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.