Visit Versailles: A Guidebook

This guidebook about the Palace of Versailles is written by Béatrix Saule (Director of the National Museum of Versailles and Trianon) in collaboration with Mathieu da Vinha (Scientific director of the Château de Versailles research centre). After a brief introduction the main text is divided into five sections:

1. Le Château (the main building)

2. The Park (the gardens and the grounds)

3. Grand Trianon

4. Petit Trianon (including the Queen’s Hamlet)

5. The History of France Museum (located in the main building)

At the end of the book you will find a chronology and brief biographies of some of the persons connected with Versailles. The first part covers kings and queens, who lived there; the second part covers architects and artists, who worked there.

The text is illustrated by a large number of photos. The quality is high and the size is often large, because the book is published in a large format. All illustrations are in colour, except for a few old drawings in black-and-white.

There are three maps: the estate (pp. 4-5); the ground floor of the palace (pp. 6-7); and the first floor of the palace (pp. 8-9). But there is no floor plan of Grand Trianon or Petit Trianon. Why not?

This guidebook is published in several versions: English, French, German and Italian. All four versions are for sale in the museum shop. On the Amazon UK website it seems you can find the French version (hardcover) and the English version (paperback). I have used the English version. The English translation is OK. I noticed only two cases where the translator got it wrong:

(A) On page 72:

“Very close, the dauphin Louis and his wife Marie-Josephe of Saxony went their often, leaving the connecting door open.”

The word “their” is a mistake. It should be “there,” which sounds the same, but has a different spelling.

(B) On page 117 King Louis XIV is quoted as follows:

“I created Versailles for my court, Marly for my friends and Trianon pour myself.”

The translator forgot to translate the French word “pour,” which means “for.”

In addition, there is an unfortunate misprint on page 19 where the authors mention “the defeat at Sudan against Prussia” in 1870.

“Sudan” is a country is Africa, while “Sedan” is a place in France.

This book is written by experts, and it shows. The structure is highly systematic. When presenting the palace, the authors take one room at a time. Each room is described with text and illustrations. Almost all items mentioned in the text are shown in a picture. Only the rooms open to the public are presented here, since this is a guidebook for a visit. When presenting the park, they take one section at a time.

The authors tell us what we can see today. Sometimes they also tell us what we cannot see anymore. After the French revolution of 1789 most of the furniture was sold in auctions. This is the reason why many rooms seem a bit empty today.

Fortunately, decorations on walls and ceilings were allowed to remain. They are still intact.

But even before the revolution some things disappeared. Louis XIV was extremely rich, but sometimes he needed instant money, perhaps to wage a foreign war, and so he decided to melt down several items made of silver, even though they had a high artistic value. Two examples are given:

The Mercury Salon (page 32):

“Tables, mirrors, firedogs, and chandeliers of solid silver” were melted down “in order to finance the war of the League of Augsburg.”

The Apollo Salon (page 34):

“The silver furniture, in particular the 2.6-metre-high throne was melted down in 1689.”

From time to time, the main text is interrupted by a separate sidebar which provides background information about different topics, such as games at Versailles, rules of etiquette, and royal entertainment. The topics are relevant, and therefore these sidebars are very useful.

Today, the palace of Versailles stands as a monument of the “ancien regime,” the absolute monarchy of France. It served as an inspiration for other royal families in Europe; one obvious example is Schönbrunn palace in Vienna.

When we think of Versailles, we will probably think of three persons, two men and one woman:

The first man is Louis XIV, who ruled France for many years, who designed, created and lived in this palace for many years. His bedroom is located in the centre of the main building, above the marble courtyard. Therefore this building is closely connected with him.

The second man is Napoleon, who ruled France - and a large part of Europe - for a few years. He never lived in the main building. In fact, he never stayed long in one place. But for a while he stayed in the Grand Trianon. Therefore this building is closely connected with him.

The third person, the woman, is Marie-Antoinette, who was the last queen of the “ancien regime,” and who was clearly out of touch with the real word. She would often stay in the Petit Trianon. The Queen’s Hamlet is her creation. Therefore these two places are closely connected with her.

As king of France, Louis XIV had one overriding concern: his palace had to exceed and surpass all others, and it did. Even today Versailles will make a huge impression on almost every visitor, even on a person who does not know much (or does not care much) about history.

If you want a comprehensive account of this palace, you have to look elsewhere, for instance Versailles: A Biography of a Palace by Tony Spawforth (HC 2008, PB 2010).

If you are looking for a book that is highly systematic, lavishly illustrated, as well as helpful before and after a visit, this book is highly recommended.

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Béatrix Saule,
Visit Versailles: A Guidebook,
art lys, 2012, 160 pages

 

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