Showing posts with label Chateau de Saint-Cloud. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chateau de Saint-Cloud. Show all posts

The State of Things: April, 1794


Even the palaces and pleasure grounds of the ci-devant royalty are respected as national property, and , as such, are carefully preserved.

The greater part of the furniture has been removed from Versailles- some of the paintings remain. Those by the best Masters have been sent to the Gallery of the Louvre, which is now the National Museum, where the collection greatly exceeds any other exhibition of the fine arts in the world. It is under the care of a committee, appointed to protect the arts, and is maintained in the most superb style. Such is the war, which these Goths and Vandals wage against the arts!

The late Queen's favorite residence of St Cloud remains as when she occupied it . The paintings will be sent to the museum, and the furniture will be sold.
William Jackson April 1794

The Metropolitan Museum and Wrightsman Galleries

The Wrightsman Galleries are worth your donation to the Met, and oh so much more! You do not have to book a trip to Paris to see the beautiful French interiors of the 18th century. The Met has done a fine job of recreating these spaces, from furniture placement to lighting by golden candle glow.

As lit for museum visitors. Photo +Lauren Marie 
Your eyes may take a minute to adjust when you enter the wing, because as I and Heather mentioned, the main light sources come from candelabras, wall sconces and chandeliers that drip from the ceilings. Authentic? You bet.

Standard lighting. Photo +Lauren Marie 

I know you would just love to be hanging out in that room!! They own a wonderful fire screen that was in one of the rooms at Antoinette's Chateau de Saint-Cloud. So imagine that, you are in NYC but have the opportunity to stand in front of that little faithful screen where Antoinette may have stood several times. As Heather said, "Oh if fire screens could talk!" honestly!

Marie Antoinette's firescreen. Photo +Lauren Marie 
Of Marie Antoinette's, they also own her secretaire and a companion commode.


Detail shot of the top design.
The rooms are furnished with pieces in the Louis XVI style, such as this chair. The Met worked with London's Chelsea Textiles to have the original fabric recreated to the greatest degree. They chose to have it the fabric recreated in its original pure white color, rather than a faux aged look, because, the white will age in it's own time.


So you are getting the best of both worlds, the real deal, as it was when our favorite tarts and femmes were entertaining at the party and searching for places to rest their feet!

More info on the rooms at the Met and in the May edition of Architectural Digest.