Catacomb closure

It has just been announced that the Paris catacombs are to close for six months to allow renovations; the aim is to modernise, with better ventilation, lighting and an improved layout.

The Oath of the Horatii

An article by Shane Lewis, published in the The Collector on 27th September, presents an analysis of David's painting The Oath of the Horatii.

French Crown jewels heist

 The theft on 19th October 2025, of  the French Crown Jewels from the Galerie d'Apollon of the Louvre is making major headlines.  Whatever the final outcome of investigations, the heist is likely to go down as one of the most daring art thefts of all time....

Can Louis XX save France?

Somehow I rather doubt it  - but it makes a good newspaper story!

Marie-Antoinette portrait misidentified

According to BBC Oxford, a  portrait of Marie-Antoinette by Jean-Etienne Liotard in the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire in Geneva, is now thought to show her older sister Maria Carolina (article by Ethan Gudge, dated 12.10.2025).

Marie-Antoinette's jewels

American historian and jewellery expert Lauren Kiehna publishes a post on her "Court Jeweller" blog, dated 11th October, which lists the most spectacular of the known surviving pieces which belonged to Marie-Antoinette. 

Voltaire's chair

 The Voltaire Foundation blog for 10th October features a post by Toronto research student Jennifer Franks  on Voltaire's armchair ("fauteuil mortaire") in the musée Carnavalet.

AI at Versailles

The Château de Versailles announces the result of a competition to create AI generated personalised visits. 

Le Grand Dauphin at Versailles

The Palace of Versailles presents an exhibition devoted to the Grand Dauphin, Louis de France, the eldest child of Louis XIV; to run from 14th October 2025 to 15th February 2026.

Lunéville bids for UNESCO World Heritage status

On 20th August the candidature of Lunéville in Lorraine for World Heritage status was officially forwarded to the French Ministry of Culture.  Initial reports suggest the bid is looked upon favourably. 

The Queen we love to hate?

 Yet another offering on M.-A.: Deborah Nicholls-Lee asks, Why 'the most controversial queen in history' was so hated?  BBC, 18th September. 

Women and Revolutionary prisons

 Newly published on Age of Revolutions :  Oriane Guiziou-Lamour, "Sex under the guillotine: women, prison, and the French Revolution", posted 08.08/2025.

Gérard Lhéritier fraud trial

The trial  has begun in Paris of manuscript dealer Gérard Lhéritier, former owner of the company Aristophil, who was charged with fraud by French authorities in 2015.

John Hardman podcast

The latest episode of the  "The History with Jackson" Podcast (hosted by Jackson van Uden) features John Hardman on the political history of the Revolution. 

Too much Marie-Antoinette??

 In the wake of the new exhibition at the V & A, Anne Higonnet casts a critical light on the modern obsession with Marie-Antoinette style.  (Article published  in Town and Country Magazine on 4th September).

News from Port-Royal des Champs

 A article by Alexandre Marque on Actu.fr ,17.08.2025, features the National Museum of Port-Royal des Champs, at Magny-les-Hameau (Yvelines) which reopened in July of this year.

Politics and history at Puy du Fou

The Right-wing vision of French history represented by the Puy du Fou theme park  is discussed by Hélène de Lauzun in an article published in The European Conservative on 18th August.

Revolutionary music and song

The Library of Congress blog publishes a  guest blog post from Case Western University doctoral student Ellen Sauer Tanyeri on the musical background of the French Revolution with reference to material from the Library of Congress collections.

Jean-Joseph Mounier - Revolutionary

Posted on Age of Revolutions on 11th August:  Francesco Giosuè explores the career and reputation of the Revolutionary Jean-Joseph Mounier.

Historical Association French Revolution course

The Historical Association advertises a new short course, "The French Revoluton - not just a revolution in France" to begin in September-December 2025.

Voltaire translated - the Lisbon earthquake

Clive Scott publishes a new critical translation of Voltaire's  "Poème sur le désastre de Lisbonne" (1756),  reviewed by Nicholas Cronk on the Voltaire Foundation blog, (post of 01.08/2025)

"Aux armes citoyennes!"

"Aux armes citoyennes!",  a new documentary by Émilie Valentin and Mathieu Schwartz on the place of women in the French Revolution, was broadcast on Arte on 5th July. 

Greuze at the Petit Palais

The exhibition "Painting Childhood", dedicated to the work of Jean-Baptiste Greuze, will run at the Petit Palais this autumn, from 16th September to 25th January 2026.

The French Revolution - by John Hardman

John Hardman's new book The French Revolution: a political history is published by Yale University Press on 12th August.

