Tag: Royalty and Nobility
Vice & Versailles: A Master Gardener Delves Into the Dark Shadows of the Louis...
As head gardener of Versailles Alain Baraton is responsible for restoring and maintaining the majesty of the backyard of kings, but he appears to relish in declaring that “Versailles was a great shop of horrors.” In the book "Vice et Versailles" Baraton leads readers into the dark side of the great palace.
Yours, Mine, Le Nôtre’s: An American Photographer Examines the Garden of Versailles
As France celebrates the 400th anniversary of the birth of André Le Nôtre, the father of French gardens, France Revisited explores some of this 17th-century landscape gardener’s most famous gardens and parks. Here, American photographer Elise Prudhomme guides us along the garden paths of Versailles.
Celebrating Le Nôtre: An American Photographer Explores the Tuileries Garden
France Revisited joins France's celebration of the 400th anniversary of the birth of André Le Nôtre, the father of French gardens, with seven stunning photos of Paris's most historical garden, the Tuileries Garden, by American photographer Elise Prudhomme.
Great Encounters: Blois
Even without knowing much of the historical bla-bla about Blois, this Loire Valley town is a place of fascinating, magical, entertaining and tasty encounters. So before describing why Blois is considered the linchpin of understanding the history and architecture of the Loire Valley I’d like to introduce you to some of the people and characters that I encountered during a day of research throughout the town.
Two Sisters in Aquitaine Recreate Historical Wines
Isabelle and Catherine Orliac, two sisters in Aquitaine, are heirs to a property in southwest France that supplied wine to Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette and the Court of France in the 1780s.
Jealousy and the Thrones at Versailles
My friend Henri was so jealous that I’d seen the excellent exhibition of thrones in the royal apartments of the Palace of Versailles before...
Saint-Germain-en-Laye By Day, Pavillon Henri IV By Night
Versailles naturally grabs the lion’s share of daytrip attention due to its chateau. But Saint-Germain-en-Laye, one of its predecessors as an official residence of the Court of France, is also a likeable town for an afternoon stroll-about. One feels less an intruder—and tourist—here than in Versailles.
Royal Chapel of Vincennes Reopens After 9 years
Far less known than the Sainte Chapelle in Paris is France's other great Sainte Chapelle of France, the royal chapel at the Chateau de Vincennes, which reopened on May 13, 2009, after nine years of restoration.
The Spirits of Deco Past: Searching for Life in the Museum of Decorative Arts
The more I bone up on the names of great French cabinetmakers, ponder the decorative needs of French nobility, and peruse catalogues and press kits, the more I appreciate the precious objects of the Museum of Decorative Arts. But my attention is waning, quickly.