Napoleon opinion poll

 According to a new opinion poll, a third of French people still love Napoleon ...Tant pis!

Rothschild auction results

Christie’s announce that their landmark Rothschild Masterpieces auction series, which took place in New York this October has finished in triumphant style, totalling $62,656,516 

A bust by Bouchardon - to sell or not to sell?

 The town council of Invergordon in the Highlands of Scotland has caused controversy by proposing to sell a  portrait bust by Edmé Bouchardon which it acquired for a fiver in the 1930s. 

Our Lady of the Old Silverware

The Catholic news website Aleteia features an article on the plaster Madonna, known as "Our Lady of the Smile", which belonged to St Theresa of Lisieux.  The statue is a replica of an 18th-century original in silver by Edmé Bouchardon which once adorned the church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris.

Condorcet's Life of Voltaire

A post by Gabriel Darriulat  dated 26th October, on the Voltaire Foundation blog, discusses Condorcet's Vie de Voltaire.

Robert Darnton on pre-Revolutionary Paris

Professor Robert Darnton's new book, The Revolutionary Temper: Paris, 1748–1789, is published by Penguin on 7th November.

Voltaire manuscripts at McGill

An important collection of manuscripts relating to Voltaire has been donated to Montreal's McGill University.

In defence of Robespierre

The American left-wing magazine Jacobin publishes (in English) an interview with Antoine Léaument, MP for La France Insoumise,  and an active defender of Robespierre’s legacy. 

Emigré tales from Florida

According to a post on a local history blog, "folklore claims" that the neighbourhood of Moncrief in Jacksonville, Florida is named after a certain French pawnbroker who fled there during the French Revolution, with Marie-Antoinette's diamonds.

Pastels at the Musée Cognacq-Jay

 A new exhibition dedicated to 18th-century pastels opens at the Musée Cognacq-Jay in Paris.  Pastels, between line and colour runs from 12th October 2023 to 11th February 2024.

The Catholic Church in Revolution

 Dr Ambrogio Caiani of the University of Kent announces the publication on 12th October of his new book,  Losing a Kingdom, Gaining the World, The Catholic Church in the Age of Revolution and Democracy.

Remembering Andrew Brown

 The Association Voltaire à Ferney announces the death on 3rd October of its president Andrew Brown (1946-2023).