All that jazz in the dordogne

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

The City of Lights glitters with countless famous destinations, but with just two days to spend in Paris, I decided to explore some of the smaller, specialised museums – an adventure that whisked me b

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

The ‘Mona Lisa of manuscripts’, finally on view

Giselle De Hasse transformed an unloved cottage into a bright home with a garden cabin for work and entertaining

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