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The Victoria and Albert Museum in London invites the public to rediscover the
aura of Marie Antoinette, the most scrutinized and controversial queen in history.
The exhibition «Marie Antoinette Style,» the first British retrospective entirely de-
voted to her aesthetic, brings together nearly 250 pieces, some of which had never left
Versailles.
The exhibition begins in 1770 with the arrival of the Austrian archduchess at the
French court and ends tragically in 1793. It features sumptuous fragments of her
court dresses, her Petit Trianon dinner service, intimate toiletries, her personal jewelry,
and even the very last note she wrote before her execution.
Among these treasures, a pair of beaded silk shoes, a tangible reminder of her daily life,
is particularly eye-catching. Between everyday objects and bursts of glory, the visitor
enters a world where excess blends with delicacy, where the scent of the Petit Trianon
gardens is reborn through a sensory installation.
The scenography evokes ballroom evenings, secrets whispered behind the paneling,
laughter stifled under powder and silk.
While the exhibition delves into the private life of a queen who knew how to impose
a singular style, it also explores how this style was perpetually reinvented.
As early as the 19th century, Empress Eugénie and English collectors helped transform
Marie-Antoinette’s image into a romantic myth.
‘Lettre’, 1921 from Fêtes Galantes
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London.