Monday, January 5, 2015

Marie-Antoinette: Carnet secret d'une reine by Benjamin Lacombe


Marie-Antoinette: Carnet secret d'une reine is the latest offering from artist Benjamin Lacombe, who is best known for his beautiful and unique illustrations. 'Carnet secret' is a treasure trove for anyone who fancies his illustrations--which I do, enough so that I pre-ordered my own copy!

'Carnet secret' is a quasi-historical fiction tome, which combines some authentic letters of Marie Antoinette with fictional letters and diary entries written by the queen and various other figures, including Axel Fersen. The book is completely in French and I am very slowly working my way through it; while I can't yet provide a review on the literary content, I can definitely praise the illustrations in the book--which were actually the reason for my purchase!

My favorite aspect of Lacombe's illustrations is that you never quite know what to expect when you turn the page. Will it be something fairly direct, such as an illustration inspired by a historical painting (with, of course, a little twist)? Something totally absurd, like Lacombe's take on some of the 'Marie Antoinette' caricatures of the day? Or even something somber, mournful and dark? Every illustration is a detailed treasure trove, and I find myself returning to the pages more than once to see what I've missed!

If you are a fan of gorgeous illustrations or Lacombe's illustrations specifically, I heartily recommend picking up a copy of Marie-Antoinette: Carnet secret d'une reine as soon as possible! I purchsed my copy from Amazon.fr. You can also see more examples of his work on his official website.

A few sample pages:




 


1 comment:

  1. Nice post - thanks for including sample illustrations from the book. I'd heard about the book but was curious about what it looked like inside before trying to order it from amazon.fr but now I know. Merci!

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