The Palace of Versailles is a palace so naturally the furnishings and decor are fit for a king. How opulent? Just looking at the ceilings of the various rooms, I came away with the knowledge of why the French citizens revolted causing the French Revolution of 1789.
Impressions begin the minute you enter the palace. The first room you see is the two-story Royal Chapel with a gorgeous painted ceiling by the painters Jouvent, Coypel and La Fosse:
Move on to the Hercules Room. The ceiling painting, done by Lemoyne over a period of three years (he killed himself after it was finished), shows Hercules being crowned a god:
Love ruled at Versailles. In the Venus room, couples would cavort beneath the Greek goddess of love (on the ceiling), who sent down a canopy of golden garlands to ensnare mortals in delicious amoré:
Decorated with a military flair, the Mars Room's ceiling, painted by Audran, Jouvenet and Houasse, has the Greek god of war in a chariot pulled by wolves:
In the Apollo Room, the throne stood on a central platform beneath the ceiling showing the sun god driving his chariot across the heavens:
There's also the Queen's antechamber ceiling:
The coronation room's ceiling:
And of course, the room of all rooms which isn't really known for its ceiling, the Hall of Mirrors. Here, Le Brun executed the most important work of his career as the king's chief painter.
BASIC INFORMATION:
- Château de Versailles is closed on Mondays.
- Also closed on 1/1, 4/5, 5/1, 5/24, 11/1, 12/25.
- 11/1-3/31: Open Tuesday thru Sunday from 9:00-17:30.
- 4/1-10/31: Open Tuesday thru Sunday from 9:00-18:30.
- You should use your Paris Museum Pass at this museum.
- For various other ticket options, visit the website.
- Photography is allowed.
For more info: http://en.chateauversailles.fr/homepage
Looking forwardfor more interesting posts like this one.
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