June 15, 2012

Fit for a King

The Palace of Versailles

Our first major stop this trip is Versailles where we usually find some incredible artwork (photos below). This flowery, bourgeois suburb of Paris is the site of the grandest palace in France. It served as the seat of the royal court for more than a century until 1789 when the Revolutionary mobs massacred the palace guard, and dragged Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette to Paris where they were eventually guillotined.

Large oil on canvas in original nineteenth century gilded frame. Signed C. Terraire and dated 1889.

Framed oil on canvas depicting the canal of la Tournelle in Brugges, Belgium.

Furniture from this time period is very rare because so much of it was destroyed during the revolution. Don’t forget that there is a distinction between Louis XVI “style” antiques and Louis XVI “period” antiques. A “style” piece may be from the 19^thcentury when the Louis XVI lines came back into fashion. A “period” piece would have been made during Louis XVI’s lifetime. Here are some Louis XVI “period” pieces in our current collection.

Louis XVI period oak game table with hand carvings on all four sides, c. 1780. Top swivels to reveal a compartment where game pieces were kept and flips open to reveal a card table. Found in Normandy.