The Vicomte Cushion

A free hand digital painting, using textures to give the look of an aged mirror, Inspired by the French Court of Versailles during the reign of King Louis Xvi and his Queen Marie Antoinette and the film Dangerous Liaisons. Life at the Court of Louis XVI was strictly governed by tedious, over ridiculous court rules and etiquette. The Parisian nobility in the reign of Louis XVI is usually dismissed as a privileged, frivolous and decadent elite – a cause of revolution in France rather than a catalyst for reform. “Before the Deluge” is a book written by Evelyn Farr, that not only exposes the beaumonde’s preoccupation with amusements, love affairs, mysteries and scandals, but also highlights its love/hate attitude towards the splendour and power of the Court of Versailles, and traces the aristocracy’s active support for liberty and equality long before the words became part of a Jacobin slogan. The author also reveals the contrast between aristocratic excesses and the more sober life-styles of the French bourgeoisie and the lower classes. Original Artwork © Wickedly Lovely/Julie McIver