Secret Paris

The website "Paris Secret" has some well-illustrated features in English on less-known Parisian haunts, among them the Passage Saint-André (07/07) and the Café Procope (25/07) 

Marie-Antoinette's diamonds

 An article by John Jeffay in the diamond jewellery trade paper IDEX, describes pieces belonging to Marie-Antoinette on display in the upcoming V&A exhibition (14.07.2025). 

We the Revolution (game)

 The 2019 video game We. The Revolution is currently available on GOG for the bargain price of £6.59.  Hours of entertainment ...(well, sort of!)

New Revolutionary Paris app.

 The City of Paris has recently launched an English version of its"Parcours Révolution" app., a self-guided walking tour of the Revolutionary sites of the capital, with text by Guillaume Mazeau and Jean-Claude Caron.  

Tourzel snuffbox acquired for Versailles

 The Société des Amis de Versailles confirms its acquisition of the snuffbox containing a portrait of Marie-Antoinette taken by Louis XVI with him on the flight to Varennes.

David exhibition at the Louvre

The Louvre announces a forthcoming major exhibition to commemorate the bicentenary of Jacques-Louis David's death. The exhibition will run from 15th October to 26th January 2026.

Robert Darnton podcast

A new Brussels Signal podcast (1st July) features a discussion by Robert Darnton on "The French Revolution and the Information Age".

Versailles acquires Vigée Le Brun portrait

 On 16th June 2025 the Palace of Versailles exercised its right of pre-emption to acquire a pastel portrait of the Count of Provence, by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, dated 1776.

Lafayette (article)

 The Collector website celebrates the 4th July with a feature article (by Kassandre Dwyer) on the life of Lafayette.

Commemorating Franco-American friendship

4th July 2025: This year it is particularly well to remember the joint legacy of "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity" which unites France and the US!

Comte de Rochambeau's 300th birthday

 The America Revolutionary Institute  hosted an event to mark the 300th birthday of the comte de Rochambeau, commander-in-chief of the French's 1780 expeditionary force sent to aid the Continental Army during the American War of Independence.

Black history in France

The Nogi media channel website publishes an informative summary article by  Mathieu N'Diaye on "Black people in France before abolition", 23rd June 2025 (for the English version).

More Napoleon!

 Napoleonic items from the collection of  Pierre-Jean Chalençon have sold for €8.3 million at an auction held by Sotheby's in Paris on 25th June.

Chateaubriand exhibition

An exhibition dedicated to Atala, Chateaubriand's iconic novel of 1801, runs at the Maison de Chateaubriand, La Vallée-aux-Loups (Hauts-de-Seine) until 28th September.

Sans-culottes (article)

The Collector website publishes a nicely illustrated feature article in English on the sans-culottes (by  Maria-Anita Ronchini, dated 16th June 2025).

Madame de Tourzel memorabilia (auction)

 On 25th June, at  Hôtel Drouot Auction Art Rémy  offered a group of keepsakes which once belonged to the Duchess of Tourzel, the last governess to the children of Marie-Antoinette.

AI at Versailles

 Thanks to the wonders of AI you can now chat to the garden statues at Versailles....

Mercier on London (translation)

Neighbours and Rivals, an English translation of  Mercier's writings on London, by Laurent Turcot and Jonathan Conlin, is published on 1st July.

Revolution exhibition moves to Vizille

The temporary exhibition, "1793/1794 un tourbillon révolutionnaire" - a adaptation of last winter's exhibition at the Carnavalet - will be held at the Musée de la Revolution française in Vizille from 27th June to 23rd November 2025.

Duplessis exhibition

An exhibition dedicated to the work of Joseph Siffred Duplessis (1725-1802) is being held this summer at the Inguimbertine Museum in Carpentras. 

Marie-Antoinette diamond ring auctioned

A ring with a huge pink diamond, which may have belonged to Marie-Antoinette, was sold by  Christie's New York on  June 17, 2025 for a whopping  $13.98 million!

Rare gold coins

A collection of gold coins amassed by a reclusive numismatist from  Castillonnès, Lot-et-Garonne, has been sold by  Beaussant Lefèvre and Associates in Paris for more than 3 million euros ($3.48 million). The collection includes almost  complete sets of coins from the reigns of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI - some minted just before the his execution in 1793.

New book on race (review)

The London Review of Books for 5th June publishes a review by David Todd of William Max Nelson's book Enlightenment Biopolitics (2024), a study of 18th-century theories of race.

Marie-Antoinette at the V & A

The V & A  has now issued the Press Release for the Marie Antoinette Style exhibition which opens in September.

Revolution in the Netherlands

A Leiden University PhD thesis by Dirk Alkemade traces the career of Dutch patriot Pieter Vreede (1750-1837).  [news article, 11.06.2025]. 

Revolutionary thrillers

In an article of 11th June  in National World, Swiss-based author J.R Powell reflects on the opportunities offered by the French Revolution for historical thriller writers.  

