Artist/Designer: Pierre Rousseau
Project Location: France
Style/Period(s):
Neoclassical
Primary Material(s):
Wood, Paint
Function(s):
Residential Structure
Related Website(s):
Significant Date(s):
18th Century, 1786
Additional Information:
Project Description:
Completed in 1786 under the order of Marie Antoinette, this boudoir at Chateau Fontainebleau is thought to exemplify the former Queen's tastes. It also exemplifies the duration of feminine spaces despite the shift from rococo to neoclassical design. Though the neoclassical design is characterized by a certain lightness of form and linearity not present in Rococo design, Marie Antoinette still used gilt detailing and an abundance of mirrors to create a luxurious and highly-reflective space. A small relief above the door depicts two women playing musical instruments, one of them playing the harp. The delicate, melodious strains of a harp - not the pounding of a drum - are captured in the sumptuous, feminine boudoir's interior.
Publications/Text in Print:
Boyer, Marie-France. The Private Realm of Marie Antoinette. London: Thames & Hudson, 1996.
Picon, Guillaume. A Day at Château de Fontainebleau. Paris: Flammarion, 2016.
Terrasse, Charles. Fontainebleau: Le château, les appartements, les jardins et la forêt (Collection "Voir en France"). Editions Sun, 1985.
Building Address:
77300 Fontainebleau, France
Tags:
Marie Antoinette, Palace of Fontainebleau, Chateau Fontainebleau, France, neoclassical, gilt, Louis XVI
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