Petit Trianon home to Marie Antoinette's heart

Marie Antoinette's little court of her heart

Those lucky few that were part of Marie Antoinette's inner circle were allowed to visit Petit Trianon with her. A gift from her husband in 1774 the Petit Trianon was originally built for the King Louis XIV mistress Madame de Pompadour. She died before it was completed and Madame du Barry his next mistress enjoyed it. Marie Antoinette used it as an escape from the pressures of court life and it is a little Neoclassical jewel right on the grounds of Versailles. 

It is my favorite spot to visit at the Chateau , for me, its appeal is the human scale of the retreat and the setting. I think when the Queen visited she was more herself and relaxed.

Have a Pink day!

Monogram of Marie Antoinette and her birthday

Happy Birthday Marie Antoinette

My new bed linens from Number 411 in Savannah

November 2,1755 is the birthday of Marie Antoinette rather than focus on her sad fate today I would rather look at something fun and beautiful about her life.

Marie Antoinette had such a pretty monogram I had to "borrow" it for myself. I have so many things with this monogram but oddly enough I had not done the most common or traditional thing-- add it to my bed linens! Monograms, I understand, were a way of marking who owned what linen and silver and other items. They were a practical thing that became artwork. In  the case of royality like Marie Antoinette she really had fun with her monogram, it is on the stairway in the Petit Trianon,

On books in her library

    Her headboard

 and on pieces of her furniture, on flower pots at the Petit Hameau

on a key

                                                        Gift tags from Paper Nosh

Ornament from Paper Nosh

You can order her monogram on gift tags and ornaments from Paulette at Paper Nosh to have a touch of the monogram in your life!

I have several other ideas for using the monogram and will share those soon.

Have a Pink day!

Table a la Marie Antoinette and Rose Bertin

Lovely way to spend an afternoon at Versailles

Everything looks so pretty in the sunshine

An afternoon spent choosing dress designs, fabrics, ribbons

Lush dress designs remind Marie Antoinette of fluffy peonies

Join in on the fun with Rose and La Reine

Soft colors and glints of silver and gold

Opera glasses are a must for court ladies

Jewelry, a new fan, key to the jewel chest, little trinket boxes

An idea for a dress- very fashion forward of Marie Antoinette
Hat boxes hold trims and ribbons

Marie loved flowers especially roses here are peonies on her plate

French bon bons and roses ---so MA

Time slips by so quickly for Marie Antoinette and Rose Bertin

Little details- la Reine loved jewelry and pretty trinkets

Marie meets with Rose Bertin her dress
maker

My interpretation of a table that might have existed at Petit Trianon when Marie Antoinette met with her dressmaker Rose Bertin. We always think of roses and Marie Antoinette so how perfect to put the table outside among the pink roses.
I've gathered some fun things that remind me of MA and she would, bien sur, have sweets !

What a royal treat it must have been to have a talented fashion forward dressmaker at your disposal and she even came to the queen!

Not many fashion designers in our time would go to the client's home. I like to think it was the royal allure and the cache of visiting Versailles or Petit Trianon. I have read that Rose Bertin became quite weathy and arrogant due to her association with la Reine, Marie Antoinette. She also left the country and saved her own life during the Revolution.

Join Susan at BNOTP for more fun tablescapes for:

Tablescape Thursday

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Have a Pink day!

Visit What Would Marie Antoinette Do?

The mistress of the blog What Would Maire Antoinette Do? has featured my new Marie Antoinette tree on her blog click here to see:http://whatwouldmarieantoinettedo.wordpress.com/ If you should find yourself in need of some Queenly advice she also dispenses witty advice! And keeps everyone up to date on Marie Antoinette in general. She also highlighted a MA wedding theme not long ago. So fun.

I love her blog since it is all about "the Queen". If you want to see other posts on this blog about Maire Antoinette just do blog search to the right. Many of my posts about Versailles and Petit Trianon were posted in late June and around July 20th of 2010.

Have a Pink day!

Petit Trianon- a private retreat for a Queen

The Petit Trianon was built originally for Louis XIV's mistress Madame de Pompadour ( an interesting, intelligent patron of the arts and wonderful woman) he gave it to her as a gift.

When Louis VI took the throne he gave it to Marie Antoinette as her private refuge- one had to be invited to visit and she had to do the inviting. The building was redone to suit her tastes and the gardens were redone in the very popular (at the time) English style. Marie Antoinette was very much influenced by the writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and wanted a more "natural" style. The small wood and papier mache mini theatre where she played shepherdesses and chambermaids survived the Revolution --the perception at the time was it had no value!

You now take a tram ride to reach this area-- this should increase visitors to this pretty house and garden.

When you leave the Petit Trianon you see a path and rolling walkways, a folly, and grotto and finally come upon her farm area-- Le Petit Hameau. More on that soon.

She was criticized for having this private sanctuary and gossips made up many stories about what happen in her private world. This was her escape from all the rigid formality of court life.

Even though it is less formal than Versailles there is still such beauty and attention to detailin the house. Enjoy the little tour of the Petit Trianon a tour of her farm area and gardens to come.

Have a PINK day!