Antoinette's favorite things/Les collections d'Antoinette -

Marie Antoinette's favorite things

Jewelry Cabinet

This jewelry armoire was designed for Marie Antoinette by the cabinet maker Jean-Ferdinand Schwerdfeger and decorated with bronze work by Pierre-Philippe Thomire. It was delivered to the Palace of Versailles in 1787 - just two years before the beginning of the French Revolution.



Photograph by Francis Hammond


When I first saw this splendid armoire, I imagined the priceless baubles and sparkly pieces it must have once contained. However, I have since been informed that Marie Antoinette's priceless jewels were not kept inside this cabinet, that it was, rather, for show.



Lacquered Box

Did you know that Marie Antoinette was a collector (some might even say a Royal Hoarder)? One of the things she enjoyed collecting was Japanese lacquerware.

Collecting Japanese lacquerware was a popular past time among eighteenth century French aristocrats and those with a surplus of sous. Technically, many of the items came from China, but the term Japanese Lacquerware was used to describe painted and heavily lacquered pieces from Asia or pieces with Asian influence.

The box pictured above is in the shape of a reclining puppy. Did the queen look at the box and fondly remember the beloved pup she had to leave behind in Austria when she became Dauphine of France?



Photograph by Francis Hammond


Viennese Guéridon

A guéridon was a small, round table used for holding a candlestick or vase. Sometimes, it was also used in a dining room to hold side dishes.

There were hundreds of these tables in the Palace of Versailles by Marie Antoinette's reign, including the one pictured on the left. This table was given to Marie Antoinette by her sister, Maria Christina, and featured a unique top with petrified wood marquetry.



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