Largillière's "Monument Men" portrait

A portrait  by Nicolas de Largillière, which formerly belonged to Henri Rothschild, was sold by Christie's Paris on 21st November for a record €529,200 - ten times more than the original estimate.

Science Museum - Versailles exhibition

This season's major event at the Science Museum in South Kensington is an exhibition on Versailles!  Versailles: Science and Splendour runs from 12th December 2024 to 21st April 2025.

Essays in honour of Nicholas Cronk

Liverpool University Press announces the publication on 29th November of a festschrift in honour of Nicholas Cronk, Director of the Voltaire Foundation, Professor of European Enlightenment Studies, and Fellow of St Edmund Hall at the University of Oxford. 

Guérin's Robespierre to be auctioned

On 26th November Millon, Paris, is to auction several notable portrait drawings by Jean-Urbain Guérin. of notable French Revolutionaries.  Included is the original for the well-known engraving of Robespierre made by Freissinger for the collection of 22 deputies to the National Assembly in 1789.

Exhibition on French wallpaper

The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum is holding an exhibition on The Art of French Wallpaper Design, from 16th November to 11th May 2025.  

Glorious French Revolution? (play)

 A new play, The Glorious French Revolution (or why it sometimes takes a guillotine to get anything done),  opens at the New Diorama Theatre to generally positive reviews.

For sale - THE diamond necklace.

All eyes will be on Sotheby's Geneva this November, when a necklace, thought to contain diamonds from the scandalous diamond necklace of 1784, comes under the hammer. 

"Exceptional" Christies sale

Christies have announced the highlights of their ninth "Exceptional sale" which will take place on 20th November. 

New Revolutionary postage stamps

 On 12th November the French post office is to issue two new stamps in its "Great Hours of French History" series. The event depicted will be the women's march to Versailles on 5th October 1789.

Madame du Châtelet (new book)

 The New Yorker for 28th October publishes a review by Adam Gopnic of Andrew Janiak, The Enlightenment's Most Dangerous Woman: Émilie du Châtelet and the Making of Modern Philosophy  (available in the UK at the end of January 2025)

Augustus the Strong

Tim Blanning's new book, Augustus the Strong: A Study in Artistic Greatness and Political Fiasco was published on 3rd October.  It's (almost) enough to make you forsake 18th-century France for 18th-century Germany...

Marie-Antoinette's library

Here is an interesting article, just published in a local US newspaper, with some useful references to Marie-Antoinette's libraries.