Louis-Philippe and Versailles 6 October 2018 3 February 2019

louis-philippe and versailles 6 October 2018 3 February 2019

#LouisPhilippeVersailles Press contacts Hélène Dalifard, Aurélie Gevrey, Violaine Solari +33 (0) 1 30 83 75 21 [email protected] presse.chateauversailles.fr

Follow us on: chateauversailles.fr « What Louis Philippe has done at Versailles is a grAND thing. (...) to have put a GrEAT idea into a GrEAT building, to have placed the present in the past, 1789 ALONGSIDE 1688, the emperor in the house of the king Napoleon in the house of Louis XIV; in short, to have given this magnificent book that we call the history of France the magnificent binding that we call Versailles. »

Victor Hugo

Pages numbered III, in Complete Works 4 Detail of decoration The Gothic Palace. Palace of Versailles © Palace of Versailles / Jean-Marc Manaï

contents rs ees p.6 p.9 p.8 louis-philippe’s versailles background Foreword by Laurent Salomé Preface by Catherine Pégard Press release practical information beyond theexhibition partners exhibition exhibition patrons exhibition in connection withthe te ulctos p.53 p.54 p.52 p.40 For information further p.42 p.39 p.38 publicationsOther Exhibition catalogue p.21 p.18 p.41 p.36 p.20 p.46 The royal family’s living quarters Grand inthe Trianon p.12 spotlightedTheatre scenery The Consulate and Empire Rooms The Statue Gallery The Battle Gallery p.15 The 1792Room The Coronation Room The Exhibition Rooms The Crusades Visitor tour King Louis-Philippe’s family Chronology p.73 p.69 p.63 p.57 p.51 p.17 p.11 king Louis-Philippe AND Versailles 6 October 2018 - 3 February 2019

Versailles, 5 October 2018.

For the first time, the Palace of Versailles is devoting a major exhibition to Louis-Philippe, who turned the former royal residence into a museum dedicated "to all the glories of France". The exhibition recalls a decisive moment in the history of Versailles, which began a new life from that moment forward. It also emphasises the king’s direct involvement in the project, his love of history and his desire to portray the history of France. For the occasion, 32 rooms of the 19th-century museum, not usually accessible to the public, will be specially opened, giving an additional 4,656 m2 where visitors can discover one of the little-known aspects of the Palace of Versailles.

As heir to the Orléans family, King Louis-Philippe had little in the way of historic ties with the Versailles of the Ancien Régime. Nevertheless, as soon as he acceded to the throne in 1830, he showed a strong interest in the Palace and worked to transform it into a national monument. His aim was certainly to reconcile the French people with each other, but above all to ensure that his reign left its mark in the country’s history.

From that time, two Versailles lived alongside one another. The royal residence in the central section with the restored and refurnished State Apartments, which conserved their names and their uses. The former monarchy was recalled above all in the King's Apartments, the King’s Bedchamber marking the apogee of the visit. Elsewhere, in the North and South Wings, considerable works were undertaken. Louis Philippe created History Galleries from one end of the Palace to the other, thus interspersing the visit with King Louis Philippe and his sons leaving by the Honour Gate of the Palace of Versailles after reviewing the troops in the courtyard, 10 June 1837, Horace Vernet, 1846, Musée major groups of paintings: the Gallery of Battles, from National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon Tolbiac to Wagram, the Estates-General Room and the © RMN-GP (Palace of Versailles) / Daniel Arnaudet 1792 Room, Napoleon’s Coronation Chamber, mirrored The exhibition is presented in the Africa Rooms where the by the 1830 Room glorifying the new monarch, and finally paintings commissioned by Louis Philippe are unveiled to the Crusades Rooms and Africa Rooms that remained the public. In addition, it offers a genuine immersion in unfinished in 1848 with the fall of the July monarchy. 19th-century Versailles. For example, several theatre sets are presented on the stages of the Palace and the Trianon, To implement this project, the Palace architect, Frédéric including that made for the inauguration of the History Nepveu, drew inspiration from the decorative vocabulary Galleries, on 10 June 1837, placed on the stage of the of the State Apartments, but used new techniques, for Royal Opera House. The public can also lose themselves example the metal structure that enabled the monumental in the Crusades Rooms, in the Coronation Chamber and Gallery of Battles to receive natural lighting. the 1792 Room – both restored for the occasion – and The choice of pictures at Versailles underlined Louis in the Consulate and Empire Rooms. Visitors can also Philippe’s political attitudes: his education had given discover the Statue Galleries as they were at the time, since him a heightened awareness of history, accentuated by the original busts and the Louis-Philippe chandeliers have the French Revolution and the Romantic leanings of been reinstalled. the period. The numerous works he commissioned thus illustrate history through events, interspersed with great

exhibition curator Scenography Valérie Bajou, Head Curator at the Palace of Versailles Hubert le Gall

6 View of the Gallery of Battles © Palace of Versailles / Thomas Garnier names. He brought French heroes to life again, from Pharamond right up to the most recent events when he took power and became king. By transforming the former Bourbon residence into a museum open to the public, the king confirmed his educational view of a Palace where the paintings would be read like a picture book, accompanied by a political message. Versailles was no longer only a place for remembrance, it had become a place for learning.

The royal family in front of the statue of Joan of Arc, Auguste Vinchon, 1848, Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon © Palace of Versailles, Dist RMN / Jean-Marc Manaï

Capture of the Smala of Abd-el-Kader by the Duke of Aumale at Taguin, 16 May 1843, Horace Vernet, 1843-1845, Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon © RMN-GP (Palace of Versailles) / Gérard Blot / Hervé Lewandowski

with the patronage of: exhibition in media partnershipp with:with:

and with contributions from:

7 preface by catherine pégard President of the Établissement Public du Château, du Musée et du Domaine National de Versailles As always – although perhaps somewhat intermittently Opera House, the prodigious set commissioned for – Versailles appears to be the essence, the reflection and the performance given during the inauguration of the the setting for the power, convictions or dreams of he museum on 10 June 1937, and by refurnishing Louis who occupies it. With King Louis Philippe, it became Philippe’s Private Apartment in the Grand Trianon, the very illustration of the transition that the king, the Palace of Versailles’ curators have greatly extended traumatised and enlightened by his own story – at the their evocation of the works carried out during the July meeting of two worlds – wanted to impose. Monarchy.

Even if he was not concerned with saving the Palace of Much remains to be done to make the museum more Versailles by means of ambitious works, Napoleon gave understandable. However – and this is not the least up on the idea of upsetting the doubly-troublesome merit of the work carried out by Valérie Bajou and all history of the place where Revolution overcame royalty. those who have made the exhibition catalogue such Right from the start of his reign, but already with a little a profuse and nuanced kaleidoscope of intermingled more perspective, King Louis Philippe indicated his stories – there would be no incongruity if today’s visitors, desire to use the royal residence differently: as a museum stopping in the Hall of Mirrors or the Gallery of Battles, open to all, at the same time establishing it, like Louis should be equally astonished, if for different reasons. XIV, in the image of his reign. Historian François Furet’s statement that Louis Philippe failed because “he was too Monarchist to be Republican With the first major exhibition that Versailles has and too Republican to be Monarchist” cannot be applied devoted to the biggest transformation in its history, therefore to the changes made at Versailles. curator Valérie Bajou leads us inside the “magnificent” book, so highly praised by Victor Hugo at the inauguration of the museum devoted “to all the glories of France”. After an insatiable quest through the world’s greatest museums to find works which, besides those from the Palace of Versailles collections, bear witness to the personal choices made by the king day after day, Valérie Bajou offers us the story of a period that is little- known, neglected or even forgotten. But the exhibition does even better than that, providing the challenging pretext for opening the 19th-century galleries, too often unknown to the public. It required everybody’s involvement to bring back to life the historical rooms – created by Louis Philippe beside the royal apartments to link, in images, his time to the past – for this occasion.

Our desire to open up ever more of the Palace of Versailles – a commitment which is, when all is said and done, a continuation of Louis-Philippe’s own wishes – is encouraged by support from our patrons. I would like to express my gratitude to the two French companies, Plastic Omnium and Axa, who have made possible the restoration of the Coronation Chamber.

By reinstalling ensembles that had disappeared, like the Sculpture Gallery dedicated to Louis XIV in the South Wing, by presenting, on the stage of the Royal

8 foreword by laurent salomé Director of the Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon

Trying to understand King Louis-Philippe’s huge, were less troubled, even nostalgic. unprecedented undertaking at Versailles involves an exercise of a rare complexity, where the perpetual The part of the History Galleries situated within the reflection makes one’s head spin, where the real and the Royal Apartments is naturally that which appears the imaginary are completely intermingled. In the French most absurd to us today. They were furnished rapidly at king’s Versailles, objects mutate, walls move, styles the time without worrying about historical exactitude, clash to create new, hybrid shapes, sometimes a little faithful refurnishing being in any case impossible monstrous. so soon after the dispersals carried out during the History finds itself in an immense, spectacular temple, Revolution. But what improbable mixtures, what but a somewhat strange divinity is glimpsed behind incredible extrapolations were made so that today we its thousand stories and its accumulated, reorganised do not know whether we should keep some of them as a material witnesses. historical record. The most famous manifestation of this Today, we clearly feel that the incomparable flavour is found in the thickly-scrolled neo-Louis XIV sculpted of the whole comes from its arbitrary nature. It is easy decoration on the Jacob-Desmalter bed commissioned for us to stand back, nearly two centuries after the for the King’s Bedchamber and completed by politically July revolution. It was a quite different task to look unexpected textile furnishing, as shown later on. But, at and portray, with only a few decades’ perspective, throughout the Palace, Louis Philippe’s museum uses the most chaotic period of French history, to make a multitude of anachronistic ployants and torchères, a reconciliatory synthesis of the country’s story at a creating an exquisite confusion that we have inherited time when people had only just (and only temporarily) and which has become an integral part of modern-day stopped killing each other. Versailles Versailles’ double identity – palace and museum – is in King Louis Philippe was certainly the man of the reality even more confused, because there are elements moment, his personality reflecting all the ambiguities of museum in the reconstituted palace and palatial of his time. The division in the royal family, which had elements in the History Galleries, to the extent that become unbearable under Louis XVI, reflected that of today it is still difficult to distinguish those parts that the nation. The son of Philippe-Égalité obviously wanted are royal residence and those that are purely museum. to re-write history. Perhaps by going a long way back, And this is no doubt a very good thing in a place where recent horrors could be put into perspective? Starting clarity and simplicity have never been at home. A further from scratch was, paradoxically, the dream that emerged incongruity at Versailles, and one of the most delicious, on looking at the great mass of past events, and the king lies in taking the Princes’ Staircase, the Queen’s Staircase could even imagine himself as Pharamond, suddenly or the Statue Gallery, and revealing, practically intact, lifted onto a shield to lead his people into a new era. the History Galleries that were Louis Philippe’s purest Although his objective was to make the Palace into a creation, with their learned programme and their museum, Louis Philippe nevertheless succeeded in the sumptuous decor: Gros and Vernet take the place of the incredible feat of taking possession of it, where Napoleon Verberckts, and suddenly the epic spirit passes through had given up. Louis Philippe used a sophisticated the apartments like a strong draught. method, conserving a palatial part by reconstituting it in order to exhibit works and tell the story while still All the choices that King Louis Philippe made for his evoking its original use, i.e. by refurnishing it. museum throw a fascinating light on the king himself Only the king and queen were spared, as princes’ and and on his time, and that is what makes this exhibition courtiers’ apartments lost all their decoration to be used so relevant. [...] as picture galleries. By eliminating the Ancien Régime foundation, the royal presence was made acceptable according to the new principles. It maintained a purely symbolic royal couple, no longer a historical reality, whereas efforts were made to re-establish this reality in the Palace from the end of the 19th century, when people

9 , Manufacture de Sèvres, Jean-Charles-François Leloy (1774-1846), Nicolas-Marie Moriot (1788-1852) et Moriot Leloy (1774-1846), Nicolas-Marie de Sèvres, Jean-Charles-François Manufacture Versailles of Boquet (1786-1860), Palace Louis-Honoré Fouin / Christophe Palais (dist. RMN - Grand Versailles, of © Palace Vessel belonging to the royal family, 1836-1837 family, royal the to belonging Vessel 10 ICI

partie XX partie Background part I part MON TITre de partie

11 Chronology part I part

1773 command of his regiment. 6 October: birth of Louis-Philippe of Orléans, Duke of Valois, at the Palais-Royal. Through his father 1792 Louis Philippe-Joseph, he belonged to the Orléans 19 September: Louis-Philippe-Joseph, who has become family (descendants of Philippe, Louis XIV’s younger Philippe-Égalité, father of Louis-Philippe and member of brother). Through his mother, Louise Adélaïde de the Jacobins’ Club, is elected as a Deputy for Paris. Bourbon-Penthièvre, he was the great grandson of the 20 September: Louis-Philippe takes part in the battle of Count of Toulouse (son of Louis XIV and Athénaïs de Valmy. Montespan). 6 November: Louis-Philippe takes part in the battle of Jemmapes. 1778 Louis-Philippe and his brother Antoine-Philippe begin 1793 their education. 17 January: Philippe-Égalité votes for the death of Louis XVI. 1782 5 April: departure of Louis-Philippe and Adélaïde for 5 January: Stéphanie de Genlis named as governess to Switzerland with Madame de Genlis. the Orléans princes. 6 November: execution of Louis-Philippe-Joseph, Duke of Orléans. Louis-Philippe, hitherto Duke of Chartres, 1786 becomes Duke of Orléans. 26 December: Louis-Philippe is presented to King Louis XVI and the royal family at Versailles. 1795 Louis-Philippe travels through Germany and 1787 Scandinavia, going as far as the North Cape. 10 July: Louis-Philippe becomes a colonel. 1 September: Louis-Philippe meets his Chartres Infantry 1796 Regiment for the first time. Early September: Louis-Philippe sets off for America.

