Louis XV was the great grandson of Louis XIV and was only five years old when he became King of France. Until he was officially old enough to rule (the legal majority for a King was 13), his uncle Phiilppe d’Orleans was the Regent His uncle was well known as a “libertine” and had no interest in living in Versailles. His main residence was the Palais Bourbon in Paris (now back to its original name of Palais Royal). Versailles was effectively closed and Louis XV was living in the Tuileries Palace.
Paris was then the style capital and the aristocracy as well as the financiers, wealthy merchants, cultivated bourgeois and nouveau riche all wanted to build new residences, known as “hotels” (English equivalent of mansion, not hotel as we know it today). There was a new emphasis on comfort as opposed to grandeur. “Harmony” was the new theme and having harmonious living quarters was a sign of decorum and good manners. In polite society decorating became a fashionable pastime and the distribution of the spaces became a new art.
Louis XV chose to return to Versailles when he was twelve. In France, it had been normal for the King to create the fashions and happily Louis XV had “noble, fine taste and architecture was his passion”.
He was very shy compared to Louis XIV and he left the grand state apartments as his predecessor had displayed them (apart from adding another fireplace to the main bedroom) and concentrated on the surroundings of his private life. In small rooms private retreates were continually being redeveloped. It had been a standard practice for a king or nobleman to have a “cabinet”, a delicious small room where he housed his precious possessions, accessible strictly by invitation.
In this period with the emphasis on new private spaces, the lady of the house now had her own “cabinet”. This was not necessarily a new idea. Catherine de Medici had brought the Italian Renaissance idea of a “studiolo” to her residences, which she used more like a private office. What was new was the concept of a woman being able to retreat to her own space. With typical misogynist outlook, this new space was called a “boudoir” from the French verb “bouder” which means “to sulk”, or in this case more accurately “stay away from”.
The new boudoir was decorated to please its occupant and decorated with her special things, reflecting her favourite pastimes such as reading, embroidery, playing a musical instrument and so on. Naturally they were decorated in a very feminine way and frequently designed as oval or round rooms.
The idea was that the lady could retire for “me” time, either on her own or with her closest friends – by invitation only. It did not contain a bed – that remained in the main bedroom.
Over time the concept of the boudoir has shifted from its original quite innocent identity to being associated with pornography, for which we can probably thank the Marquis de Sade.*
The idea survived the Revolution for noble women at least, with both of Napoleon’s wives having boudoirs in the various residences.
The last Empress of Russia had a world famous lilac boudoir in her residence. The walls were lined with mauve French silk and she had all the furniture covered in the same shade. The fresh flowers were always the same colour as well. It was her favourite space, and she had decorated the walls with religious paintings and photos of her family apart from one portrait – Marie-Antoinette, whose fate she sadly shared.
