Turkish Taste at the Court of Marie-Antoinette July 13, 2011

By the late eighteenth century, France had long been fascinated by the Ottoman empire. Trade with Turkish territories had gone on for centuries, bringing precious velvets, brocades, carpets, arabesque-decorated leathers and metalwork to the Continent. Soon after, boudoirs turcs were created in several royal residences, especially in the circle of Marie-Antoinette and the comte d'Artois, Louis XVI's younger brother. This taste seems to have been confined largely to the royal court and the French aristocracy and few objects from such rooms survive today. This exhibition is organized by Charlotte Vignon, the Frick's Associate Curator of Decorative Arts.