1788 1798 11 May: Louis-Philippe and his brother Louis-Antoine- 31 March: Louis-Philippe and his brothers arrive in Philippe, Duke of Montpensier, are baptised at the Havana. Royal Chapel of Versailles, in the presence of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie-Antoinette, their godfather and 1799 godmother September: Louis-Philippe and his brothers arrive in the Bahamas. 1789 1 January: Louis-Philippe is made a Knight of the Order 1800 of the Holy Spirit at Versailles. 27 January: Louis-Philippe and his brothers arrive in 9 February: Louis-Philippe, wearing National Guard Falmouth (Cornwall) uniform, swears the civil oath in the Saint-Roch district, Early July: official reconciliation between Louis-Philippe signing: “Chartres, citizen of Paris”. and Louis XVIII, then in exile in Prussia. Louis-Philippe Louis-Philippe renounces his infantry regiment to take is given back his ranks and titles. command of the Chartres Dragoons cavalry regiment, Autumn: the princes of Orléans set off for England. which became the 14th Regiment of Dragoons. 6 October: end of Louis-Philippe’s education. 1802 November: The Marquis of Sillery presents Louis Autumn: Louis-Philippe begins writing his memoirs. Philippe to the Jacobins’ Club. He is made a member of the presentations committee, responsible for examining 1806 requests for membership. Beginning of the year: Louis-Philippe is approached by Louis XVIII, then in exile in Courland, to negotiate his 1791 return to England as the legitimate king of France. The 15 June: Louis-Philippe arrives in Vendôme to take attempt fails.

12 1808 1 June: Louis-Philippe goes to Sicily with a view to 1820 meeting the Bourbon-Two Sicilies court. 1 January: birth of Louis-Philippe and Marie-Amélie’s 22 June: Louis-Philippe is presented to Queen Marie- fourth son, Charles-Ferdinand-Louis-Philippe, Duke of Caroline and Princess Marie-Amélie. Penthièvre, in Paris. 14 August: Louis-Philippe leaves for England. 1822 1809 16 January: birth of Louis-Philippe and Marie-Amélie’s 20 July: Louis-Philippe returns to Palermo. fifth son, Henri-Eugène-Philippe-Louis, Duke of 26 November: celebration of the marriage between Aumale, at the Palais Royal. Louis-Philippe and Marie-Amélie. 1824 1810 Organisation of an art exhibition in the salons of the 3 September: birth of Louis-Philippe and Marie-Amélie’s Palais Royal. first son, Ferdinand-Philippe-Louis-Charles-Henri- 31 July: birth of Louis-Philippe and Marie-Amélie’s Rosalin, Duke of Chartres. sixth son, Antoine-Marie-Philippe-Louis, Duke of Montpensier, at Neuilly-sur-Seine. 1812 16 September: re-establishment of cordial relations 3 April: birth of Louise-Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte- between King Charles X and Louis-Philippe. Isabelle of Orléans in Palermo. 19 September: Louis -Philippe is present at the ceremony where Louis XVIII’s coffin is blessed with holy 1813 water at the Tuileries palace; the Duke of Orléans is re- 12 April: birth of Marie-Christine-Caroline-Adélaïde- established in terms of etiquette and ceremony. Françoise-Léopoldine of Orléans at Palermo. 1828 1814 25 July: death of Louis Philippe and Marie-Amélie’s 20 May: order to restore the appanage of Louis-Philippe, fourth son, Charles-Ferdinand-Louis-Philippe, Duke of particularly the residences of Monceau, the Palais Royal Penthièvre, at Neuilly-sur-Seine. and Raincy. 4 June: Louis-Philippe moves into the Palais Royal. 1830 22 September: arrival of Louis-Philippe and Marie- 30 July: Marie-Amélie and Madame Adélaïde receive Amélie, Duke and Duchess of Orléans, at the Palais a delegation at Neuilly calling upon Louis-Philippe to Royal. become king or lieutenant general of the kingdom. 25 October: birth of Louis-Charles-Philippe-Raphaël 31 July: Louis-Philippe agrees to become lieutenant d’Orléans, given the title of Duke of Nemours, at the general of the kingdom. Palais Royal. 9 August: Louis-Philippe is proclaimed Louis-Philippe I, king of France. His eldest son, Ferdinand Philippe, 1816 becomes Duke of Orléans and Prince Royal. 28 March: birth of the Duke and Duchess of Orléans’ third daughter, Françoise of Orléans, in Twickenham. 1831 May: the palaces of Saint Cloud and the Tuileries are 1817 declared crown residences. 3 June: birth of the Duke and Duchess of Orléans’ fourth 21 September: King Louis-Philippe and the royal family daughter, Marie-Clémentine-Léopoldine-Caroline- take up residence at the Tuileries Palace. Clotilde of Orléans, at Neuilly-sur-Seine. 1832 1818 9 August: marriage of Leopold I and Princess Louise of 14 August: birth of the Duke and Duchess of Orléans’ Orléans at the château of Compiègne. third son, François-Ferdinand, Prince of Joinville, at 19 November: Louis-Philippe is the victim of a terrorist Neuilly-sur-Seine. attack while crossing the Pont-Royal.

13 1833 the Château d’Eu. 19 June: Louis-Philippe makes his first official visit to the Palace of Versailles, accompanied by architect 1844 Frédéric Nepveu. Twenty four visits to Versailles during the year. 8 to 14 October: official visit by King Louis-Philippe, 1834 accompanied by Antoine, Duke of Montpensier, and by Twenty four visits to Versailles during the year. Start of Guizot, to Queen Victoria’s residence at Windsor Castle. work in the South Wing. The king is made a Knight of the Order of the Garter.

1835 1845 Thirty visits to Versailles. Work in the South Wing and Thirty three visits to Versailles. the Coronation Chamber. 8 September: Queen Victoria’s second official visit to King Louis-Philippe at the Château d’Eu. 1836 Thirty one visits to Versailles. Construction of the 1846 Gallery of Battles. Twenty one visits to Versailles during the year.

1837 1847 Thirty five visits to Versailles. Twenty one visits to Versailles. 10 June: official inauguration of the museum of 10 December: Louis-Philippe’s 398th and final visit to Versailles. Versailles to oversee the works in the History Galleries. 11 June: the museum of Versailles opens to the public. 18 October: celebration of the marriage between Marie 1848 of Orléans and Prince Alexander of Württemberg at the 24 February: Louis-Philippe and Marie-Amélie arrive at Grand Trianon. Dreux via Saint Cloud and Versailles. 29 October – November: Louis-Philippe and the royal 2 March: Louis-Philippe and Marie-Amélie leave for family stay at the Grand Trianon England. Louis-Philippe takes the title of Count of Neuilly. 1838 4 March: Louis- Philippe and Marie-Amélie move into Thirty two visits to Versailles. Work starts in the North Claremont House in Surrey. Wing. 3 April: Queen Victoria visits Claremont. 9 May: Louis-Philippe visits Queen Victoria. 1839 17 May: Queen Victoria visits Claremont. 6 January: death of Marie of Orléans, Duchess of Württemberg, Louis-Philippe’s second daughter. 1849 Twenty five visits to Versailles during the year. 10 June: Queen Louise of Belgium visits Claremont. June: the Duchess of Orléans and her son, the Count of 1840 Paris, visit Claremont. Twenty six visits to Versailles. 22 December: Queen Louise of Belgium visits Claremont. 1841 Twenty four visits to Versailles. 1850 Beginning of the year: Louis-Philippe’s health begins to 1842 fail. Thirty visits to Versailles during the year. 26 August: Louis-Philippe dies at Claremont. He is buried on 2 September in the Catholic chapel of 1843 Weybridge. Forty visits to Versailles. September: beginning of the Entente Cordiale between Louis-Philippe and Queen Victoria. 2-7 September: Queen Victoria makes an official visit to part I family king louisphilippe’s 15 Louis Philippe inaugurating the Gallery of Battles on 10 June 1837, Jean-François Heim (1787-1865), Palace of Versailles © Palace of Versailles, (dist. RMN - Grand Palais / Christophe Fouin part II Versailles Philippe’s Louis- visitor TOUr part II part

For the first time, the Palace of Versailles is devoting a Visitors are then invited to continue their visit of the major exhibition to King Louis-Philippe (1773-1850) Palace to discover the extent and the wealth of the huge who, at the beginning of the 19th century, turned the museum designed by Louis Philippe: the Crusades former royal residence into a museum dedicated to Rooms, Napoleon’s Coronation Room and the 1792 all the glories of France and open to all. Presented in Room, the Battle Gallery and the 1830 Room, and finally the Africa and Crimea Rooms, built by Louis Philippe the Consulate and Empire Rooms, exceptionally open to for his new museum, the exhibition has enabled us to the public for the duration of the exhibition. display, exceptionally, the monumental canvases he commissioned for these rooms.

garden level

Crusades Rooms

Start of the Consulate and Empire rooms visit The Royal Opera House From 30 September to 4 November 2018, presentation of 5 a theatre set on the stage: Marble palace highlighted with gold, built in 1837 by Paris Opera set designer Pierre-Luc-Charles Palace Entrance Cicéri for the performance given at Versailles by Louis Philippe for the inauguration of the 5 History Galleries.

