Cheshire Cat Photo Blog(...said the Cat: 'we're all mad here....')

Today, we visited an exhibition entitled “Royal Treasures from the Louvre: Louis XIV to Marie-Antoinette” at the Palace of the Legion of Honor (1) in San Francisco! The exhibition runs through March 17. Since my wife is a teacher, we are able to afford discounted memberships to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco – one of the luxuries that we still find worthwhile. Members have free access to this exhibition. The description on the Legion of Honor Web page starts:

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco present an unparalleled collection of decorative arts from the Musée du Louvre, Paris, including some of the most exquisite treasures of the French monarchy from the time of Louis XIV until the Revolution of 1789. Royal Treasures from the Louvre: Louis XIV to Marie-Antoinette is the story of French royal patronage, and the showcased objects in the exhibition are nothing less than dazzling….

Personally, as with some of the other exhibitions of art, particularly from the remodeling of the Musée d’Orsay, I viewed today’s opportunity as once-in-a-lifetime. This exhibition may be even more rare.

Many of the objects in the exhibition have never been shown in the United States and indeed, several have never left France. Royal Treasures from the Louvre: Louis XIV to Marie-Antoinette Is an unparalleled collection of decorative objects from France’s most illustrious royalty, direct from the Musée du Louvre, and displayed for the first time in the United States in this exclusive presentation.

On the Legion of Honor Web page describing the exhibition, you can click on thumbnails of art objects to view larger photos – the golden coffee grinder was one of my favorites. I DID remind another visitor (who was about to photograph the grinder) of the “No Photography” sign, and a guard thanked me. Please do not photograph art (all art, including photography, is copyrighted by the artist automatically at creation) without asking to see if it is permitted. You can also listen to a preview of the Audio Tour on the Web page.

In any case, I urge you to see the exhibition in its remaining days, if it is of interest to you and at all possible. Such opportunities are among the things that keep me in the expensive Bay Area – all in all, a good trade, I think.

-Bill at

Cheshire Cat Photo™ – “Your Guide to California’s Wonderland™”

You can view higher-resolution photos at the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Pro Gallery on Shutterfly™, where you can also order prints and gifts decorated with the photos of your choice from the gallery. The Cheshire Cat Photo Store on Zazzle® contains a wide variety of apparel and gifts decorated with our images of California. All locations are accessible from here. LIKE Cheshire Cat Photo on Facebook here! If you don’t see what you want or would be on our email list for updates, send us an email at info@cheshirecatphoto.com.