Thoughts:

The above quote, “there is nothing new except what has been forgotten” is attributed to Rose Bertin, the queen of France’s marchande de modes or fashion merchant. Although this wasn’t said by the queen herself, this quote is oddly reminiscent of society’s continued fascination with the palace of Versailles, specifically Marie Antoinette.

It’s particularly interesting that this statement was made by one of the principal figures in both curating Marie Antoinette’s public appearance and propagating one of the actions the crown was most heavily criticized for, lavish spending.

The magnitude and extravagance of Versailles was not the first of it’s kind, nor were its’ political undertones the first attempt at a large-scale gilded cage strategy. With leaders throughout the world coming up with parallel tactics over time, we can analyze Versailles next to various counterparts, such as the Domus Arena – built in Rome between 64 and 68 AD – or the Forbidden City – built in Beijing, China between 1406 and 1420. However, we, just like the fashion heads of the Rococo era, find something particularly mesmerizing in the visuals and lore surrounding Versailles. And the modern world, is till unable to draw their attention away from the most infamous queen to walk the halls of Versailles.

Are we more interested in the mystery of Marie Antoinette, of what may have been forgotten when making historical judgements, or are we entranced by the novelty of what we do know, a life that seems simultaneously dazzling and disturbing?