rhyssain – Page 5 – French Travel Boutique

The King of Rome’s bedchamber. He stayed there for the first and only time when he was five months old following the celebrations at the Trianon.

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Compiègne

Shortly before the French Revolution, Marie-Antoinette had decided to move her apartment from the former queen’s apartment to a new wing, with the adjacent apartments being occupied by her two children. The new wing was furnished and ready the year before the French Revolution. Marie-Antoinette never saw it completed. When Napoleon took over the Chateau of Compiègneas an imperial residence, he had his architect Berthault transform the wing formerly planned for Marie-Antoinette into an apartment to accommodate foreign monarchs. In 1808 the deposed King of Spain and his wife set up residence there for three months. Napoleon’s brother Louis, then King of Holland, and his wife Hortense (Josephine’s daughter) also used the apartment when they were at Compiègne to greet Marie-Louise when she initially arrived from Austria. Napoleon decided to give Marie-Antoinette’s former apartment to his son. The walls were left as they were in her time, with Napoleon’s monogram replacing Marie Antoinette’s. New Empire style furniture in gilded wood was added.

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Boudoir

A small boudoir is next to the bedroom. It is furnished as it was during the stay of the Spanish king, with simple mahogany furniture. The curtained window behind the sofa is where there was a two way mirror, allowing natural light to the toilet (which had its entry from the bedroom next door). The boudoir joined the bedroom to the bathroom. When Marie-Antoinette planned the apartment she had a series of private rooms after the bedroom, with the bathroom set up behind the official bed chamber. Napoleon had the new bathroom for his son set up in one of the private rooms.

Marie-Antoinette's Turkish Boudoir at Fontainebleau

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The Turkish Boudoir

Marie-Antoinette was an avid follower of fashion. The “Turkish” style was popular for smaller private spaces. It was a fantasy view of the Orient with symbols of the Ottoman empire—turbaned people, strings of pearls, camels, crescent moons and so on. Madame de Pompadour had, as usual, led the way. The private residence she built in Bellevue in 1750 featured a Turkish bedroom, complete with paintings of Madame de Pompadour dressed as a Sultana. In 1776 Louis XVI’s younger brother had a “cabinet de Turque” in his new apartment at Versailles. The following year, when Marie-Antoinette was on a visit to the Chateau of Fontainebleau she decided she wanted to have her own Turkish boudoir above the official Queen’s bed chamber. Work was completed in a very short time. Marie-Antoinette could access her boudoir directly via a spiral staircase in the room next to her bedroom. The same mechanical engineer who had installed the sliding mirrors in her boudoir at the Petit Trianon installed a sliding mirror which was even more sophisticated. The mirror, which could slide across to cover the window overlooking the garden, was operated by the push of a button. To minimise the noise he covered the pulleys etc with woollen fabric. A two way mirror separated the boudoir from the “cabinet de toilette”. To add to the atmosphere, sculptured incense burners were attached to the wall (circled right), allowing the 20 square meter room to be filled with beautiful floral fragrances.

7.-Fontainebleau_Boudoir-de-la-Reine_cheminée_mobilier

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The Silver Boudoir

Nine years after the creation of Marie-Antoinette’s Turkish Boudoir at Fontainebleau, she decided she wanted a new boudoir next to her bedroom on the same level. Marie Leszczyknsa had put her own version of a boudoir there 50 years earlier. The “Silver” boudoir (the silver walls are actually white gold) once again reflects the taste for exotic historical themes. The walls have Pompeian themes. Over each of the four doors are sculptured figures representing the muses. The new furniture ordered for the boudoir included a variety of chairs, a firescreen and footstool. Reisener created two pieces of furniture for the room—a small table and a roll top desk in mother of pearl set in diamond shaped gilded copper. The two pieces were tracked down in 1947 to a London antique fair but they had been sold to a man in New York. The curator of the Louvre succeeded in getting the new owner to agree to allow the table to be displayed at the Louvre and agreed that if he were to sell the roll top desk he would give them first option. In 1955 they were able to buy back the desk thanks to a benefactor. In 1961 both original pieces of furniture were back in place. In 1979 the original footstool was purchased. A museum in Lisbon has one of the original armchairs. Two copies were made from the original and covered with the same silk fabric. The original firescreen was found but it was given by the owner to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