18 1st floor:

2 Coronation Room and Madame de Maintenon’s Chambers 3

Princes’ Staircase The exhibition Africa and Crimea 4 Rooms

4 The 1792 Room

The Battle Gallery and the 1830 Room

19 the crusades rooms part II part

Louis-Philippe, the royal family and King Leopold I visiting the large Crusades Room in July 1844, 1845 Salon, Prosper Lafaye (1806-1883), Palace of Versailles © Palace of Versailles, (dist. RMN - Grand Palais ) / Jean-Marc Manaï

Built under Louis-Philippe in the place occupied by Siege of Malta in September 1565 by Charles Philipppe several courtiers’ apartments, the five Crusades Rooms Larivière. The Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, 12 July 1212 contain numerous paintings commissioned from the by Horace Vernet is an episode in the reconquest of greatest historical painters of the time. They depict the Spain, commissioned under the Restoration. main episodes of the eight crusades (late 11th to late 13th centuries). The works are presented in a neo-Gothic Specially for this exhibition, the National Museum of the decor, both unusual and unexpected at Versailles, but Palace of Pau is lending Versailles the two chandeliers highly characteristic of 19th-century Romantic taste. The made by Chaumont and Marquis for the large Crusades coats of arms of the most illustrious crusaders have been Room in 1841 and sent by King Louis Philippe to painted on the friezes and ceiling panels. Pau in 1846. Re-hung in their original locations for the exhibition, these large gilded bronze chandeliers, The third room presents the original door in carved decorated with knights in armour, are among the most cedar and the bronze mortar from the Rhodes Hospice extraordinary creations in the first neo-Gothic style. of the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem; these two singular souvenirs dating from the early 16th century were given to Louis Philippe by Sultan Mahmud II in 1836. In 1840, Eugène Delacroix painted his famous The Crusaders entering Constantinople on 12 April 1204 for this room. Other paintings include: Acre being handed over to King Philippe II of France and King Richard I of England, 13 July 1191 by Merry Joseph Blondel and The Lifting of the

20 The exhibition part II part

Louis-Philippe and Versailles under the July Monarchy met the criteria expected of official art and the exhibition highlights the motives of In 1830, Louis-Philippe became king of France. Right this propaganda: how had the history of France been at the start of his reign, he brought Versailles into the written and to what end? Louis Philippe showed his taste crown domain and decided to transform the palace for eclecticism and the different artistic trends that he in order to open it to the public. He realised that the had introduced into his private residences. Versailles of Louis XIV was a legend that could only be preserved by turning it into a museum dedicated “to all A multitude of stories retrace a unique history, because the glories of France”, as proclaimed in the inscription Louis-Philippe preferred dialogue to denying the past. on the pediments of the pavilions. The king appeared on The new Versailles reflected that of Louis XIV, in which horseback with his sons in front of the gates of the Palace the Gallery of Battles is juxtaposed with the Hall of of Versailles for the inauguration of the initial works on Mirrors, rivalling it in splendour and in its wealth of fine 10 June 1837. decoration. Fascinated by all the technical innovations of the times, the king did not hesitate to introduce metal An indefatigable worker, the king closely monitored the structures into the Gallery of Battles and the Africa work of his architect Frédéric Nepveu for 15 years, until Rooms in order to illuminate these immense galleries 1847. Around the royal suite, in the heart of the palace, using natural light through glass roofs. and in the North and South Wings, the project led to the creation of History Galleries dedicated to medieval It is Louis Philippe’s Versailles – both eclectic and battles, the crusades, revolutionary and imperial wars complex – that we know today. and the conquest of Algeria. Thousands of paintings were set into the panelling. The works commissioned

King Louis -Philippe surrounded by his five sons leaving by the main gate of the Palace of Versailles after reviewing the troops in the courtyard, 10 June 1837, 1846, Horace Vernet (1789-1863), Palace of Versailles © RMN-Grand Palais (Palace of Versailles) / F. Raux

21 The exhibition

Louis-Philippe, heir to the Ancien régime?

Louis Philippe was born at the Palais-Royal in the heart of Paris on 6 October 1773. Through his father Louis Philippe-Joseph, he belonged to the Orléans family, descendants of Philippe, Louis XIV’s younger brother. Through his mother, Louise Adélaïde de Bourbon- Penthièvre, he was the great grandson of the Count of Toulouse, son of Louis XIV and Athénaïs de Montespan.

His father, Louis-Philippe-Joseph, was not an intimate of Louis XVI’s court at Versailles. In Paris, in its Palais- Royal residence, the Orléans family welcomed the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment and the Revolution that were fashionable at the time. Louis Philippe was nevertheless born into princely surroundings, portrayed by Nicolas Bernard Lépicié in an intimate scene. The artist even made a preparatory drawing in order to faithfully record the infant’s features. Louis-Jean-Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Penthièvre and his daughter Louise Marie Adélaïde, 1768, Jean-Baptiste Charpentier le Vieux (1728-1806), Palace of Versailles Cousins of Louis XVI and his brothers the Count of © Palace of Versailles, (dist. RMN - Grand Palais / Christophe Fouin Provence and the Count of Artois, Louis Philippe’s parents were nevertheless portrayed with magnificence: wearing the frock coat of the Order of the Holy Spirit, Louis Philippe-Joseph is depicted by François Callet with all the brilliance of a Prince of the Blood. Louise Adélaïde, his mother, chose Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, a fashionable artist much appreciated by Marie-Antoinette. Her portrait emphasises her charm and refined elegance.

Forty years later, in both his private portraits and those destined for the Palace of Versailles, Louis-Philippe also knew how to balance the splendour of the portrayals with noble simplicity.

Louis Philippe, Duke of Valois, in his cradle, 1774, Nicolas Bernard Lépicié (1735-1784), Palace of Versailles © Christophe Fouin

22 The exhibition

Louis Philippe’s youth

From 1782 to 1789, Louis-Philippe’s education was undertaken by Stéphanie-Félicité de Genlis, a follower of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s ideas. Like his cousins, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette’s children, Louis-Philippe learned history, geography, various languages, algebra, natural science and botany. His education followed a very strict, austere timetable in order to stop the young prince being led into luxury and idleness. The teaching was both practical and intellectual. Apart from using models representing different types of manual work, Madame de Genlis visited the capital’s main collections of paintings as well as Jacques-Louis David’s studio, where the artist had just finished Paris and Helen for the Count of Artois. She also included physical exercise in his education.

Louis-Philippe made few visits to Versailles. He was baptised in the Royal Chapel at the Palace on 12 May 1788. On 5 May 1789, he was close to the royal family at the opening of the Estates General, whereas his father sat with the Deputies. Soon called Philippe-Égalité (Equality), the Duke of Orléans was in favour of the Revolution and even voted for Louis XVI to be put to death. Louis-Philippe, then Duke of Chartres, took the civic oath in February 1790 before joining the Jacobins’ Portrait of Stéphanie Félicité de Genlis, 1790, Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (1749-1803), Club in November. He decided to take command of his Los Angeles County Museum of Art © Los Angeles County Museum of Art regiment at Vendôme in June 1791 then, accompanied by his younger brother Montpensier, he joined the Northern Army and took part in the battles of Valmy and Jemmapes. In March 1793 Dumouriez’s treason obliged him to leave France. He remained in exile for more than 20 years, travelling around Europe and North America under various assumed names.

His exile changed everything: after his father’s execution in 1793, Louis Philippe, now Duke of Orléans, acquired great political clear-sightedness and was able to analyse the various European regimes and the forces behind them.

Back in France during the Restoration, he commissioned Model of a joinery workshop, 1783, François-Étienne Calla (1760/1762-1836), Paris, a number of paintings from Horace Vernet, first a few Musée des Arts et Métiers portraits depicting his exile in Switzerland, then the © Musée des arts et métiers - CNAM / Photo Sylvain Pelly battles of Valmy and Jemmapes, which recalled his patriotic and revolutionary commitment. The artist suggested that these subjects should be completed by two battles from the end of the Empire, Hanau and Montmirail, in which the Duke of Orléans did not take part. At the Palais Royal, this series was exhibited in one of the ceremonial rooms. When he became king, Louis Philippe had four copies made for the Palace of Versailles: two are still there in the 1792 Room.

23 The exhibition

Louis-Philippe’s exile

In 1795, Louis-Philippe travelled through Scandinavia portrayed with his travelling companions. right up to the North Cape. Continuing the series of episodes depicting his exile, he commissioned two The Directorate put pressure on Louis-Philippe to go paintings from Auguste Biard for the Palais Royal: The to North America with his brothers Montpensier and Duke of Orleans welcomed at a Lapp camp and The Duke Beaujolais. In February 1797 they found themselves in of Orleans descending the great rapids of the Eijampaika. Philadelphia and travelled around the eastern United The artist did not seek scientific realism, preferring States. The Duke of Orléan’s lack of affectation was picturesque, exotic images, the isolation of the Arctic and appreciated in America, particularly when he replaced man’s powerlessness in the face of the elements in a spirit the nobleman’s sword with an umbrella! close to that of battle scenes: on the one hand, nature in all its fury, on the other, the Duke of Orléans remaining During his exile, on 26 November 1809, Louis-Philippe imperturbable among the rapids. married Marie-Amélie of Bourbon-Sicily in Palermo. She was the daughter of Marie-Caroline, one of Marie- Louis-Philippe had another opportunity to acquire Antoinette’s sisters, and Ferdinand IV, King of Naples. works recalling his travels in the far north: in 1846, The newly-weds had in common the fact that they had Danish artist Peder Balke asked him to look at his Nordic both been forced into exile. landscapes. Louis-Philippe commissioned two paintings from him, including View of North Cape, where he is

The Duke of Orléans descending the great rapids of the Eijampaïka on the river Muonio in Lapland in August 1795, 1841 Salon, François Auguste Biard (1798-1882), Palace of Versailles © RMN-Grand Palais (Palace of Versailles) / Franck Raux

24 The exhibition

Louis-Philippe’s collection From 1824, the collection took a more innovative direction: new names appeared, including Eugène From 1817, Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, built up Delacroix and Ary Scheffer, the Orléans children’s a collection worthy of his rank, a demonstration of the drawing teacher. Louis-Philippe seized the opportunity wealth and power that contributed to the pomp of a of the sales following the deaths of Géricault and Girodet princely house. Unlike his forebears, he turned away to acquire some major works. He turned towards from traditional painting, preferring contemporary art. landscape painting and was among the first to take an interest in Bonington and Michalon. After an initial predilection for the Lyon School, he maintained a taste for meticulously painted scenes by Although Louis-Philippe’s collection exhibited at the Étienne Bouhot and Martin Drolling. Soon, he was Palais-Royal under the Restoration represented a real looking for genre paintings by young artists such as artistic opposition movement, how should we view the Victor Schnetz and Auguste Couder. The artists brought Versailles collection? Because the artists called upon back many simple, picturesque scenes from their travels by the Duke of Orléans in the 1820s were the same he in Italy. But he really preferred scenes relating to his turned to when he became king fifteen years later for the own history, particularly those by Horace Vernet. The History Galleries. The iconographic and artistic choices Duke of Orléans bought all kinds of paintings. His enable us to understand Louis-Philippe’s taste, as well choices, which followed fashions, including in their as the solutions of continuity and breaks with tradition, eclecticism, help us to understand the position of artists with eclecticism providing the eminently political central at the time when Louis XVIII was opening the Musée du theme to the transformation of Versailles. Luxembourg, a gallery for living artists.

Louis-Philippe leaving the Palais-Royal for the City Hall, 31 July 1830, 1833 Salon, Horace Vernet (1789-1863), Palace of Versailles © Palace of Versailles, (dist. RMN - Grand Palais) / Christophe Fouin

25 The exhibition Portraits and portrayal

Until 1830, the Duke of Orléans presented himself as the later inspired that of the portraits in the History hero of his own story as it fitted into national history. Galleries at Versailles. The paintings of the marriages Although he knew nothing of imagination and poetry of the Orléans children under the July Monarchy, and hated novels, he understood that he needed to commissioned for the Palace of Versailles, were part control his image and that of his family. of contemporary history included in the long story of France. The main artists were François Gérard, Ary Scheffer and then Franz Xaver Winterhalter. Familiar with the rules The costumes were always in the latest fashion and of court portraiture, they offered both a dynastic and a were often treated as bravura pieces. The bust of Marie- progressive view of family. Amélie by Antonin Moine is thus an ostentatious construction of lace and ribbons, barely offset by a Full-length portraits were presented in panelling, negligently knotted shawl. sometimes dominating small genre paintings in an outmoded hieratic layout. The juxtaposition of the portraits drew inspiration from 17th-century galleries of illustrious figures. Louis Philippe thus created a Victoria Gallery at the Château d’Eu. This distinctive presentation

Portrait of Hélène Louise of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Duchess of Orléans, 1839, Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-1873), Palace of Versailles © Palace of Versailles, (dist. RMN-Grand Palais ) / Christophe Fouin

Portrait of Eugénie Adélaïde Louise of Orléans, known as Madame Adélaïde, 1842 Salon, Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-1873), Palace of Versailles © Palace of Versailles, (dist. RMN-Grand Palais ) / Christophe Fouin

26 The exhibition

The Entente Cordiale at the Château d’Eu

Louis-Philippe’s exile in England from 1800 to 1809, then from 1815 to 1817, shows the degree to which he liked the country. Links between France and the United Kingdom were strengthened when Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837. As a sign of this rapprochement, Victoria, who had commissioned her official portrait from Winterhalter, sent a version of it to Louis Philippe for the Palace of Versailles..

From then on, the two sovereigns worked to establish the Entente Cordiale. In 1843, Victoria went to France, to the Château d’Eu, residence of the Duke of Bourbon- Penthièvre, inherited by Louis Philippe in 1821. The following year, the British monarch invited the French king to Windsor Castle and returned to Eu in September 1845, as shown by Winterhalter’s splendid painting.

Louis Philippe commissioned many works to commemorate these three journeys. He sent the watercolours to Queen Victoria, who collected souvenirs of her travels in large albums, and kept the majority of the paintings now conserved at the Palace of Versailles.