Remembering David Bindman

 The death has been announced of David Bindman, Emeritus Professor of the History of Art at University College London.  Among many achievements Professor Bindman is remembered as curator of the British Museum's groundbreaking 1989 exhibition on British representations of the French Revolution.

"Le Père la chaise" verdict ... Guilty!

No real surprises there!  But one suspects he has got away quite lightly....

Archaeology at Versailles and Marly (exhibition)

  The exhibition “Versailles and Marly underground: 40 years of archaeology in the Sun King's estates 1985-2025” runs at the Pavillon des chasses présidentielles in the domaine de Marly from 14th June to 21st September.

The furniture fraud who hoodwinked Versailles....

 After nine years  of investigation, the verdict in the infamous fake chairs trial is to be delivered on Wednesday!  In the meantime, here is a good summary article in English from the BBC News website. 

Darrin McMahon on Equality

The Voltaire Foundation blog publishes a post by Darrin McMahon on the concept of Equality in  Enlightenment thought,  based on a lecture given on April 5, 2025 at the Oxford Literary Festival, sponsored by the Voltaire Foundation.

Eighteenth-century exhibition at the Uffizi

The exhibition "Florence and Europe: Arts of the 18th Century" runs at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence from 28th May to  28th November.

A Black dance master

 The Nogi media channel website publishes an article  on a little-known figure from Black history:  "Jean-Baptiste Médor, a black dance master in 18th-century Normandy" (English version 23rd May 2025)

Portrait of Louis XVII by Marie-Antoinette

The most poignant of the lots on offer at the Osenat sale "Royalty atVersailles", held on 18th May was this striking portrait of Louis-Charles of France in the prison of the Temple attributed to Marie-Antoinette. Annotated by the Empress Eugénie, "Drawn by his Unfortunate mother". Sold for €10,498.

Lock of Marie-Antoinette's hair

The Osenat sale "Royalty at Versailles" held on 18th May included several important items of Marie-Antoinette memorabilia, including her missel and a lock of her hair, which was sold to an anonymous buyer for  € 9,660.

Marie-Antoinette's pooche

 Also among the lots of the recent Osenat sale "Royalty at Versailles", held 18th May 20 2025, was this cute presumed portrait of 'Pompon', Marie-Antoinette's beloved dog by Jacques Barthélemy Delamarre. (Sold for €9,274.)

Napoleon's sword auctioned

On 22nd May a sabre which belonged to Napoleon was sold by Giquello in Paris for the huge sum of €4.6 million of €700,000–€1 million.  

Robert Darnton on The Writer's Lot

Robert Darnton's latest book The Writer's Lot: Culture and Revolution in Eighteenth-Century France (Harvard U.P.) is to be published on 30th May.

Fashion of the Enlightenment expo.

 The Musée Jean-Jacques Rousseau in Montmorency is holding an exhibition on Enlightenment fashion, which runs from 5th April to 26th October.

The Choiseul snuffbox - unpacked

A lecture by American historian Meredith Martin, posted on Youtube on 12th May, explores  wider themes suggested by the "Choiseul Snuffbox" (acquired by the Louvre in 2023).

Watteau at the British Museum

The  British Museum is currently holding a free exhibition of its extensive collection of Watteau drawings. The exhibition runs from 15th May to 14th September.

À la table de Voltaire (Exhibition)

 The exhibition  "À la table de Voltaire" runs at the Château de Voltaire at Ferney, from 8th May 2025 to 4th January 2026.

The Martyrs of Orange

 On 11th May Avignon's Archbishop François Fonlupt and neighboring bishops will mark the 100th anniversary of the beatification of the Martyrs of Orange — 32 religious sisters guillotined in July 1794  for refusing to renounce their faith.

Napoleon letter auctioned

 A hand-written letter from Napoleon denying his role in the kidnapping of Pope Pius VII in 1809 was sold by Osenat on 27th April for €26,360.

New Biography of Maria-Theresa

Richard Bassett's Maria Theresa Empress: The Making of the Austrian Enlightenment is published by Yale University Press is on 25th February.

Maisons de plaisance (exhibition)

 The exhibition "Pleasure houses in the Parisian countryside from Louis XIV to Napoleon III" runs at the  Museum of the Royal Domain of Marly, from 11th April to 31st August.  

Artists and Models - BBC vintage docu-drama

BBC4 is currently repeating the classic 1986 series Artists and Models, directed by Leslie Megahey, which dramatises the careers of David, Ingres and Gericault.

Comte d'Angiviller (book)

A study  of Charles Claude Flahaut, Count of Angiviller (1730–1809),  director of the Batîments du Roi under Louis XVI  is published on 15th April.  The authors are by Monelle Hayot and Antoine Maës (in French)

The Revolutionary press

The Communist for 27th March features an article by Jonathan Hinckley on French Revolutionary journalism, one of a series which discusses the development revolutionary press. 

