Paris - The Hamlet Mill - Versailles

Plate CXI – Hameau de la Reine – Le Moulin …

The transformation of the gardens from the strict formality of the grand gardens of Versailles to these meandering paths and woodlands (in the genre pittoresque) had begun in 1774 under the direction of the queen’s landscaper Antoine Richard.

It is said that the queen and her retinue would have days at play in the hamlet, dressing as shepherdesses and milkmaids, using monogrammed Sevres porcelain utensils in performing the daily pastorale dairying tasks. There is no doubt these activities contributed to the scandal surrounding Marie Antoinette, and the public view of her as being frivolous and out of touch with their real world. Pretending to be a peasant girl as a form of escape in such surroundings was hardly politically correct, as revolutionary ferment was underway across the country.

To the queen it was undoubtedly a short-lived escape from the growing horrors of the outside world.

Amongst the hamlet buildings, and contributing to the realism of the village atmosphere, is this working replica of a water mill - another fanciful example of the work of Mique.

Paris - The Queen’s Hamlet - Versailles

Plate CX – Hameau de la Reine …

In the gardens of the Palace at Versailles is a well restored rustic playground built in 1783 for Marie Antoinette, and known as the Hameau de la Reine. Intended to evoke the atmosphere of a peasant village the hamlet buildings were designed by Richard Mique, an architect reputedly much favoured by the Queen. The rustic exteriors of the buildings masked sumptuous interiors where she held sovereignty, forbidding even her husband Louis XVI to enter without invitation.

Sited close to the Petit Trianon, part of the raison d’etre of the hamlet was to add to the illusion that the Trianon was located in the countryside rather than within the confines of the grand royal estates of Versailles. This hamlet was not a solitary example of such gardens, such model farms being popular amongst the French aristocracy of the time. Few however matched the scale or grandeur of this one, resembling as it does a setting perhaps by Fragonard.

Paris - Petit Trianon - Versailles

Plate CIX - Petit Trianon …

The second of the Trianons of Versailles, the Petit Trianon also had its origins as a residence for a mistress of the King, this time being designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel for the famed Madame de Pompadour, long-term paramour of Louis XV. Having died before its completion in 1768 it became occupied by her successor Madame du Barry.

The exterior façade of the building is simple, a radical departure from the elaborate Rococo style typifying the architecture of the main palace. The Petit Trianon was to inspire architecture of the period around the world including it is supposed the Governor’s Mansion in far afield Kentucky in the USA.

In 1774, the 20 year old Louis XVI gave the chateau as a gift to his wife Marie Antoinette for her sole use. Grand ideas, that were never fully realised, were planned to isolate the queen and her exclusively noble guests from interaction with her retinue. These included a mechanical arrangement in the dining hall by which the table could be lowered through the floor into the chamber below for place setting,  and then raised back into position for royal dining.

The preserved and restored interiors, while contrasting with the opulence of the main palace, continue to reflect the Queen’s importance in the royal firmament.

Paris - Place de la Concorde - 8me

Plate LXXV – Place de la Concorde

An octagonal space designed in 1755 by Jacques-Ange Gabriel under Louis XV the Place was an annex of the Tuileries gardens. At some 86,500 square metres it is the city’s largest square. First called Place Louis XV, it became known as the Place de La Revolution during the eponymously named uprising, and although reputedly the site of the guillotine according to popular legend, in truth it was only one of many sites used for public executions where M Guillotine’s invention so efficiently did her work. Heads that were lost here include Louis XVI and his queen Marie Antoinette, Robespierre and Danton. Its present name was assumed after the Reign of Terror.

The twenty three metre high, hieroglyphics decorated obelisk (said to mark the spot where the guillotine was erected), was given to France by Egypt in 1829 and comes from the tomb of Ramses II in Thebes. It is more than three thousand years old. Transporting the stone to France was logistically challenging, and the story of its journey is diagrammed on its pedestal.

The most notable features of the Place de la Concorde are the magnificent fountains immortalized by Hollywood in the award winning film An American in Paris where a stylistically represented version became the setting for the climactic ballet sequence featuring Gene Kelly and Lesley Caron.

Fronting the Pont de la Concorde can be seen the Palace Bourbon, named after the Duchess of Bourbon (daughter of Louis XIV), and today the seat of the French National Assembly. Begun by the architect Giardini in 1722 it was continued by Lassurance, to be eventually completed in 1728 by Aubert and Gabriel. The present façade, creating a symmetrical element with the facing Église de la Madeleine was built for Napoleon by Poyet in the early nineteenth century. Many fine works of art adorn the interior, including Delacroix’ cycle The History of Civilisation in the library.

Paris - Conciergerie - 1er

Plate XXIV - The Conciergerie

Viewed here across the Seine, the fortress like stonework of the Conciergerie looks grey and forbidding. It should, for it is here that many of the 2500 victims of Madame la Guillotine (including Marie Antoinette and her King) spent the last hours of their prison days before meeting their unhappy public fates at various locations around Paris.  On a sunnier day the turreted towers can have an almost Disney like appearance belying its function as a part of the greater complex of the Palais de Justice.

It is known that the Île de la Cité has been occupied since Roman times when Paris was known as Lutèce. It was here on the west part of the isle that the Palais de la Cité was built in the Middle Ages and became a seat of the royal court of France. The Grande Salle (Great Hall) as it survives today as part of the lower Conciergerie was used as a dining hall for 2000 palace staff, as well as a meeting place for the high court of justice. Much of the original room and its furnishings were devastated by fires in 1618 and 1871, but at a length of some sixty-five and a width of twenty-seven metres it remains as impressive a chamber as you will find in all of Europe.

The palace was first converted to prison use at the end of the 14th century. There is a small chapel in the Conciergerie, reconstructed to resemble the one used by Marie Antoinette during her final moments in captivity. I found my visit there surprisingly poignant.