Portrait of Queen Victoria, 1842, Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-1873), Palace of Versailles © RMN-Grand Palais (Palace of Versailles) / Gérard Blot

Concert given to Queen Victoria by the singers of the Comic Opera in the Guise Gallery at the Château d’Eu, 1844-1848, Eugène Lami (1800-1890), Palace of Versailles © RMN-Grand Palais (Palace of Versailles) / Gérard Blot

27 The exhibition Louis-Philippe’s tastes

At home, in his private residences, then in the Crown properties like the Palace of Versailles, Louis-Philippe continued to show his liking for eclecticism. At the Palais-Royal, he showed a princely taste for luxurious interiors, opulent draperies and mahogany furniture decorated with gilded bronze. At his summer residence at Chateau d’Eu, Louis-Philippe chose to present his works in the panelling at a time when practical facilities were making their appearance. Simplicity was the priority at Neuilly, a genuine country house, as at Randan, a residence that Adélaïde of Orleans bought in Auvergne.

The royal houses – the Tuileries, Compiègne, Saint- Cloud, Pau and Fontainebleau – were decorated by architect Pierre François Léonard Fontaine in a classical style. Family life required a change in the use of rooms in the apartments, with evenings generally being spent in a Family Room furnished with large, round tables with drawers to hold embroidery and books. The introduction of oil lamps represented a radical change.

The interiors were filled with fashionable furniture and objects, acquired by Louis-Philippe at exhibitions of industrial products held in 1834, 1839 and 1844. The king had a policy of genuinely encouraging the practical arts, in particular commissioning neo-Renaissance and neo-Louis XIV-style furniture and some exceptional items from the Manufacture de Sèvres.

View of the Palace of Pau, 1843, Siméon Fort (1793-1861), Palace of Versailles © RMN-Grand Palais (Palace of Versailles) / Daniel Arnaudet / Gérard Blot

Chinese reticulated lunch service, 1832-1838, hard porcelain, Paris, Manufacture de Sèvres, Hyacinthe-Jean Régnier (1803-1870) and Pierre Huart (1783-1847), Musée du Louvre © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée du Louvre) / Daniel Arnaudet

28 The exhibition

Versailles ancient and modern

Once transformed into a museum open to all, the Crown Palace of Versailles, dominated by its tricolour flag, kept the central structure of royal residence, flanked by the north and south wings laid out as History Galleries.

From 1833 to 1847, architect Frédéric Nepveu was the project manager for the works. His large cross-section drawings show the changes made to the former royal residence, which included the King’s and Queen’s State Apartments, separated by the Hall of Mirrors. These ceremonial rooms kept their original names and fitted perfectly into the design of the new museum. Louis- Philippe partially refurnished them. Above all, he exhibited historical paintings set into wooden panelling that was generally painted white with gold decoration. The hanging of the paintings was both dense and symmetrical.

Louis-Philippe laid out the royal apartments as visitor apartments. The public could admire the lifestyle of kings while reliving the glorious souvenirs of the nation. If this arrangement sometimes appears to be arbitrary, half residence, half museum, this is also what gives it its incomparable originality, and the Versailles of today conserves this twofold identity.

Palace of Versailles. Main building. Plan for a tower, 1841, Frédéric Nepveu (1777-1862), Palace of Versailles © Palace of Versailles, (dist. RMN-Grand Palais ) / EPV

Cross-section of the Louis XIII Gallery, the War Room, the Peace Room and the Louis XIV Gallery. Frédéric Nepveu (1777-1862), Palace of Versailles © Palace of Versailles, (dist. RMN - Grand Palais ) / Christophe Fouin

29 The exhibition The Africa rooms

Photograph of the Constantine Room: Palace of Versailles Photo: Thomas Garnier

fanciful ethnographic curiosity to the brutality and violence of the fighting: France’s civilising mission is implicit in figures highlighted by their dazzling colours – a marabou reading the Koran, a Jew running off with his belongings, women falling from sedan chairs, a black slave skewering a watermelon – and a great number of accessories portrayed with obsessive clarity, gazelles and dromedaries straight from the Botanical Gardens. The artist has replaced grandeur and drama by frivolity and the picturesque, work that betrays both his Romanesque exaltation and his racism. Brother Philippe copying the portrait of Chancellor Étienne Pasquier in the Constantine Room, Palace of Versailles, after 1842, Attributed to Horace Vernet (1789-1863), Palace of Versailles © Palace of Versailles, (dist. RMN - Grand Palais ) / Jean-Marc Manaï

The fitting out of the Africa Rooms began in 1837 under the direction of the architect Frédéric Nepveu. Louis-Philippe wanted to commemorate the conquest of Algeria where his sons had distinguished themselves. The decoration of the three rooms, Constantine, Smala and Morocco, was carried out by Horace Vernet, who painted nine large works and was helped by Éloi-Firmin Féron for the arches.

There never was an overall programme: after the siege of Antwerp in Belgium in 1832, the choice of African subjects was decided as the French troops advanced.

Horace Vernet was fascinated by the military advance of the conquest and by France’s colonial ambitions. Although he went to the actual battlefields of General view of the route followed by the expeditionary force from Constantine to Constantine and Taguin after the fighting to make Algiers in October 1839, 1840, Siméon Fort (1793-1861), Palace of Versailles preparatory sketches, he also worked from drawings © Palace of Versailles (dist. RMN - Grand Palais) / Christophe Fouin made by army engineers and artists

The three paintings of Constantine aim to give an easily-understandable patriotic image: heroes have become men. In Capture of the Smala of Abd el-Kader, the artist has relegated the fighting to the horizon, focusing on numerous bivouac scenes. The war in images imposes a colonial exoticism here, adding a

30 The exhibition Artists who witnessed the conquest of Algeria

Horace Vernet discovered Algeria in 1833. He was fascinated by the inhabitants, their customs and costumes. He liked to wear an Ottoman-inspired costume himself.

Before painting his huge canvases of Constantine, the Smala and Isly, Horace Vernet visited the places where the battles had taken place. He made many sketches of the landscapes and on returning to France he worked them up in his studio before adding the various protagonists. Once he had painted the setting, he placed the picturesque accessories that he had brought back from his travels in the foreground: bales of merchandise, a teapot, a sugarloaf. These objects were sometimes used in more than one painting. The sketches were gridded off in order to facilitate their transfer to the canvas.

In October 1839, Adrien Dauzats was attached as an artist to Marshal Valée and the Duke of Orleans’ military expedition through the Portes de Fer (Iron Gates) that form the route between Algiers and Constantine. He made several drawings in the field then painted these large watercolours in the studio, depicting the way through the Bibans in the Djurjura range. Each composition is based on the spectacular architecture of the defiles, with rocks balanced upon one another General view of Constantine, to act as intelligence for siege operations, 6 to 31 October and abrupt ravines. The soldiers’ uniforms are precisely 1837, 1840, Siméon Fort (1793-1861), Palace of Versailles painted, but the figures are only there to recall the © RMN-Grand Palais (Palace of Versailles) / Gérard Blot sublime nature of the landscape.

The Battle of Isly, 14 August 1844,1846 Horace Vernet (1789-1863), Palace of Versailles © RMN-Grand Palais (Palace of Versailles) / Franck Raux

31 The exhibition The History Galleries

On the ground floor of the central section and in the In the centre of the Palace, the King’s Bedchamber was North and South Wings, several galleries relate the the highlight of the visit, enabling Louis-Philippe to take history of France. The iconography was given priority possession of the past. Louis-Philippe took possession and masterpieces are sometimes found alongside of the past by elevating Louis XIV’s bedchamber to the copies for educational reasons. The historical scenes rank of a myth. Around a neo-Louis XIV bed with thick concentrate on military history. The French Revolution scrolls, commissioned from Georges Jacob-Desmalter was no longer an obstacle to recounting history and (and currently displayed in the Mercury Room) the Louis-Philippe, who introduced the contemporary era, textile furnishing was borrowed directly from Louis did not hesitate to place the Empire and the Restoration XVIII’s former throne room at the Tuileries Palace. The in the same room. ensemble was certainly fanciful and anachronistic, but extremely symbolic. Portraits of kings and marshals were set into the palatial decor of white and gold panelling, recalling the presentation of the portraits at the Château d’Eu.

Louis Philippe and the royal family visiting the History Galleries at Versailles, 1848, Auguste Vinchon (1789-1855), Palace of Versailles © Palace of Versailles, (dist. RMN - Grand Palais ) / Jean-Marc Manaï

32 The exhibition The inauguration on 10 June 1837

The opening of the State Apartments and the South Wing redeveloped by Louis-Philippe took place on 10 June 1837. Five thousand guests attended a magnificent party with a visit of the galleries and a banquet in the Hall of Mirrors. The Gallery of Battles with its endless perspective, its natural lighting and its 36 paintings inset into the decoration became the symbol of the new Versailles. The many visitors’ guides and the Galeries Historiques published by Charles Gavard have continued to reproduce the new Versailles.

The evening of 10 June 1837 ended with a sumptuous performance at the Royal Opera House. Miraculously conserved, one of the sets, a Marble Palace highlighted with Gold, designed by Pierre-Luc-Charles Cicéri specifically for the party, has been specially placed on the stage of the Palace of Versailles Royal Opera House until 4 November 2018.

If the king had taken liberties with the presentation of the former royal residence, in the History Galleries he freed himself of the rules applied to museums. Versailles resembled neither the Louvre nor the Musée du Luxembourg.

Portrait of Louis Philippe in the Gallery of Battles, 1841, Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-1873), Palace of Versailles © Palace of Versailles, (dist. RMN - Grand Palais ) / Jean-Marc Manaï

Louis Philippe inaugurating the Gallery of Battles on 10 June 1837, Jean-François Heim (1787-1865), Palace of Versailles © Palace of Versailles, (dist. RMN - Grand Palais) / Christophe Fouin

33 The exhibition king Louis-Philippe’s abdication

The death of two of Louis-Philippe’s children, Marie of Orléans, Duchess of Württemburg in 1839 and the Duke of Orléans in 1842, slowed down work on the Palace of Versailles. The economic crisis and social problems of 1847 almost stopped the works. In that year, the king only visited the Palace on 20 occasions. On 31 December, his sister Adélaïde of Orleans died. She had always lived with the royal family and offered genuine political support.

King Louis-Philippe certainly did not understand the importance of the 1848 Revolution. He did not see that his power had been weakened, especially since those close to him minimised the seriousness of the riots. However, on 23 February, he could no longer bury his head in the sand. According to an eyewitness, the Notre Dame tocsin rang lugubriously. The king, wearing the uniform of the National Guard, was sitting in his study, surrounded by the royal family, his ministers and a few generals. He remained silent for several hours and then, in the early hours of the 24th, he talked to Queen Marie-Amélie. Calm and resolute, he wrote his letter of abdication, signed it and read it out loud. He left the Tuileries Palace the same day and departed for England, where he moved into Claremont House in Surrey. Portrait of Louis-Philippe, ca. 1849, Édouard Dubufe (1820-1883), Château d’Eu © Christophe Fouin The legacy of this builder-king is still visible at Versailles. Alongside the residence in the central section, the History Galleries offer two different views. The role of the works presented in the State Apartments is to tell the royal story, while the History Galleries conserve the memory of the nation through the eyes of the 19th century. The political choices reflect the cult of great men and the moral principles that prevailed under the July Monarchy.

