Historical Objectives

I have chosen to focus my project on the twin set of furniture that belonged to Queen Marie Antoinette, located in the Wrightsman Galleries at the Metropolitan Museum. My overall theme that links the smaller themes together will be the idea and analysis of feminine identity in 18^th century France. I plan to examine this primarily through the use of the objects we are studying in class, with particular attention to the lacquer boxes. Some questions I hope to answer are:

• What is the stake in presenting oneself in a certain way?
• What steps are taken in order to achieve a desired image?
• How do the boxes function as a means to achieving this look?

I am also interested in telling the story of mother-daughter relationships. The lacquer boxes that are meant to store possessions and cosmetics are part of a sacred ritual of passing the boxes down from generation to generation, just like how a young girl likes to play dress up with her mother’s clothes and jewelry. In other words, the box serves as a sense of inspiration for the daughter to put forward the best version of herself. The sense of self-preservation comes from the thrill of being able to hold special objects of adornment in a box. The mother daughter story would focus on the relationship between the Empress Maria Teresa and Queen Marie Antoinette. From here I want to explore two subcategories:

• The role of global trade
• The new concept of privacy

Globalization of trade became a major factor in the lives of the French people in the 18^th century. In terms of the lacquer boxes, the country that is of most significance here is Japan. The boxes were in huge demand in Europe. The fusion of Japanese and French culture produced these gorgeous lacquer boxes that were highly regarded and often owned by upper class. This introduces the question of who benefitted from trade and globalization and what effects the exposure to other cultures had on French style, in terms of both art and fashion (such as the appearance of imitations or replicas). The furniture would in turn incorporate lacquer to mirror the effect of the boxes.

Privacy is introduced in the French domestic interior slowly but surely throughout the 18^th century. Even considering something as broad as the floor plan of Versailles, where you no longer needed to walk through other rooms to be able to get into one room.

Digital Objectives

One of the ways in which I hope to visualize the ideas I have outlined above is through something along the lines of a photo essay. If it is possible, I would like to also create 3D models of the furniture and create annotations for them so that the viewer can observe them from all angles. Some options for visual display include:

1. Still Photographs
   1. Box open and shut
   2. Find lacquer boxes open or shut
   3. Include/insert makeup
2. Video that someone has made of box opening and shutting
   1. Link to the Met’s website of the desk (http://bit.ly/1BdAdXv)
3. Display period paintings that feature the boxes or furniture done in a similar style
4. Possible compare/contrast of makeup or products that Marie Antoinette would have used with current Marie Antoinette fashion/makeup influences

Potential Sources and References:

Books:

Carolyn Webber, Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution.

Thesis deals with the issue of self-fashioning and how the pre-occupation with fashion has roots in sense of separation from homeland and mother

Danille Kisluk-Grosheide and Jeffery Munger: The Wrightsman Galleries of the French Decorative Arts: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Catalogue of the galleries, containing the furniture in focus and references to style including specific chapters: Wood Paneling and Furniture, Gilt Bronze and Mounted Porcelain, Portraits, Gold Boxes

Course Readings:

Sargentson, “Looking at Furniture Inside Out: Strategies of Secrecy and Security in Eighteenth-Century French Furniture.”

Goodman, Part III: “The World of Goods.”

Roche, “Clothing and Appearances”