Labille-Guiard self=portrait

 The Palace of Versailles has pre-empted a self portrait by Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, dated 1782, which was offered for sale by the auction house Tajan on 17th December .

Auction of Lafayette's watch

 A gold pocketwatch belonging to Lafayette was sold by Freeman's in Philadelphia on 12th November. The price fetched,  $44,800, was generally considered disappointing - "rather less than a cheap Rolex".

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

A diamond necklace

Sotheby's Geneva  have announced the auction in November of an 18th-century diamond necklace with a pre-sale estimate between $1.8 million and $2.8 million.  The piece is said to incorporate stones from Marie-Antoinette's infamous Diamond Necklace (and it is certainly monstrous enough to make this believable...)

Jefferson letter to be auctioned

A rare autograph letter from Thomas Jefferson to Tench Coxe, written from Monticello to be sold by Siegel Auctions on 27th June 2024.  

"In this letter, written in 1795, Jefferson espouses the momentum of the "ball of liberty" and denounces the "atrocities of Robespierre" and the French Reign of Terror".