Letter of abdication, 24 February 1848, Louis Philippe (1773-1850), Paris, National Archives © National Archives

34 The exhibition

The transformation of Versailles into a museum Three questions for Hubert Le Gall, (Madame de Maintenon’s apartment) exhibition designer

As soon as Louis-Philippe took the decision to transform How did you approach the design of the exhibition? the former royal residence into a museum in 1833, architect Frédéric Nepveu was made responsible for When you work in such a prestigious location as the the works. He wrote minutes of each of the king’s site Palace of Versailles and the subject of the exhibition is visits to record all his decisions. At the same time the creation of the very space in which it is held, you Louis Philippe accepted suggestions from the architect must, in my opinion, maintain coherence between the Fontaine and the artist Gérard. existing decor and the scenography that you create. The scenography must, in this very particular case The first work took place in the South Wing, first on the of the Louis-Philippe and Versailles exhibition, both ground floor and then in the Gallery of Battles and the accompany the development of the subject through Coronation Chamber. the way the works are displayed but also remain discreet in relation to the authentic decor of the Nearly 140 people worked in Nepveu’s practice, of rooms. The difficulty lay in striking that balance. whom half were draughtsmen. As a result, the Palace of Versailles conserves numerous sketches, architectural How did you manage it? details, plans and cross-sections that served as working documents: the arch of the Gallery of Battles, the ceiling Everything lies in the proportions and the details. panels of the Coronation Chamber, the new layout of the How can you build dividing walls on which to hang Queen’s Theatre. The architect also produced elevations the works and to structure the space at the same of the existing state and the proposed developments in time letting the visitor see the richness of a ceiling order to show how the residence would be transformed or a wall painting? That was the challenge. The into a museum. Recognisable by the black line that height of the dividing walls that we introduced, their surrounds them, they all bear the legend: Work ordered colour harmonising with the decor of the room, the by the king for the conversion of the Palace of Versailles introduction of historical decorative elements like into historical rooms, galleries and museums. the big candelabra all contributed to linking, for the duration of the exhibition, the temporary and the François Marius Granet was the curator of paintings permanent in an ensemble where every item has its at the Palace of Versailles under the July Monarchy. place and makes sense. Although he served as an intermediary for commissioning work from artists such as Antoine-Jean With your exhibition designer’s eye, how would you Gros and Georges Rouget, he spent his time painting define the Louis Philippe style? the park and the lake of the Swiss Guard. A poetic vision expressed with great freedom thanks to the use of The difficulty of my job lay essentially in watercolours. understanding this unusual style which includes stylistic references from every period. King Louis- Philippe style is, at one and the same time, the taste for a revisited style that you find at Versailles, for example in the Crusades Rooms and the Gallery of Battles, but also the taste for mixing all the older styles, from Louis XIV right up to the Empire. This is the mixture that you see in the watercolours in the king and his family’s private apartments. Among all the aspects that make up a style, I chose to base my work on the classic-antique style, so frequently found in the furniture with consoles supporting tabletops.

Versailles, imaginary view of the Palace, François-Marius Granet (1775-1849), Paris, Musée du Louvre © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée du Louvre) / Thierry Le Mage.

35 the coronation part II part room the gilding on the ceiling, refurbished in 1948/49, no restoration work had been carried out since its creation.

The German Campaign Column, also known as the “Austerlitz Column”, commissioned from the Manufacture de Sèvres by Napoleon to commemorate his first imperial victories, has been put back in the centre of the Chamber. Completed in 1807 and placed in the State Apartments of the Tuileries the following year, it is one of the masterpieces of Sèvres porcelain produced under the Empire, thanks to the combined talents of Brongniart (design), Bergeret (painting) and Thomire, Duterme and C° setting in bronze).

The decoration of the room

Large works: - The coronation of Napoleon and Josephine at Notre-Dame de Paris, 2 December 1804 and The army After restoration © Palace of Versailles / Didier Saulnier swearing an oath to the Emperor after the distribution For the exhibition, the Établissement Public is presenting of the Eagle standards, 5 December 1804 by Jacques- the Coronation Room, completely restored thanks to Louis David. the patronage of Plastic Omnium and AXA. This room, - The Battle of Abukir, 25 July 1799 by Jean-Antoine symbolic of the huge transformation that Versailles Gros. underwent during the reign of Louis-Philippe, still Ceiling by Antoine-François Callet : conserves its original decor, hitherto never restored. - Allegory of 18 brumaire (9 November 1799). Over-door by François Gérard: Located at the end of the Queen's Apartments, the - Warrior Courage. Coronation Room was first the Royal Chapel, from 1672 - Clemency drawing support from Strength. to 1682, then the Great Guard Room, common to the - Steadfastness drawing support from an anchor. king and queen. Its current decor, executed under the - Genius rising despite Envy. direction of architect Frédéric Nepveu between 1833 and 1835, was installed when Louis-Philippe transformed the former royal residence into a museum dedicated to all the glories of France. Profoundly re-worked, the decor was then devoted to the glorification of Napoleon I. It was henceforth known as the Coronation Room, a reference to David’s famous and monumental painting that was displayed on the west wall.

Today, the Coronation Roomis an essential link between the State Apartments, a legacy of the Ancien Régime, and the 19th century History Galleries. Until recently it was in a poor state of conservation related to the ageing of its decoration, a general dirtying of its surfaces and The Coronation of Napoleon and Josephine at Notre-Dame de Paris, 2 December 1804, various alterations caused by old leaks from the roof. Jacques-Louis David. Indeed, apart from the frames of the large paintings and © RMN-Grand Palais (Palace of Versailles) / Peter Willi

36 The restoration restoration involving both the support and the picture of the Coronation room layer. Their state of conservation was truly remarkable: installed very early on or commissioned specially for The objective of this project was to restore the room's this room and never moved, they did not show any decorative coherence and the contrast and colours of damage apart from those caused by the natural ageing its original state, considerably tarnished and faded of the component materials and their application. The by the passage of time. The restoration of the whole restoration was carried out by the Centre for Research arch, painted and picked out in gold grisaille, the walls and Restoration of Museums of France under the panelled in wood, the decoration sculpted in carton- direction of the Museum’s Conservation Department. pierre (a mixture of paper paste, glue and minerals used to make ornaments), monochrome and false marble Visitors to the Palace of Versailles may thus discover this painting and gilding had become absolutely necessary room restored to its original state as King Louis-Philippe to render the room the subtlety and harmony of its designed it. decoration.

On the arch, as well as straightforward cleaning, many injections and much consolidation helped to stabilise the plasterwork before filling in cracks, re-fixing flakes of paint and then filling in missing paint and gilding. Joinery work involved the upper panelling, the moulded picture frames and door and window frames, the doors and French windows and the parquet. The stone and plaster cornice, all that remained of the former chapel, was heavily consolidated and holes filled in because it was, like those on the ceiling, considerably cracked. Gaps in its sculpted decoration, just like the carved registers of the frames and trophies in carton-pierre, were restored after careful dust-removal and cleaning.

The whole of the painted and gilded surface was then restored. Metalwork in iron and gilded bronze was taken down, cleaned and put back into place; some retouching of the gilding was necessary to perfect the Restoration of the Coronation Chamber Photo: Palace of Versailles, Thomas Garnier overall harmony of the decoration. Finally, the cornice was completely relit in order to highlight the restored subtlety of the contrasts in the painted decoration of the arch providing continuity with that of the walls. The work carried out under the direction of Frédéric Didier, Head Architect for Historic Monuments, thus involved both the structure and the surface of the room’s architectural decoration.

The restoration of the very large format painted decoration consisted of refurbishment for presentation. The cleaning of the works gave them back lustre and depth and restored the aesthetic unity of the room. This was all the more difficult to achieve in that the paintings Restoration of The coronation of Napoleon and Josephine at Notre-Dame de Paris, 2 were by several different artists, painted using different December 1804. Photo: Palace of Versailles / Thomas Garnier techniques and originally destined for places other than the Palace of Versailles. Gaps in the paint layer were with the patronage of: replaced, coloured glazes were placed on worn areas and earlier restoration using the wrong colours was corrected. Over-door and between-window paintings, more easily removed, could receive more fundamental

37 the 1792 rOOM the Princes’ Staircase part II part

This salon provides the link between the central section of the Palace and the South Wing. Here, Louis- Philippe brought together heroes from the wars of the Revolution and the Empire, wearing the uniforms and the rank insignia that they had in September 1792 when the Republic was proclaimed. The citizen-king, Duke of Chartres at the time, is present, in his Lieutenant- General’s uniform, as is Napoleon Bonaparte and the General Marquis de La Fayette (who is practically opposite Louis-Philippe). The two main paintings, by Horace Vernet, show the battles of Valmy (20 September 1792) and Jemmapes (6 November 1792), in which the prince and his younger brother, the Duke of Montpensier, took part. A painting by Léon Cognet shows The Paris National Guard leaving to join the Army in September 1792. © Palace of Versailles / Thomas Garnier

The staircase, whose sculpted decoration dates from the 17th century, links the ground and first floors of the South Wing. Under King Louis-Philippe, the original arch was replaced by a coffered ceiling.

38 the battle Gallery part II part

This gallery, in the South Wing of the Palace, occupies Merovingians, Carolingians, Capetians, Valois and the whole of the garden side over two floors. It was built Bourbons, to which may be added the Revolution and by architect Frédéric Nepveu between 1834 and 1837, but Napoleon. Apart from the kings, several great military architect Pierre François Léonard Fontaine suggested the leaders are also portrayed by busts placed between natural lighting that he had already used in the Grand the paintings: Du Guesclin, Condé, Turenne, Villars, Gallery of the Louvre. In fact, the decoration hides a Maurice de Saxe, etc. metal structure. Built to rival the Hall of Mirrors, the Gallery of Battles is over 100 metres long and 12 metres The battle of Tolbiac opens the gallery; it demonstrates wide. the link between the Church and the French monarchy, because victory was obtained thanks to Clovis’ Louis-Philippe wanted to change this space into a conversion to Catholicism. At the far end, modern “grandiose summary of our military history” to meet France’s greatest sovereign, Louis XIV, is celebrated. In his desire for national reconciliation after 40 years of the centre of the gallery, opposite the windows, Joan changing regimes. of Arc enters Orleans. Her presence in pride of place recalls the support that the sovereign can hope to obtain Thirty-three paintings are thus displayed, including from his people in the darkest moments of his country’s Philippe-Auguste before the battle of Bouvines (27 July history. 1214) by Horace Vernet, Saint Louis at the battle of Taillebourg (21 July 1242) by Eugène Delacroix, Henri The visit of the Battle Gallery was the high point of the IV entering Paris (22 March 1594) by François Gérard, inauguration of the History Galleries on 10 June 1837. the Battle of Fontenoy (11 May 1745) by Vernet and the Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805) by Gérard.

The paintings tell France’s military saga: from Tolbiac in 496 to Wagram in 1809, these great battles enabled the country to define its frontiers and to repulse its most determined enemies. All the regimes are present:

39 the Stone Gallery the 1830 room part II part

Inaugurated in 1837, the Stone Gallery on the first floor The room is dedicated to the events leading to the king’s of the South Wing was designed to house 80 sculptures accession to the throne in July and August 1830. The illustrating the political, military and institutional history king promised a parliamentary monarchy on the British of the last three centuries of the Ancien Régime. model, thus respecting the 1830 Charter, considered as a contract between the sovereign and the nation. Seen as a parallel to the Battle Gallery, its iconography also demonstrates the continuity in France’s A large painting by Eugène Deveria portrays the King development, beyond any dynastic, political or religious swearing an oath to uphold the Charter on 9 August 1830, divisions. An ambitious programme of restitution, a civic enthronement, far from the anachronistic image restoration and replacement of the works, begun in 2017, of his predecessor Charles X’s coronation. is due to be completed in 2020 in order to restore the original layout of the gallery.

40 Consulate and part II part Empire rooms

This series of thirteen rooms, located under the Battle All the great names of early 19th century historical French Gallery, is one of the first changes made by Louis- painting are represented and the paintings have been Philippe at Versailles. constantly reproduced by engraving and photography since they were painted. After hesitating somewhat, the king chose to display the military campaigns carried out under the Directory, the For the current exhibition, and after restoration work Consulate and the Empire. The paintings were almost on the parquet and the lighting of the paintings, the all commissioned by Napoleon himself, to promote the Consulate and Empire Rooms are once again accessible consular and then the imperial regime, and brought to visitors. together at Versailles by Louis -Philippe.

They are set into a rich decor of panelling and painted canvas, in harmony with the subject matter of the paintings, contributing to an overall decorative effect which aims to create a historic “period” atmosphere, to place the visitor inside the story of the events.

