Mrs washington’s revolution

With a strength of character that belied her fragile looks, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun pushed the boundaries of royal portraiture and, after the French Revolution, challenged the loss of female influence via every frill and fold in her work

Marie Antoinette’s passion for furniture and genius for bagatelles, however evanescent their purpose, filled the French royal palaces with beauty and charm, as Matthew Dennison reveals

MARCIA watched her grandson Matthew carefully as they toured the sumptuous interior of Moitlet Hall. To the other visitors, it no doubt seemed he was in awe of the opulent furnishings, wonderful artwo

HENRY MERRYWEATHER!” Sarah called out to the boy. Her voice sounded liquid and high in the autumn morning air. Henry stopped and turned and Sarah realised, looking at his tall broad figure, that he wa

When COUNTRY LIFE’s Henry Avray Tipping spotted a 17th-century four poster languishing in a Herefordshire attic in 1911, he set off a chain of events that saw the bed leave its ancestral home and land at The Met in New York

This autumn, the V&A unveils a captivating exhibition dedicated to Marie Antoinette, the ill-fated French queen whose brief yet eventful life continues to bewitch audiences and fuel the creative imagination. Marie-Claire Chappet traces her enduring influence on culture and fashion