Ambition. Tragedy. Romance. The lives of Madame de Pompadour, Queen Marie-Antoinette and Empress Josephine read like the publisher's blurb on the cover of a historical novel. Yet they were real people, and a new exhibition from France sets out to unmask that reality.
Madame de Pompadour, after François Boucher (undated)
Marie-Antoinette, by Elizabeth Louise Vigee-Lebrun
Empress Josephine, after an original by François Gerard (1808)Musees de la Ville de Paris; Studio L'Orelle; Musee de Malmaison photos
"Trois Nobles Dames de France" exhibits paintings, porcelain, furniture, jewelry and memorabilia from several collections, including those of the Musee de Malmaison, the luxurious villa where Josephine spent the last years of her life.