Fit for a queen

This month marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Marie Antoinette. An Austrian princess, she became queen of France at the age of nineteen. Personally she was charming, politically she was a meddler, and her way of life was famously extravagant. It is this last aspect that is being examined in two exhibitions.

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The first, and larger one, is at the Musee des Arts decoratifs in Bordeaux. Entitled Marie Antoinette at Versailles: The Taste of a Queen, it is on view until January 30, 2006. Many objects made for the queen have been loaned to the exhibition, including furniture, some of her Sevres porcelain services, and works of art. The catalogue, which is in French, was written by Bernadette de Boysson, the curator of the exhibition, and Xavier Salmon. It may be ordered by telephoning the museum at 33-5-56-00-72-53.

The second exhibition, which is on view from November 2 until February 28, 2006, is at the Wallace Collection in London, which owns numerous works once in the queen's possession. It is entitled Fit for a Queen: Furnishing Marie Antoinette's Apartments. The curator is Eleanor Tollfree, curator of furniture at the Wallace Collection. The centerpieces of the show are five pieces of furniture made for the queen by Jean Henri Riesener. There is no publication.

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