41 focus on theatre

part II part scenery

As part of the exhibition, visitors can see three theatre in the royal Opera House: sets built during King Louis Philippe’s reign. Never a marble palace picked out in gold previously shown, they have been specially displayed in the exhibition and on the Palace of Versailles’ two On 10 June 1837, King Louis-Philippe inaugurated the stages: the Royal Opera House and the Queen’s Theatre History Galleries devoted “to all the glories of France”. in the Trianon. This is a unique occasion to see these Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas and Eugène Delacroix monumental sets on historical stages, rare and precious were among the many guests. A performance was given examples of the history of set-building know-how and for the occasion on the stage of the Royal Opera House. techniques. The Paris Opera set designer, Pierre-Luc-Charles Cicéri, made a “marble palace picked out in gold”, especially for the final ballet. This monumental set was transferred in the exhibition: from Versailles to the Château of Compiègne when the a house curtain National Assembly was installed in the Royal Opera House room in 1871. Found and identified in 1998, it At the heart of the exhibition, the public can admire was transported back to Versailles, reduced to nothing a house curtain depicting the Battle Gallery, painted but the wing flats, the backdrop canvas and friezes in 1838. Made for the temporary theatre of the Louis- having disappeared. Philippe Gallery at the Tuileries, it was recently discovered in the Château of Compiègne, where it had In order to present the set and make it fully remained rolled up for more than a century. Research understandable to the public, it was decided to reproduce enabled its origin to be established with certainty. It was the missing elements. Artist-decorator Antoine Fontaine able to be linked to the Tuileries temporary theatre stage was thus commissioned to complete Ciceri’s work, surround, already identified and stored at the Palace of keeping as close as possible to the description given in Versailles. the inventory and by emulating the gestures used by the original artist. This spectacular complete set has thus been put back for the first time on the stage of the Royal Opera House and gives visitors a full-scale example of the audacity of 19th-century theatre design and of the sumptuous feel that Louis Philippe wanted to give to the inauguration of the Versailles museum, a major event of his reign. A one twentieth scale model of the set is also displayed in the exhibition.

The set will be exhibited on the stage of the Royal Opera House from 30 September to 4 November 2018.

Two special performances of works by Berlioz, contemporary with Louis-Philippe’s reign, will be given on the stage of the Royal Opera House using this historical set. They will immerse the audience in the authentic atmosphere of concert halls under the House curtain portraying the Gallery of Battles atelier of Pierre-Luc-Charles Cicéri July monarchy. (1782-1868) 1838, distemper on canvas, Château of Compiègne Symphonie fantastique © Jean-Paul Gousset - 21 October 2018: Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, Sir John Eliot Gardiner. - 6 November 2018: The Damnation of Faust Les Siècles, François-Xavier Roth. Information: www. chateauversailles-spectacles.fr

42 Gothic palace. © Palace of Versailles / Jean-Marc Manaï

A Gothic palace at the queen’s Theatre: The fruit of a major piece of work

Specially loaned by the Chateau of Fontainebleau, a For many years, the Palace of Versailles, under the set for Gothic Palace has been rebuilt on the stage of direction of Jean-Paul Gousset, technical director the Queen’s Theatre in the Trianon. A great deal of of the Royal Opera House, has been carrying out a research was necessary in the archive registers to retrace major piece of research into theatre sets and theatre

Following pages: View of the set Cicéri. © Palace of Versailles / Thomas Garnier its history. Built in 1845, it was intended for use in art from the 17th to the 19th century. Working with the temporary theatre at the Château d’Eu, the royal several royal and imperial theatres, this project has family’s private residence. However, it was never sent led to the conservation, restoration, promotion and there. It was kept for a time at the theatre in the Château even rediscovery of many stage sets, now inventoried of Saint-Cloud, before being moved to Fontainebleau in the national collections. Beyond studying historical in 1863. Never used, today it is in a remarkable state sets, the project aims to keep alive the traditional of conservation. The brightness of the colours and know-how and techniques used in the field of theatre the inventiveness of the design have remained intact. art, set handling and lighting, including restoration of Marble Palace picked out in gold The set, with eight flats, followed the tradition of 19th parts of the machinery. century theatre sets, built with oblique ceilings and wings. It was modular, and allowed eight different scenes to be presented during a performance. However, to this day, we do not know which work it was designed for.

, 1837,

The set will be in place for the whole duration of Pierre-Luc-Charles the exhibition, from 6 October 2018 to 3 February 2019 on the stage of the Queen’s Theatre.

the grand trianon: part II part the royal family’s dwelling

In 1835, Louis-Philippe decided to move into the Grand Trianon in order to oversee the conversion of the Palace an office for the king of Versailles into a museum. The place had not changed since the refurnishing carried out by Napoleon in 1810. Louis-Philippe needed an apartment in which to work The king ordered various works to be carried out so that with his secretary, Baron Camille Fain, and with the he could live in the small palace with the other members architect of the History Galleries, Frédéric Nepveu. The of his family and their retinues. king chose the former royal kitchen wing, which was now empty. He had an apartment fitted out based on a the allocation of the apartments big chamber-study whose walls were hung with a very elegant flowered percale and quite simply furnished. There were many books on the shelves in the adjoining rooms, and a box bed where the king could rest. An adjoining room was set aside for the secretary.

Above this study, a newly-created mezzanine provided accommodation for the whole of the king and queen’s retinue.

a palace for a bourgeois lifestyle

Beside this working area were located the Ceremonial View of the Grand Trianon © Palace of Versailles / Didier Saulnier Apartments where the king and queen lived. It was the former empress’ apartment. Louis Philippe and Marie- King Louis-Philippe and his wife, Marie-Amélie, took Amélie shared a bedchamber – a situation that was possession of the West Wing of the Palace, looking onto unheard of in France at this period – into which the king the gardens, their daughters occupied the Palace's Right had Napoleon’s bed moved from the Tuileries. Already Wing while their sons used Trianon-sous-Bois. Madame much changed during the Restoration, Louis Philippe Adélaïde, the king’s sister and closest adviser, was had it enlarged and his mark placed on it. accommodated in the Left Wing of the Palace giving on to the main courtyard.

major works

Hitherto a simple summer residence, the Grand Trianon had to be converted into a functional palace in accordance with the tastes of the period. As in all his residences, Louis-Philippe wanted to install the most modern facilities. He had the building’s foundations dug out to make a basement to contain the services necessary for a royal residence to function. He had a heating system installed in the new basements, blowing hot air into the rooms through grilles placed in front of the windows. The Palace kitchens were also moved into the basement. The Empress’ Bedchamber © Palace of Versailles / Christian Milet

46 The right wing of the Palace was considerably modified to house the royal family’s living quarters. For example, in the bedchamber and salon of Louis XIV’s first apartment, a big family room was laid out where the whole family could gather in the evening. Big family tables were placed there. They had big, numbered, lockable drawers in which the princesses could keep their needlework. A large mahogany billiard table was installed in the adjacent salon for use by the king’s sons and the men of his retinue. The gallery became a big dining room decorated with paintings from the Louvre by Hubert Robert, Horace Vernet and Poussin. Queen of Belgium’s bedchamber. © Château de Versailles / Christophe Fouin

use by the royal family

The Grand Trianon was used by Louis Philippe and his family from 1833 until the end of his reign. From simple visits to short stays, they went there during the renovation works to the History Galleries. A number of events took place there: a reception on 2 June 1833 in honour of the prince of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, another on 11 August of the same year for Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies, the wedding, in October 1837 in the new chapel of princess Marie, Louis Philippe’s daughter and Family Room © Château de Versailles / Christophe Fouin Duke Alexander of Württemberg and a banquet given in December 1840 in honour of the exiled queen Marie- Louis-Philippe’s daughters’ apartments lay behind this Christine of Spain. succession of ceremonial salons. They were completely redecorated: the walls were covered in brightly- The king last stayed there in February 1848, on his way coloured silks, mostly blue with gilded roses. In 1845, into exile. the apartment situated nearby, in the corner between the Left Wing and the Main Courtyard, was completely renovated and given to Louise Marie, Queen of Belgium, and her husband Leopold I of Belgium. Josephine’s bed was moved there from the Tuileries and the apartment’s furnishings were decorated in brilliant red and gold.

The king’s sons lived in the Trianon-sous-Bois wing. These apartments were decorated with fine purled silks with roses. At the end of the wing, where it joined the gallery, the Trianon-sous-Bois wing’s former billiard room was converted into a chapel.

47 The renovation and furnishing of the Grand Trianon under Louis Philippe: A characteristic example of decoration under the July Monarchy.

The main renovation work carried out at this period at the Grand Trianon involved the material and coverings for the walls, windows and chairs, which were the subject of many commissions. A considerable proportion of the furniture used by the royal family consisted, as was often the case during that period, of objects re-used from previous reigns, complemented by pieces made specially for the rooms, to more modern taste.

This seemingly heterogeneous grouping resulted in a decor that was characteristic of Louis-Philippe’s reign, with extremely dense colours, rich, often patterned, silks which contributed to the glorification of the furniture with its intense colours. There was a complete mixture of styles.

3. 5.

4. 6.

1. Princess Clémentine’s chair, Louis-Edouard Lemarchand, 19th century © Palace of Versailles, Dist RMN / © Christophe Fouin 2. Desk, Jacob-Desmalter © Palace of Versailles, Dist. RMN / Jean- Marc Manaï 3. The Duchess of Berry’s bed at the Tuileries Palace, Justine-Victoire Morillon, ca. 1823 © Palace of Versailles, Dist. RMN / © Christophe Fouin 4. Billiard table, Mathurin-Louis Cosson, ca. 1835 © Palace of Ver- sailles, Dist. RMN / © Thomas Garnier 5. Chest of drawers ordered for the King of Rome at Rambouillet, Pierre-Benoît Marcion, 1813 © Palace of Versailles, Dist. RMN / © Jean-Marc Manaï Family table, Jacob-Desmalter, 1837 Palace of Versailles, Dist. RMN / © Jean-Marc Manaï 7. Dressing room chair, Jacob-Desmalter, ca. 1837 © Palace of Ver- sailles, Dist. RMN / © Christophe Fouin

7. 2.

48 today occupied in the Trianon-sous-Bois Wing) in Camille Fain’s former office. Against a background of green In 1963, when General de Gaulle decided to turn the purled silk with golden roses, this bedroom shows to Palace into a presidential residence, the Royal Apartment advantage some very fine older pieces of furniture, was given to foreign heads of state while the Secretary’s reused by the king’s sons: the Duchess of Berry’s bed, Room was allocated to their spouses. When this suite of the King of Rome’s commode from Rambouillet and the rooms was handed back to the Etablissement Public de chairs in their salon. Versailles in 2010, it was completely unfurnished. The other rooms in the Grand Trianon had already For this exhibition it has been restored to its state under been refurnished according to the descriptions of the Louis-Philippe. Many pieces of furniture have been July Monarchy: the King’s Family Room and the Queen restored: daybeds, armchairs, upright chairs with their of Belgium’s Bedchamber. Visitors can now discover a original material, bookshelves, console tables and many complete Louis Philippe ensemble. They can also see objets d’art (light fittings, chandeliers) . The flowered the distinction made under the July Monarchy between wall coverings have also been rewoven, giving the rooms the prestigious, richly-furnished ceremonial rooms and their historical aspect and recreating the atmosphere of those used for work: simpler, more functional and more the period. comfortable, demonstrating the new spirit of democracy that arrived during the 19th century. Visitors can thus discover one aspect of the decor during the little-known period of the July Monarchy. The Palace of Versailles has chosen to recreate a bedroom used by one of Louis Philippe’s sons (like those that they

49 Capture of the Smala of Abd el-Kader by the Duke of Aumale at Taguin, 16 May 1843, 1845 salon, Horace Vernet (1789-1863), Palace of Versailles part III exhibition with the connection In publications part III part

Exhibition catalogue louis-philippe and versailles

Multi-author work edited by Valérie Bajou, Head Curator at the Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon.

From the start of his reign, Louis-Philippe decided to transform the Palace of Versailles and open it to the public. He realised that Louis XIV’s Versailles was a legend that could only be preserved by turning it into a museum dedicated “to all the glories of France”, as proclaimed in the inscription on the pediments of the pavilions in the main courtyard.

The very hard-working king closely supervised the work of his architect, Frédéric Nepveu, over 15 years. Around the royal suite, in the heart of the palace, and in the North and South Wings, the project led to the creation of History Galleries dedicated to medieval battles, the crusades, revolutionary and imperial wars and the conquest of Algeria. A multitude of tales tell the story, because Louis Philippe preferred dialogue to denying the past. The new Versailles reflected that of Louis XIV, juxtaposing the Gallery of Battles with the Hall of Mirrors, and rivalling it for splendour and wealth of fine decoration. Fascinated by technical innovation, the king readily added metal structures to the 17th-century architecture in order to illuminate the huge Gallery of Battles and Africa Rooms with natural light. co-publication palace of versailles / somogy 400 pages, 24 x 30 cm, 270 illustrations €49 The Versailles we know today is that of Louis-Philippe: Available from www.boutique-chateauversailles.fr and from the shops at the Palace of Versailles eclectic, complex and taking nothing for granted.

Éditions somogy press contact Sophie Durst-Pagel 00 33 (0)1 48 05 00 80 / [email protected]

52 other publications

Puzzle book Palace of Versailles magazine From the Ancien régime to today With the help of games and riddles, 8- to 12-year-old visitors can find out more about King Louis-Philippe and discover the changes made to the palace during his reign. Fully illustrated, both entertaining and educational, it is a real help to young visitors.

