This fall will bring something special for those who appreciate both history and jewels. From September 20, 2025, to March 22, next year, the Victoria and Albert Museum will display Marie Antoinette Style. The exhibition will be held in South Kensington in London and will be dedicated entirely to the famous French queen.
“Marie Antoinette with a Rose” (1783) is a portrait of the queen that drew criticism for depicting her in attire considered too casual and inappropriate for royalty. In response, the artist repainted the work, this time portraying her in a blue silk gown.
Over 250 unique objects, many of which haven’t left France before, will be demonstrated in what the museum considers “the first significant Marie Antoinette exhibition in the United Kingdom.” With her jewelry pieces, portraits, clothes, as well as personal and political artifacts, exhibition visitors can immerse themselves in her thrilling life and legacy.
Exceptional and highly important natural pearl and diamond pendant, 18th century. 15.90 x 18.35 x 25.85mm. Photos courtesy of Sotheby’s.
The queen once possessed a custom pendant with a natural pearl as one of its centerpieces. To everyone’s shock, in 2018, it was sold at Sotheby’s for $36 million, which greatly outperformed the $2 million preliminary estimate. Also, the display will feature V&A’s Sutherland necklace that contains stones from the Boehmer & Bassenge diamond necklace. Historically, this 18th-century piece was at the center of the scandal that played its ill-fated role in the overthrow of the monarchy.
Photos courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum.
However, the exhibition will be about much more than jewelry. The woman behind the legend will be brought to life through fragments of Marie Antoinette’s exquisite court dress, opulent pink slippers, a decorative cologne flask, and even a furniture set. Additionally, the exhibition includes portraits and archival materials which shed light on her development from the teenage years to being the most scandalous queen in history.
Bracelet clasps. At that time, bracelets were commonly worn in pairs. Each clasp would adorn a wrist, serving as a decorative fastener for bracelets likely made from multiple strands of large pearls. Photos courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum.
Sarah Grant is going to be the curator of the exhibition. Structurally, there will be four chapters describing Marie Antoinette’s life and influence on society. The first will show the queen’s arrival at Versailles and all her years on the throne up until her terrible execution (her life from 1770 to 1793). The second chapter tells us how Empress Eugénie restored the queen’s romantic image after her tragic end. The last two chapters show Marie Antoinette as a feminine “muse” and explain her role not only in history but in popular culture as well.
According to Grant, the queen’s name conjures up images of abundance and objects of luxury, which not only makes her fashionable but at the same time the most controversial monarch in history. The exhibition will demonstrate many of the queen’s possessions that have inspired even contemporary artists to use her style in their work.
Ultimately, Marie Antoinette’s story is a bright example of how one person could impact what society deems elegant. Here we are, more than two centuries after her passing, being influenced by her in our fashion and jewelry choices. And it doesn’t matter if it were her diamonds, bold pastels, or Versailles legends that made people remember her. What matters now is that she is still known as the image of absolute elegance, even at the cost of being a scandalous queen.
The Sutherland Diamonds include a diamond necklace along with two extra sections set with diamonds. Photos courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum.
