Painting - Page 63 of Book

[Fozzie]

Here is a link to the image of the painting referred to on page 63, The Cup of Chocolate:

http://www.allposters.com/-sp/The-Penthievre-Family-or-the-Cup-of-Chocolate-1768-Posters_i1342029_.h...

You can even zoom in on it.

[kiakar]

Thanks Laura, I have observed from the pictures of Marie Antoinette, she was a beautiful girl. It seems anyway.

[marcialou]

Wikipedia has a number of portraits of Marie Antoinette, including those described in the book. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Antoinette

Marcia

[SenaJeterNaslu…]

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Fozzie wrote:
Here is a link to the image of the painting referred to on page 63, The Cup of Chocolate:

http://www.allposters.com/-sp/The-Penthievre-Family-or-the-Cup-of-Chocolate-1768-Posters_i1342029_.h...

You can even zoom in on it.

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Thanks so much, Fozzie. It's really a beautiful portrait of the Princess de Lamballe, who proved to be Antoinette's best friend. I love hot chocolate myself so this portrait especially appealed to me.

[SenaJeterNaslu…]

It really adds a beautiful dimension to the reading to be able to see some of the people and places I refer to in ABUNDANCE. My favorite portrait of Antoinette is one done by Elisabeth Vigee LeBrun of Antoinette in a straw hat in a simple white muslin dress, but it created a scandal at the time: The queen in her underwear, people thought! But you'll mee Elisabeth later in the book.

Can anyone post photos of the various fountains at Versailles as they're mentione?

All best,
Sena

[SenaJeterNaslu…]

It's really strange how very different the various portraits of Antoinette look, even those made about the same time. Tell me when you have a favorite.
Sena

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marcialou wrote:
Wikipedia has a number of portraits of Marie Antoinette, including those described in the book. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Antoinette

Marcia

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[Tiffany129]

My favorite portrait of Marie Antoinette is also by Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun. In it, MA is wearing a beautiful blue satin gown and she is holding a pink rose. This is the image that comes to mind when I think of Marie Antoinette, she looks so lovely and graceful in this portrait.

[SenaJeterNaslu…]

Yes, I love this one, too. It's in the same pose, with a rose, as the one when she's wearing the straw hat. This one, in silk, was painted to replace the one of her in muslin, without a necklace, which people found lacking in dignity for a queen.

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Tiffany129 wrote:
My favorite portrait of Marie Antoinette is also by Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun. In it, MA is wearing a beautiful blue satin gown and she is holding a pink rose. This is the image that comes to mind when I think of Marie Antoinette, she looks so lovely and graceful in this portrait.

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[viva2]

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SenaJeterNaslund wrote:
It's really strange how very different the various portraits of Antoinette look, even those made about the same time. Tell me when you have a favorite.
Sena

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marcialou wrote:
Wikipedia has a number of portraits of Marie Antoinette, including those described in the book. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Antoinette

Marcia

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Many lesser artists and portraitists of that period, or any period, really, tend to paint to an "ideal" of the day, and do not capture the person "realistically."

There was one portrait in this thread that looked quite different from the others, with their uniform rosebud mouths, and I guess that the appearance of that lovely young woman may have been close to the actual MA. (I am sorry now that I did not record the artist or the title of the painting, for reference.)

[marcialou]

There's a good picture of the Louis Auguste at age 20 in this wikipedia article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XVI_of_France I suppose it must have been painted just after he became King.

Marcia

[Fozzie]

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marcialou wrote:
There's a good picture of the Louis Auguste at age 20 in this wikipedia article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XVI_of_France I suppose it must have been painted just after he became King.

Marcia

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Gosh --- he looks much older than 20 to me! Not how I pictured him at all!

[kiakar]

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Fozzie wrote:

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marcialou wrote:
There's a good picture of the Louis Auguste at age 20 in this wikipedia article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XVI_of_France I suppose it must have been painted just after he became King.

Marcia

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Gosh --- he looks much older than 20 to me! Not how I pictured him at all!

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Isn't he wearing a wig? I thought they did that back then to look older and wiser, maybe. Because he was really young, a year older than Marie.

[Fozzie]

He is definitely wearing a wig. I remember reading about Marie Antoinette thinking that she wished the wig style was long, curly, and flowing like it used to be, not the current style of just a few curls at the ears.

They were both so young!

I am only through Act One and I am glad that they have not consummated their marriage yet. I worry for MA's safety if she were to become pregnant so young! Nothing like worrying over things that already happened! LOL!

Message Edited by Fozzie on 08-09-2007 10:40 AM

[marcialou]

Here's a link to the dragon statue in Act II. It doesn't seem to have the dogs.

http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Travel/Tours/France/Versailles/DragonFountain2.jpg

Marcia

[Fozzie]

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marcialou wrote:
Here's a link to the dragon statue in Act II. It doesn't seem to have the dogs.

http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Travel/Tours/France/Versailles/DragonFountain2.jpg

Marcia

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The dogs belonged to Elizabeth, "the Dauphin's charming little sister."

"Exceedingly fond of her tall dogs, Elisabeth walks surrounded by her greyhounds."

(Quotes from page 109 of the hardcover, In the Garden: A Dragon)

[marcialou]

Thanks for the correction. I must have misread the passage. Somehow I had remembered that the real life dogs had statue counterparts.

Marcia

[marcialou]

pictures Louis XV and Mme du Barry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XV_of_France

[marcialou]

pictures and article on Axel Von Fersen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axel_von_Fersen_the_Younger

[SenaJeterNaslu…]

The dogs I mention in the scene were meant to be real dogs, not a part of the fountain usually, though the real dogs jump into the water and bark when the dragon fountain suddenly comes to life with a spume of water.
It was such a pleasure to me to visit Verailles several times on Sunday afternoons when the fountains were playing. I hope all of you will be able to see other fountains I also mention in the novel. Many thanks for the link.
Sena

[SenaJeterNaslu…]

Our George Washington was often painted wearing his wig, very much like the French ones of the period.