Marie-Antoinette's eating habits

 The American website Tasting Table publishes a short post on "What Marie-Antoinette ate in a day, according to historians".   Not that much at all, it would seem....

Chairs in high places - the trial

The high-profile case involving Bill Pallot's fraudulent sale of fake 18th-century chairs has finally come to trial.  He has apparently confessed all - wonder what his sentence will be?

Lynn Hunt on the Revolutionary self

Dr.Lynn Hunt publishes a new book, The Revolutionary Self: Social Change and the Emergence of the Modern Individual, 1770–1800 (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2025).  Available in the UK from 25th March.

Portrait of Louis XV on display at Versailles

 The Château de Versailles announces a special display of its recently acquired pastel portrait of Louis XV by Rosalba Carriera. The work, purchased in July 2024, can now be seen in the former apartments of Madame de Maintenon.

Reconstruction work at Saint-Denis

 Notre-Dame is not the only Parisian church scheduled for renovation! At the Basilica Saint-Denis the tower and north spire, dismantled for safety reasons in 1846, are to be reconstructed. 

New film on Olympe de Gouges

 The 2023 TV film Olympe, une femme dans la Révolution was broadcast on 3rd March on France 2 and is now available on streaming services, including Prime Video, though, sadly, not as yet in the UK. The producer is Julie Gayet, who also stars in the title role.

Remembering Jean Calas

Today, we remembers the condemnation of Jean Calas on 9th March 1762 and Voltaire's fight for his rehabilitation. 

Richard Mique, Architect of Queens (Lunéville)

An exhibition on Richard Mique,  Architect to Stanislas Leszcznski and to Marie-Antoinette, runs at the Hôtel abbatial in Lunéville from 3rd February to 3rd November. 

Watteau exhibition at Chantilly

From 8 March to 15 June 2025, the Château de Chantilly is devoting an exhibition to Watteau,  centring  around the holdings of the Musée Condé  (four paintings and six drawings) which have been newly restored.

The Revolution in 50 objects

 Jean-Clément Martin's lastest book La Révolution française – 50 objets racontent is published on 27th Feb.

Joseph Chalier lived here....

 In Lyon, rue de la Bourse, "at the sign of the Grand Tambour", Joseph Chalier once resided - imaged posted on X by Paul Chopelin  26.02.2025.

Marie-Antoinette biopic - Season 2

 The second season of the blockbuster TV series Marie-Antoinette, written by Deborah Davis, and staring  Emilia Schüle and British actor Louis Cunningham, airs on Canal+ on February 17, 2025, and on PBS on March 23, 2025.  Promised soon on the BBC.

Dumas - "Black Devil" (film)

 French director Helmer Ladj Ly is to write and direct a new film Dumas: Black  Devil.

Art Institute of Chicago acquires Horvitz collection

Art Institute of Chicago announces the gift of the Horvitz Collection of French Old Master paintings and drawings, the subject of a recent exhibition.

Fashion victims (Video)

The National Arts Club in New York presents a talk by Dr. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, author of Fashion Victims: Dress at the Court of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette (2015).  

Fifty years of the "Voltaire Room"

This January the Voltaire Foundation blog marks the 50-year anniversary  of the "Voltaire Room", in the basement of the Taylor Institution in Oxford, which houses the collection of 18th-century books bequeathed by Theodore Besterman.

New UK Puy du Fou theme park

Puy du Fou has launched a consultation for a new £600m UK theme park to be sited near Bicester in Oxfordshire. The planning application is to be submitted in the summer, and if approved, the park could be built by 2028/29.

The Revolution in Lyon (exhibition)

The Departmental Archives in Lyon currently features an exhibition on the Revolution in the Lyon area. "Ruptures et Fondations: La Révolution dans le Rhône et à Lyon" runs at from 20th September 2024 to 23rd March 2025.

Best of all possible worlds?

 The New Yorker discusses the career of Leibniz on the occasion of two newly published English language biographies, Audrey Borowski’s Leibniz in His World: The Making of a Savant (Princeton U.P.) and Michael Kempe’s The Best of All Possible Worlds: A Life of Leibniz in Seven Pivotal Days (Norton).

Hervé Leuwers on the Revolution (book)

 PUF announce the publication on 15th January of a second edition of Hervé Leuwers's 2020 book La Révolution française.

Haiti remembers its Revolution

On 1st-2nd January Haiti celebrated its 221st Independence Day in Port-au-Prince.  Haiti is a country with many problems, but the busts of the Haitian Revolutionaries were splendid. 

400 years of the Palais-Royal (exhibtion)

 The Domaine national du Palais-Royal in Paris is currently celebrating 400 years of history with a free exhibition.