Available free at the entrance to the exhibition (in French and English) starting from the autumn half-term holidays.

In partnership with Paris-Mômes, 8 pages, free.

THE PALACE OF VERSAILLES CrUSADES rOOMS

"États des lieux” Collection Dossier: “Louis-Philippe transforms the Palace into a The Palace of Versailles Crusades Rooms date from museum” 1843. Created on the initiative of Louis-Philippe – the bourgeois king – they aimed to flatter the nobility and By choosing Versailles as the place to exhibit the great the clergy, who were hostile to him, by paying homage to episodes from national history, Louis-Philippe was not the crusaders. To fill them, Louis-Philippe commissioned only seeking to promote his own political power. The king nearly 150 paintings and 300 statues of the main was indeed the first, since Napoleon, to reconcile two episodes from the crusades. The doors of the Hospital opposing trends that emerged from the French Revolution. of the Knights Hospitaller of Saint John of Jerusalem And what better setting than the palace of kings, linked to were even brought from Rhodes and placed in a splendid the first dramatic events of 1789, to summarise 50 years neo-Gothic setting, characteristic of the “troubadour” of disruption. Above all, beyond this desire, the king’s style from the Romantic period. The ceilings and friezes ambition enabled the Palace of Versailles to become once around them are decorated with the coats of arms and again the unique symbol of France that it had been under names of the great crusade leaders and many knights the Sun King. who took part in the first three crusades. Describing the (David Chanteranne, editor of “The Palace of Versailles. history of these astonishing rooms and the restoration From the Ancien Régime to today”) works that allow visitors to wander through them today, this book is a window into a little-known and completely unexpected Versailles. éditions soteca 23 x 29.7 cm, 72 illustrations, 82 pages €9.90. Multi-author work edited by Frédéric Lacaille, Head Available from www.boutique-chateauversailles.fr and from the shops at the Palace Curator at the Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles of Versailles et de Trianon.

Co-publication Palace of Versailles / rMN 128 pages, 24 x 22 cm, 72 illustrations In French and English € 25. "États des lieux” Collection Available from www.boutique-chateauversailles.fr and from the shops at the Palace of Versailles

53 for further

part III part information

guided tours suitable for all

At the Palace of Versailles family visits

■ Louis Philippe and Versailles – guided visit of the ■ Louis Philippe with his family exhibition 10.30am to 12pm: 18 and 25 November; 1, 9, 16 and 27 At 10.30am: 21, 23 and 28 October; 3, 14, 16 and 30 December 2018; 2, 13 and 27 January 2019. November; 1, 8, 13, 15, 18 and 26 December 2018; 4, 16, 18 and 24 January; 1 February 2019. Who was this king who transformed the Palace into a At 2.30pm: 17, 25 and 30 October; 9, 21 and 25 November; 12, Museum of the History of France? Where are the History 16 and 21 December 2018; 31 January; 2 February 2019. Galleries? What is the Coronation Chamber? This visit takes you into the heart of the 19th century where you ■ The Gallery of Battles, history according to Louis can discover a little-known aspect of Versailles through Philippe the places that are associated with it. For those aged 8 and over. At 10.30am: 2 and 24 November; 4, 12, 23 and 28 December 2018; 23 January; 6 February; 1 March 2019. ■ Versailles, a long story! At 2.30pm: 29 November; 9 December 2018; 8 and 27 January; 1 and 15 February; 9 and 20 March 2019. 2.30pm to 4pm 25 October; 28 December 2018; 2, 13, 20 and 28 February; 5 March 2019. ■ The Crusades Rooms Versailles, palace of kings? Yes! But not only that. Royal At 10.30am: 17, 23 and 27 November; 7 and 16 December residence, museum of French history, palace of the 2018; 9, 17, 27 and 29 January; 2 and 20 February 2019. Republic, gallery and contemporary art centre: Here, At 2.30pm: 5 and 27 December 2018; 26 January; 12 February Versailles, its tales and its characters are revealed during 2019. a new tour, mixing anecdote and history. For those aged 6 and over. ■ The Empire Rooms: the Napoleonic legend

At 10.30am: 10 and 25 January; 5 February; 5, 23 and 27 March 2019. At 2.30pm: 15 January; 13, 16 February; 15 March 2019.

the Trianon Estate

■ Louis Philippe and his family at Trianon

At 2.30pm: 21 October; 8, 13, 18 and 28 November; 19 and , 1839, E. Lejeune, Palace of Versailles of , 1839, E. Lejeune, Palace 29 December 2018; 12, 16, 20 and 25 January; 8, 21 and 26 Le Claire Meil February; 5, 10, 13, 21, 27 and 31 March 2019. ©

Prices: €10 + admission fee Free for under-10s Illustration Length: 1h 30 Booking required at www.chateauversailles.fr, by telephoning + 33 (0)1 30 83 78 00 or at the Palace on the day of the visit, North Ministers’ Wing (subject to availability). Visits start directly at the entrance to the Grand Trianon. Prices: €10 + admission fee The full programme is given on chateauversailles.fr Free for visitors under 10; those aged 10 to 25. €10. Length: 1h 30 Booking required at www.chateauversailles.fr or by telephoning + 33 (0)1 30 83 78 00 The full programme is given on chateauversailles.fr

54 View of the Palace of Versailles and the Place d’Armes Place the and Versailles of Palace the of View / Hervé Lewandowski Versailles) of (Palace Palais © RMN - Grand HERE part XX part MY TITle of part

55 illes. © Palace of Versailles / Thomas Garnier Garnier / Thomas Versailles illes. of © Palace , arch of the Smala room, Palace of Versa of Palace room, the Smala of , arch

56 Louis Philippe monogram exhibition part IV part patrons Plastic Omnium is a French car equipment Pompidou, the French National Library and of course the manufacturer, world leader in intelligent bodywork Palace of Versailles, which we support. These institutions systems, clean energy systems and complex modules. contribute to France’s influence beyond its frontiers. An international group, Plastic Omnium employs 31,000 people in 122 factories and 24 R&D centres in 26 Plastic Omnium is a French group with strong overseas countries throughout the world and supplies 83 makes of presence. Which of our 31,000 employees has never vehicle. In 2017 its turnover was €8 billion. heard of the Palace of Versailles? The aim of our long- standing patronage at Versailles is to contribute to the Since its foundation in 1946, Plastic Omnium has dissemination and knowledge of French culture. remained a majority controlled and family-owned group with innovation and entrepreneurship at the root of Plastic Omnium is happy and proud to have its name its history and its values, enabling it to contribute to once again associated with the Palace of Versailles, technological developments for the car of tomorrow. through our support to the restoration of the Coronation Room and to the Louis-Philippe et Versailles exhibition. Plastic Omnium has decided to orientate its various patronage operations towards three main themes: science, culture and handicap. In France, we are lucky to have great cultural institutions such as the Centre

Press contact Adeline Mickeler +33 (0)1 40 87 64 49 / [email protected]

58 AXA is committed to the conservation of cultural In 2015, after an absence of 264 years, Louis XIV’s desk, heritage designed by cabinet-maker Alexandre-Jean Oppenordt, was able to be sent back to Versailles. This magnificent AXA’s commitment to the conservation and transmission example of the art of cabinet-making, considered of cultural heritage is a natural extension of our business outdated and sold in 1751, came back into the Palace as insurers, which involves protecting people on a long- collections thanks to AXA’s patronage and help from term basis, but also developing their assets. Our cultural the Friends of the Palace of Versailles. It gave AXA great and heritage patronage activities are thus closely linked satisfaction to bring back this extraordinary piece of to our approach on promoting social responsibility. In work, a perfect illustration of late seventeenth-century particular, AXA has supported the Musée du Louvre cabinet making, into the setting for which it had been and the French National Archives for the acquisition of designed. artworks, as well as the Château of Chambord for the restoration of its northern perspective. Today, with the Coronation Room, AXA reaffirms its commitment to the conservation and transmission of AXA is proud to have been helping the Palace of heritage and is proud to contribute to the first restoration Versailles since 2013, contributing to its lustre and to of this room since Louis Philippe. enriching its collections.

This began with the donation of a rug by the Manufacture de la Savonnerie, of the same design as that which used to feature in Madame Victoire’s second antechamber at the Palace of Versailles, thereby helping to refurnish the Palace as it was in 1761.

Then in 2014, for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and France, AXA wished to support the exhibition entitled China at Versailles, retracing the 18th century political and artistic exchanges between China and France. This patronage enabled Versailles to present some of the finest works testifying to the wealth and diversity of these artistic and cultural relations.

Press contact Françoise Laroche +33 (0)1 47 74 47 38 / [email protected]

59 ARQUUS is a European leader in armoured vehicles World War, but also the EBR, the AML and the VAB with lightweight and median wheels, working in the which have been present in all the French army’s theatres defence and security industries. The company is the fruit of operations. It is therefore natural for ARQUUS of a century of service to the French army, beginning to commit to patronage which aims to champion with the FT-17 and continuing today with the Scorpion and promote French history. In this context, in 2017 programme. As a major partner of the army, ARQUUS ARQUUS started acting as a patron to the Army has a large fleet of nearly 25,000 wheeled vehicles in Museum, helping to restore the museum’s FT-17 and to France. The company also provides support for most organise exhibitions about the 1918 centenary. of these vehicles, guaranteeing their availability to our operational troops. Today, ARQUUS is proud to contribute to the promotion of the nation’s historical heritage through its new The company has several major ongoing projects: partnership with the Palace of Versailles on the occasion Griffon and Jaguar (as part of a grouping) from the of the exhibition dedicated to Louis-Philippe. ARQUUS Scorpion programme, VT4 tactical vehicles (replacing has already been associated with the 2012 exhibition the P4s), vehicles for the Special Forces, but also about General Louis-François Lejeune and with the improvements to the existing VAB, VBL and PVP fleets. opening of the South Wing for the Heritage Days in 2013. To help soldiers, ARQUUS invests in relief organisations that help the wounded and their families, as well as in ARQUUS has five sites in France, including two in the the development of defence policy. Certain ARQUUS Yvelines: Versailles-Satory and Guyancourt. vehicles have contributed to French military history, such as the FT-17, the tank that helped win the First

Press contact Grégoire Verdon, Director of External Communications +33 (0)1 70 91 81 14 / [email protected] Marin Tollet, Press Officer +33 (0)1 70 91 81 30 / [email protected]

60 Since 1946, Farrow & Ball, the British brand of craft and pay homage to the Anglophile Louis-Philippe who paint and wallpaper, has established itself as an expert managed to restore the Entente Cordiale between France and achieved international recognition thanks to its and the UK by creating strong links with Queen Victoria. renowned, pigment-rich paints. Nearly 700 litres of paints, undercoats and primers were The depth of each of the 132 colours on the colour used to brighten the walls of the different rooms of the chart is the result of a unique blend between several exhibition. pigments. Each colour undergoes a rigorous, scrupulous formulation process to ensure extraordinary depth Connoisseurs will recognise the best-known shades to each finish whatever the lighting conditions. The from the colour chart, including Savage Ground, singular names chosen for each colour, evoking the story Incarnadine and Mahogany as well as archived colours that led to its development, contribute to the exclusive, like Minster Green, Biscuit and Ciara Yellow. They can magic experience that is the signature of Farrow & Ball. also discover, in this location that is symbolic of French heritage, one of our newest colours, launched as recently Since the 1990s Farrow & Ball has been creating its as 20 September: Sulking Room Pink. This subtle pink wallpaper collections using traditional printing methods evokes the shades used in boudoirs, a name that comes and from its own paints, giving them an exceptional feel originally from the French verb “bouder”, meaning “to and producing a genuine harmony between paint and sulk” in English. paper.

