du rocher of the Belvedere Pavilion located in the gardens of the palace of Versailles.
This might be might favorite, not because of its aesthetic but because of its history. Marie-Antoinette sat in this very chair while her servants arranged her hair and applied her makeup in her bedroom at the Petit Trianon. Known as a chaise de toilette, its swivel mechanism and low back were specially designed for performing the daily rituals of dressing. It is finely carved with bands of lily of the valley and ivy. This chair was part of a set of furniture delivered to the palace in 1787 that also included two armchairs, two side chairs, a fire screen, and a stool. The bed from the set is missing, but the rest remains at the Petit Trianon. The other pieces retain the original pastel-colored paint in yellow, blue, green, and white that has unfortunately been stripped from this chair.
This is a chaise à la reine, they were generally low and comfortably padded. This chair was once part of a fifteen-piece suite of seating furniture acquired secondhand from the upholsterer Claude-François Capin for Louis XVI at the palace of Versailles. 
Jean-Henri Reisener was just one of many who supplied the Royal household with luxurious furnishings. He is best known for the artistry of his marquetry and his specialty, mechanical tables with secret compartments. As Versailles' supplier of the Garde-Meuble Royal until 1785, Reisener supplied Marie-Antoinette and other high-ranking members of the court with countless pieces. ~Wikipedia (if you look him up her there are links to museums, where you can see his work, many of the pieces were for Marie~Antoinette). He was one of many cabinet makers who made furniture for the Monarchs of Versailles.
Founded by Louis XIV, the Garde Meuble was responsible for supplying the King, his family and the household with all of the movable elements of decoration: textiles, furniture, lighting accessories, table wares, silver and carpets. The Garde Meuble was responsible for keeping the Royal house up to date on trends and new styles of cabinet making. Could you just imagine being the "Interior Designer" to the King of France! How fun!
All of the furniture (including carpets, jewels, object d'art, etc.) for the Royal residences were inventoried in what is called the Journal du Garde Meuble for the years 1666-1792. Available to view at The Wallace Collection in England. All of these items of furniture were marked with their inventory numbers and the location they were to be (for example PT would indicate that the piece would reside in the Petite Trianon). If a piece like this goes up for auction and it is marked and located in the Journal, it can fetch quite a high price. This has also made it easier for historians to locate some of the furniture and bring it back to Versailles. It helps to authenticate the items as well. 
This is the marking on the base of the above armoire that once belonged to Marie~Antoinette. The "W" signified it belonged to Versailles. Well, again, my friends, I could write volumes about just this one subject. It seems as though every thing I read turns up an entirely new world and more things I would like to read about! I could never have the time for this luxury! It is so much. So, I will leave you with this.
Photos via Flickr, the Met, and the Getty museum
Have a beautiful day! We are having some earthquakes this evening, so to all of you who may have felt them, I hope you have a good night with very little rocking, rolling, and shaking! 
Bisou Mon Amis!
The Petite TrianonHello Dear Friends! As promised, more on Versailles. Today, I was reading about the Petite Trianon and remembering how much fun I had rambling through the gardens and playing at the Grotto. It has been many years since I have been in Versailles but if I close my eyes, I can still picture myself there as though it were yesterday. I have not been there since the Petite Trianon has been restored, so to learn about it and see the photos is so interesting to me. It makes me ache to go back to France even more now (is that possible)?
Another view of the Trianon. This tree was planted in 1774
The Petite Trianon is a tiny chateau that was origionally built for Madame de Pompadour and upon her death (she died 4 years before its completion) Louis XV gave it to his new favorite Madame du Barry. The charming little palace was given to Marie~Antoinette by Louis XVI in June of 1774 legend has it that the King uttered these words to her "You love flowers Madame, and so I have a bouquet to give you, this pleasure house is yours". With that he handed her the key to the Petite Trianon on a ribbon graced with 531 diamonds.
The Main Stairway ~ The banister with the famous MA pattern has been refurbished
Here at the Trianon, the Queen was free to do what she pleased away from that pesky court formality. She held a very private existence here and none were permitted to enter without the Queen's express permission (not even, it was said, Louis XVI). Such exclusivity alienated the court nobility since only the queen's "inner circle" including the Princess de Lamballe, and Gabrielle de Polastron, duchesse de Polignac were invited. Louis never slept here and when he did come to visit her, she and her friends would turn the clocks up so he would leave earlier! All was done "de par la Reine" (by order of the Queen) at the Trianon.
Marie~Antoinette longed for the privacy she so lacked at court so she had a system of mirrored panels that, by the simple turning of a crank, could be raised or lowered to obscure the windows and thus providing a bit of privacy. In this time this was a very advanced idea!
The famous and innovative "Mechanical Room". It caused much gossip among the nobles who not privy to the an invitation to the Trianon.
Also, in the quest for privacy she had begun work on a "floating table" in the salles à manger, conceived to be mobile, mechanically lowered and raised through the floorboards so that the servants below could set places unseen. The tables were never built, but the delineation for the mechanical apparatus can still be seen from the foundation.
