Des porcelaines de Sèvres et une horloge de Marie Antoinette à Leeds - Harewood House Exhibition

Pour le moment se tient à Leeds une exposition sur le XVIIIe siècle intitulée Royal Sèvres from Versailles to Harewood. Cela se passe à Harewood House et vous pouvez y voir des porcelaines de Sèvres, bien sûr, dont certaines ont appartenu à Marie Antoinette mais aussi une horloge de notre reine qui a survécu au pillage des Tuileries.


Le domaine lui-même vaut largement le détour...





Quant à l'exposition, c'est un vrai régal pour les yeux!











The Sèvres factory opened in 1740, survived the turmoil of the French Revolution, and is still manufacturing porcelain today.  At a certain moment in history their exquisite wares were among the most desirable and sought after objects in Europe, obsessively collected by aristocratic and royal patrons.

In the second half of the 18th century the story of Sèvres is entwined with that of some of their most famous and significant patrons, including the ill-fated King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette who amassed a considerable collection and, like the forebears, contributed hugely to the development and fortunes of Sèvres.

After their execution in 1793 their collection was sold and many of the finest pieces found their way to England.  In a new wave of obsessive collecting the English aristocracy vied with one another to acquire the prized pieces of the French royal family.  The Prince Regent (later King George IV) and Edward “Beau” Lascelles were two of the major collectors who acquired pieces which had once graced the Palace of Versailles from the sale rooms of revolutionary Paris.

The delicate and fragile objects shown in this exhibition survived the downfall of their original owners, the tumult of the revolution, and transportation from Versailles to Harewood. These exquisite items have played a part in and been the mute witnesses of an extraordinarily dramatic history.










service à thé ayant appartenu à Marie Antoinette, 1779


Toutes informations utiles ici:
http://harewood.org/whats-on/event/pursuit-of-the-exquisite-royal-sevres-from-versailles-to-harewood/

Les organisateurs de l'exposition ont eu la bonne idée d'exposer aussi la dernière lettre écrite par Marie Antoinette, ce qui donne aux visiteurs l'occasion de voir notre reine autrement qu'à travers le filtre de sa déplorable réputation... et le proverbial "let them eat cake" si connu dans le monde anglo-saxon.

La rencontre peut parfois s'avérer poignante, comme celle-ci:


Harewood House is a stately home on the outskirts of Leeds in the north of England. It’s owned by the Earl and Countess of Harewood, and the state rooms and gardens are open to the public. It’s a magnificent place to visit. At the moment they have a special exhibition, where the last letter written by Marie Antoinette is held in a glass case.

Marie Antoinette wrote the letter to her sister-in-law, Madame Elisabeth, a few hours before her execution. It is dated "le 16 Octobre 1793. 4h30 du matin."

Before reading this letter I didn’t know much about Marie Antoinette except the stories that have been passed down: that she was a shallow spendthrift with no thought for her people, and of course the famous story that when told her subjects had no bread to eat, she is supposed to have replied, ‘Qu’ils mangent de la brioche.’ (‘Let them eat cake.’)

After reading her letter I was astonished and moved to find a very different woman altogether from the one that history has painted. It’s a moving, courageous and thoughtful letter. Here are the opening lines:

"C’est à vous, ma soeur, que j’écris pour la dernière fois : je viens d’être condamnée non pas à une mort honteuse, elle ne l’est que pour les criminels, mais à aller rejoindre votre frère, comme lui, innocente, j’espère montrer la même fermeté que lui dans ces derniers moments".

Here’s my translation: It’s to you, my sister, that I write for the last time: I have just been condemned, not to a shameful death –  that is only for criminals – but to rejoin your brother. Like him, I am innocent, and I hope to show the same firmness as he did in these last moments.

If she were a selfish woman her last words would all have been about herself, but Marie Antoinette’s letter is only concerned with her love and antonia fraser, helena fairfaxfears for the people she is leaving behind. ‘It’s my deep regret that I’m abandoning my children. You know that I lived only for them and for you, my dear and tender sister.’

She goes on to ask her sister to pass on her last words to her children, begging them in most heartfelt terms to love and take care of each other and expressly repeating their father’s last request to his son: « qu’il ne cherche jamais à venger notre mort » (That he never seeks to avenge our death.)

It’s a most heart-rending letter that tells also of Marie Antoinette’s deep regret that she is forced to leave all her friends in this time of trouble. The letter is stained with tears in several places.

"Je vous embrasse de tout mon cœur, ainsi que ces pauvres et chers enfants : mon Dieu! qu’il est déchirant de les quitter pour toujours. Adieu, adieu"

(I embrace you with all my heart, and my poor, beloved children. My God, how painful it is for me to leave them for ever! Adieu, adieu.)

Winston Churchill once said ‘History is written by the victors’, and I think the revolutionaries left a false picture of Marie Antoinette that has survived to this day. I don’t think she was the shallow egotist that she was portrayed, and after reading this letter I’m determined to find out more about her. I’ve already discovered that she was sent away to the hostile environment of the French court at the age of only fourteen, and must have felt lonely and isolated for much of her life.

There are a couple of books that have been recommended: Stefan Zweig’s Marie Antoinette: The Portrait of an Average Woman, and Antonia Fraser’s Marie Antoinette: The Journey. I’m going to read at least one of these, and try to see beyond the rumour and gossip that surround this poor woman, even long after her death.
http://helenafairfax.com/2014/08/15/marie-antoinettes-last-letter/

Merci de tout coeur à l'auteur de ce blog d'avoir mis en ligne son expérience. Rendez-vous sur sa page pour faire part de vos propres opinions et impressions sur Marie Antoinette.

Deux petites remarques: on peut déplorer que le document exposé soit le testament recopié par les bons soins de Louis XVIII et non l'original, qui eût été encore plus émouvant. Pour les bios, maintenant que celle de Simone Bertière a été traduite en anglais, c'est celle-là que nous recommanderons en premier lieu.  
https://maria-antonia.forumactif.com/t5153-traduction-anglaise-the-indomitable-marie-antoinette

Bonjour,

Voici une petite image de plus de cette belle exposition.



http://www.thestateofthearts.co.uk/2014/06/18/harewood-sevres-up-a-treat/

madame antoine