It was obvious that Farrow & Ball, which has always tried to enhance homes and historical buildings throughout the world, should partner up with this major project

Savage Ground Cooking Apple Brassica Mahogany Calke Green Green

Incarnadine Dove Tale Shaded White Pitch Black Minster Green archived colour

Biscuit Ciara Yellow Sulking Room N/A archived colour Pink new colour Press contact Sparkling Presse - Julie Boisson +33 (0)6 66 62 23 16 / [email protected]

61 , ca. 1832, French School, 19th century, Palace of Versailles of Palace School,, ca. 19th century, 1832, French Louis-Philippe and his family Louis-Philippe and 62 Detail Detail © Palace of Versailles, (dist. RMN - Grand Palais) / Christophe Fouin Fouin / Christophe Palais) (dist. RMN - Grand Versailles, of © Palace exhibition part V part partners Established in 1983, Beaux Arts Magazine is Europe’s Launched in 1978, Figaro Magazine lies at the premier art and culture periodical. intersection of news and pleasure. A magazine with a strong personality, it combines high-quality writing and Beaux Arts is a Monthly innovator, interested in all the beautiful photography. visual arts from all periods and aimed at all art lovers, from the general public to professionals. Directed by Guillaume Roquette, each weekend the Figaro Magazine editorial team offers a different take In September 2017, Beaux Arts Magazine launched its on the news through the opinions of its renowned new format, finding great success with its readers and columnists (Eric Zemmour, Frédéric Beigbeder, Philippe ever greater recognition in the art world. Now with Tesson…), its large-format reports, its exceptional a new graphic design, the number of pages has been selection of photographs including the famous double- increased to give more space to the pull-out section on page “Arrêts sur Images” present the three most the art market and to the lifestyle section. spectacular images of each week.

Market leader, Beaux Arts is a veritable trend-setter. Figaro Magazine also includes the “Quartiers libres” guide, exclusively devoted to culture and lifestyle whose Beaux Arts Éditions, the publishing house associated art, cinema, literature, theatre and music pages establish with the magazine, accompanies and extends the range its legitimacy as a veritable reference in the field of of subjects, with nearly 90 publications every year, from culture. special editions to coffee table books. Figaro Magazine is published every Friday with Le Beaux Arts is also very present on the Internet through Figaro, Madame Figaro and the TV Magazine. Figaro its site www.beauxarts.com and the social networks. An Magazine is pleased to be associated with the Louis- environment in which to discover art like you’ll see it Philippe et Versailles exhibition. nowhere else: videos, exclusive articles, reports, and an on-line shop offering all our publications.

64 Louis Philippe’s objective in placing the Museum of La Croix is the Catholic general daily newspaper. the History of France at the Palace of Versailles was to reconcile the French with each other and bring them Every day, the paper and web versions of La Croix together. relate all aspects of the news: politics, economics, France 2 shares that ambition. social phenomena, culture, sport, etc. But of course, The remit of a public television channel is to create religious facts as well, a field in which we claim unique events, films, documentaries and performances that competence in the French press. bring together the French in sharing the extraordinary diversity and wealth of our history and heritage. Three particular features characterise the appeal of La Croix in the world of news. Louis Philippe commissioned hundreds of paintings and First, debate. La Croix is a place where people of sculptures to illustrate this national story. different convictions can meet and exchange views in an France Télévisions and France 2 develop and broadcast, atmosphere of mutual respect. across all media and in collaboration with the major Next, interactivity. A significant amount of space is given cultural institutions, many historical, cultural and artistic over to letters and messages from our readers, a choice programmes about the people responsible for what that is particularly relevant in today’s digital world. France and Europe were yesterday and are today. Finally, space to breathe. A lot of space is devoted to long articles and features providing solutions, opening One could say that France 2 is the audiovisual and digital perspectives and giving people the desire to live and not version of a Museum of the History of France, constantly to withdraw into themselves. enriched by new works that it shares with millions of viewers and Internet users.

65 Since 1974, mk2 has stood up for a different kind of Franceinfo is the premier publicly-run 24-hour global cinema through the production and distribution of art news channel. films. With an editorial team of 160 journalists, franceinfo Founded by Marin Karmitz, mk2 has chosen high- focuses on one objective: producing reliable news in all quality cinematography through its network of cinemas, media 24 hours a day seven days a week to enable people its free cultural magazine TROISCOULEURS and its to freely form an independent opinion. lecture programmes, open to all. New investigations and reports, expert analysis...Live, mk2 is committed to sharing and making accessible all at the heart of the news, franceinfo covers major events types of art and knowledge to as many people as possible. in France and throughout the world to obtain the best It is a loyal partner to all those involved in culture who possible grasp of the news and share it with the widest support artistic creation in Paris and beyond. possible audience.

After having collaborated with several exhibitions, mk2 Since 2017, franceinfo has been a news content media is pleased to be associated once again with the Palace of (radio, television, web, applications, social networks) Versailles, bringing to light Louis Philippe’s primordial with the support of Radio France, France Télévisions, the role in the history of the Palace. INA and France Médias Monde . Plan for the arrangement of the paintings in one of the ground ground the one of in paintings the of arrangement the for . Plan , 1834, Frédéric Nepveu (1777-1862), Palace of Versailles. of (1777-1862), Palace Nepveu , 1834, Frédéric Palace of Versailles. South Wing South Versailles. of Palace floor roomsfloor ) / EPV Palais (dist. RMN-Grand Versailles, of © Palace 66 Detail 67 eur (ca. 1803-1879), Palace of Versailles of eur (ca. 1803-1879), Palace , 1847, Romain-Étienne-Gabriel Pri , 1847, Romain-Étienne-Gabriel

68 View of the Palace of Versailles from the forecourt from the Versailles of Palace the of View © Palace of Versailles, (dist. RMN - Grand Palais ) / Christophe Fouin Fouin ) / Christophe Palais (dist. RMN - Grand Versailles, of © Palace beyond the part VI part exhibition Louis Philippe at Fontainebleau The king and history

Château of Fontainebleau 3 November 2018 - 4 February 2019

Through more than 200 works, the exhibition presented in the State Apartments invites visitors to rediscover the château and the life that the royal family led there under the July Monarchy.

Passionate about history and architecture, Louis- Philippe implemented an ambitious renovation project at the château with architect Eugène Debreuil. All parts of the building were involved: major Renaissance decoration, theatre and apartments were refurnished and modernised. A prestigious and comfortable residence, Fontainebleau became once again a place for sumptuous events, particularly at the crown prince’s wedding in 1837. Faithful to his reputation of being a “bourgeois king”, Louis-Philippe also lived a simpler family life in the “dwelling of kings”, appreciating the charm of the park and the forest. The exhibition presents many objects, often unusual and personal, relating to a singular lifestyle, including charabanc outings, hunting trips and © Louis Blancard / Art Digital Studio board games. The exhibition will also offer a new vision of the château decor marked by historicism and the triumph of the “neo” styles so dear to the King of France. www.chateaudefontainebleau.fr

press contact Alexis de Kermel [email protected] / +33 (0)1 60 71 50 73

70 Eugène Lami, painter and decorator to the Orléans family

Chantilly Estate, Graphic arts room, exhibition presents spirited portraits of the Orléans 23 February – 19 May 2019 family, vibrant official and family scenes and avant-garde plans for decoration created by the artist. The Chantilly estate is organising the first exhibition devoted to Eugène Lami (1800-1890), one of the most The exhibition resonates with the reopening of the Duke important painters and decorators under the July and Duchess of Aumale’s private apartments (fitted out monarchy. between 1845 and 1847) after two years of in-depth restoration of their decoration and furnishings: a unique Past master as a watercolourist, Lami was both Louis opportunity to relive the splendour of the July monarchy Philippe’s painter and “the poet of official dandyism” of which the château of Chantilly houses the only (Baudelaire), liking to portray the elegant lifestyle of the remaining, completely conserved princely apartments in period. Close to the King’s children, he decorated their France. rooms and painted their portraits. Thanks to numerous loans from public and private collections, the Chantilly www.domainedechantilly.com

press contact Saba Agri - HEYMANN, RENOULT ASSOCIEES [email protected] / +33 (0)1 44 61 76 76

71 Detail: Cross-section of the Louis XIII Gallery, the War Room, the Peace Room and the Louis XIV Gallery. Main building, Frédéric Nepveu (1777-1862), Palace of Versailles © Palace of Versailles, (dist. RMN - Grand Palais ) / Christophe Fouin part VII information Practical Practical

part VII part information

The exhibition is open to the public from 6 October Getting to the Palace from Paris 2018 to 03 February 2019, every day except Monday: – RER line C, - from 9am to 6.30pm (last admissions 17.45pm) until towards Versailles Château - Rive Gauche 31 October 2018; – SNCF trains from Gare Montparnasse, - from 9am to 5.30pm (last admissions 16.45pm) from getting here towards Versailles - Chantiers 1 November 2018 to 3 February 2019. – SNCF trains from Gare Saint - Lazare, Opening hours towards Versailles - Rive Droite The Palace is open every day except Monday – RATP bus line 171 from Pont de Sèvres towards and the 1 May, 25 December and 1 January: Versailles Place d’Armes – from 9am to 6.30pm in high season, last admissions – A13 motorway (towards Rouen) at 6pm (tills close at 5.50pm). exit Versailles-Château – from 12pm to 5.30pm in low season, last admissions – Parking at Place d’Armes. Parking is charged, except at 5pm (tills close at 4.50pm). for disabled people and excluding the evenings of shows from 7.30pm. The Trianon palaces and Marie-Antoinette’s estate are open every day except Monday Getting to the Trianon Palaces and on 25 December and 1 January: and Marie-Antoinette’s Estate: – from 12pm to 6.30 pm in high season for the Grand – From Paris: A13 motorway (towards Rouen); Trianon and the Petit Trianon, last admissions at 6pm 2nd exit Versailles Notre - Dame. Entrance via the Saint (tills close at 5.50pm). Anthony gate. Paid entry authorised from 7am to 7pm – from12pm to 7.30 pm for the gardens and the Queen's in high season and from 8am to 6pm in low season. Hamlet (gardens closed from 7pm). – From the Palace: 25 minutes on foot through the – from 12pm to 5. 30pm in low season, last admissions gardens, Petit Trianon and Grand Trianon stops on the at 5pm (tills close at 4.50pm). miniature train. The Park and gardens of Versailles are open every day: – from 7am to 8.30pm in high season for the park and from 8am to 8.30pm for the gardens. – from 8am to 6pm in low season.

High season: 1 April - 31 October Low season: 1 November - 31 March

Press contacts Palace of Versailles @CVersailles Hélène Dalifard, Aurélie Gevrey, Violaine Solari facebook.com/chateauversailles twitter.com/CVersailles +33 (0) 1 30 83 75 21 [email protected] presse.chateauversailles.fr Palace of Versailles Chateauversailles plus.google.com/+chateauver- instagram.com/chateauversailles sailles More information + 33(0)1 30 83 78 00 Souvenir photos Versailles Media chateauversailles.fr flickr.com/groups/versaillesfamille media.chateauversailles.fr

Palace of Versailles youtube.com/chateauversailles

74 Admission to the exhibition with the Passport or Estate Palace visit: audio guides in 11 languages, of Trianon ticket, the “A Year in Versailles” card, and and a version in French sign language. Prices for those eligible for free admission (under 18s, EU residents under the age of 26, disabled people, job Exhibition visit: available in French.

seekers in France, etc.) Guided tours

Palace ticket, includes admission to temporary exhibitions: €18, concessions €13.

Exhibition ticket, fast-track ticket on sale only online Free unaccompanied visits of the Palace, the Trianon at www.chateauversailles.fr, for the duration of the Palaces and Marie-Antoinette’s Estate, and temporary exhibition: €18 exhibitions, except on Musical Fountains show days: – for disabled people and the person accompanying Ticket for Trianon palaces and them on presentation of proof of disability.

Marie-Antoinette’s estate: €12, concessions €8. Versailles for all – for people receiving social benefits on presentation of proof dating from a maximum of 6 months. Passport ticket (1 day) includes admission to the Palace, Information and booking: + 33 (0)1 30 83 75 05 gardens, Trianon Palaces and Marie-Antoinette’s and [email protected] Estate, and to the temporary exhibitions: €20 / €27 on Musical Fountains show days.

2-day Passport ticket includes admission for two consecutive days to the Palace, gardens, Trianon Palaces Palace visit: audio guides in 11 languages, and Marie-Antoinette’s Estate, and to the temporary and a version in French sign language. exhibitions: €25 / €30 on Musical Fountains Show days. Exhibition visit: available in French.

Free for under 18 years and under 26 years resident of Free audio guide the European Union, except on Musical Fountains show and Musical Gardens days. Admission to the park is free all year round. Admission to the gardens is free, except on Musical Fountains show and Musical Gardens days.

75 With the patronage of And with the support of In partnership with

Horace Vernet (1789-1863), King Louis-Philippe and his sons in front of the Palace of Versailles © RMN-GP (Palace of Versailles) / © Franck Raux - design : graphica