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The Count de Vaudreuil’s Bed

In 1784 the Count de Vaudreuil purchased a grand residence in Paris and filled it with the latest furniture and a fabulous art collection. He was the most important private patron of the artist Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun, who painted this portrait of him, which is now at the Met in New York. He did it largely on borrowed money which was initially not a problem because the Comte d’Artois guaranteed his credit. Everything changed when Calonne, the Controller-General of Finances was replaced. The Count de Vaudreuil had to sell everything to repay his debts. The French court bought most of his furniture and art. The bedroom furniture was all by Boule and his “lit à la polonaise” was bought at the knock down price of 52,930 pounds. It was initially placed at Versailles. During the French Revolution the royal family moved to the Tuileries Palace in Paris. This bed came with them and was probably used by Madame Adelaide. Napoleon gave it to Cambacères who later sold it to Louis Philippe’s mother. Louis-Philippe inherited the bed and it was finally sold in England when he was exiled there. Ernest Cognacq, the founder of La Samaritaine department store bought the bed to add to his collection of works of art from the 18th century. In 1928 his collection was given to the City of Paris. Vaudreuil’s bed is now on display at Cognac Jay Museum in Paris.

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Count de Vaudreuil

The Count was a larger than life figure who was a close friend (some say lover) of Marie-Antoinette’s best friend the Duchess of Polignac. He was known for his conversational skills and was regarded as the best actor in Paris. At the Petit Trianon he played the starring role in Barber of Seville with Marie-Antoinette. In spite of a 17 year age difference, he formed a close relationship with Louis XVI’s younger brother, the Comte d’Artois, with whom he shared many interests. *The image above is a Drouais portrait of the Comte de Vaudreuil when he was 18. The portrait is at the National Gallery in London.

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Marie-Antoinette’s Beds

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Louis XVI’s Bedroom

Louis XVI continued the traditional getting up and going to bed ceremonies in the official King’s bedchamber. Like Louis XV, he actually slept in the private bedroom nearby that his grandfather had created. Next to the private bed, he transformed the “cabinet de Garde-robe” (very fancy toilet) into a work of art, regarded as one of the most outstanding decors of his reign. Louis XV had already installed the “Garde-robe” next to the bed in his private bedchamber. It was one of a number of toilets and bathrooms he had created in Versailles. Apart from the aspect of cleanliness, there was a large emphasis on privacy. He was not like his great-grandfather Louis XIV in terms of living his life largely in public. Louis XV retreated to his garde-robe for some peace and quiet. The toilet next to his private bedroom was a very fancy affair. It was a “chaise à l’anglaise” (early version of a flushing toilet). The seat had a velvet cushion. During the day the Garde-robe cabinet housed the king’s bedside table which was only brought out at night. There were beautiful vases containing pot-pourri (one is displayed on the cabinet between the windows). Louis XVI decided to renovate the “cabinet” the year before the French Revolution. It is a magnificent little room with beautiful gilded boiseries representing sciences, arts, agriculture, war and the navy. It was not the bathroom. The bath was elsewhere, but interestingly it was literally the “powder room” where Louis XVI powdered his hair. *The Chateau of Versailles website has a virtual visit of the cabinet de Garde-robe. They translate it into “clothes cabinet” and don’t highlight the toilet aspect. Behind the boiserie panel opposite the window you have the King’s toilet.

Marie-Antoinette's Boudoir at Fontainebleau

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Marie-Antoinette’s Boudoirs

Versailles Petit Trianon The Boudoir’s “Glaces Mouvantes” Fontainebleau The Turkish Boudoir The Silver Boudoir

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Marie-Antoinette