MArie~Antoinette's bedroom as it is seen today after the refurbishment. Much different from when I last saw it. So pretty and dainty! What a contrast from her bedroom in the main palace.
The Petite Trianon has recently undergone an extensive renovation. They opened the doors on October 2nd, a very symbolic date because it was three days before the anniversary of her departure from Versailles in 1789. The chief designer for the project said, "We wanted to stop the story at that time, as if we said to visitors: the queen is not there, take it. For the first time, all the interior of the building, garden and the French Pavilion is accessible."
Before, as I remember, it was possible to visit the apartments of the Queen, the "noble floor", and the staircase. I believe that the ticket kiosk was in one of the servants quarters.
The scenery, paint and wallpaper have been restored, they refurbished the apartments with much of the original furniture. The staircase and wrought iron ramp have been refurbished. The ground floor, is now as it was at the end of the Ancien Regime, it is the guard room, billiard room, a réchauffoir with the furnace room and called silverware, here you can see two sets of manufacture de Sevres, including the bust "in pearls and barbels," commissioned by Marie-Antoinette in 1781. 
In the upper levels, is the bedroom of the queen and a small cabinet, with the mechanical mirrors. They also rebuilt the library of the Queen. When they were refurbishing the walls in the library they found the original Louis XV woodwork.
Behind the modern woodwork one can see the Louis XV painted décor in what was formerly a staircase.Samples of Louis-Philippe wallpaper have also been preserved Photo: D. RyknerOver time, Versailles has tried to find original furniture, sold or disappeared during the Revolution, to the Trianon space, it was marked with a PT (Petit Trianon). Some of it is now properly housed where it belongs.
Some of Marie~Antoinette's personal effects. The museum wanted one to feel as though the Queen had just stepped out for a moment and you looking into a day in her life. The original colors or copies of vintage wallpaper have been processed from shreds discovered during the work. The apartments of the queen and decorations are full of flowers and fruit, recalling the gardens. The windows of origin, with large tiles have been restored. In the attic, along with furniture pieces of Louis XIV we can now see the chambers of Ms. Royal, the Empress Marie-Louise and the boudoir of the Duchess of Orleans .
The Queen's famous portrait
Another new portion of the Petite palace open to visitors is the warming kitchen. This kitchen was used to warm the food brought from the main kitchen. The food was not prepared here as to not let the smell of cooking food permeate the Trianon while Her Majesty was enjoying her day. The executors of the grand refurbishment wanted to show the stark difference between the Noble Floor and the servants areas.
The warming kitchen
I was very lucky to meet a curator who was heading into the theatre, visitors were not allowed in at the time and my Mom & I were invited in. To see him unlock the great gate with his old keys and to be inside of that precious jewel box, virtually alone, was something I will never forget! I was allowed in the back of the stage and got a wonderful private tour *sigh*. These pictures do not do justice to the gorgeous shade of Blue this theatre is decorated in. To be inside is truly like being inside of a jewel box. Lush Velvet and yards of luxurious fabric sweep you up into another world. We sat on the very benches Marie and her friends may have sat on and looked onto the very stage Marie~Antoinette performed her much talked about plays! It is breathtaking. Luckily the Theatre was overlooked and untouched by the throngs of people looking for "the walls of the whore, plastered in Gold and Diamonds" during the Revolution as it is tucked away. It is in the exact condition the Queen left it in. You can also see an original backdrop displayed on the stage.
I may be mistaken but I do believe that it is here in the theatre that a grand reception was held for Louis & MA after they were married. The floor can be raised level to the stage floor and thus create a large room for a grand party! 
The Garden of the Trianon. "A furious Duc de Croÿ exclaimed in 1780 that 'the large green-house [the most costly and scholarly in Europe] has been replaced by tall mountains, a large rock, and a stream. Never have two acres of land been so totally changed, nor cost so much money.' In order to create her landscape garden, Marie-Antoinette changed everything. Between 1776 and 1783 architect Richard Mique built her a Chinese tilting ring, a Temple of Love, the Rock Pavilion, a theatre, and then the Hamlet. Receptions and nocturnal celebrations followed one after another, restoring to the Petit Trianon the spirit of the festivities that marked the early years of Versailles".
~From the official Versailles website
A view inside of the BelvedereAlso belonging to the Petite Trianon are the Grotto, the Belvedere, the French Pavilion, and the Hamlet (which has a lovely dairy). It was in the Grotto, a man made rock formation with passages, waterscapes, and a charming "rock seat" that Marie~Antoinette first learned the news of the storming of Versailles.
The Grotto
To stroll along these magnificent gardens and grounds is indeed an enjoyable experience. Every time I have gone, it has been rather empty of people (lucky for me)! It's so easy to escape into another world and see what her life was like. It is just a beautiful place to spend the day. There is so much to see and learn.
The Temple of Love, it is said that she would have secret meeting with Count Fersen here
The view of the Temple of Love from her bedroom window.
There is so much one could write about the Petite Trianon alone, not to mention the other sites related to it. I could spend a week exploring everything! So I will leave you with this, a few morsels of information about this magical place.
Bisou Mon Amis!
Photos via flickr
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