the queen's house rediscovered

Press contacts Hélène Dalifard, Aurélie Gevrey, Violaine Solari +33 (0)1 30 83 75 21 [email protected] presse.chateauversailles.fr find us on chateauversailles.fr © Château de Versailles / Thomas Garnier "Pleasant groves, with English- style parterres, surround a small isolated house, devoted through Kindness to Kindness and to the calm of one's chosen company.

I continue further, I glimpse gentle hills, cultivated fields, meadows, herds of animals, thatched cottages."

Nicolai Mikhailovich Karamzin (1766- 1826), Russian writer and historian (Travels in France. 1789-1790) 4 the hamlet, from Marie-Antoinette to marie-louise p.9 CONTENTS The fashion in gardens p.10 A project for a queen p.11 An estate that has stood the test of time p.15

urgent restoration p.19 Record of the different restorations p.20 State of the buildings in 2015 p.22 Rationale behind the present restoration p.24 Contributors to the restoration work p.25 Major phases of the operation p.26

the refurnishing p.39 Major phases of the refurnishing p.40 The items on display p.42 The work of the restorers and craftsmen p.50

exceptional patronage p.53 Dior and LVMH, patrons of the Palace of Versailles and its Estate p.54

discover the Queen's House and the Hamlet p.57 The other houses in the Hamlet p.58 Digital devices p.60 Practical information p.61

around the Queen's House p.63 Photography exhibition p.64 Spectacle in the Gardens focusing on Marie-Antoinette p.66 A documentary p.67 Publications p.68 Objects inspired by the world of Marie-Antoinette p.69 © Château de Versailles / ThomasGarnier

5

opening of the Queen's House after restoration and refurnishing

Versailles, 4 May 2018 Press release

The Queen's House will be reopening its doors to the public on 12 May 2018, thanks to patronage from Dior. Located in the heart of the hamlet built by Richard Mique for Marie-Antoinette, between 1783 and 1787, the House was in need of full restoration work. Alongside this, it has been refurnished according to its oldest known historic condition, which is as it was designed for Empress Marie-Louise, the second wife of Napoleon I. For the first time in two centuries, visitors will be able to discover the extreme refinement in the interior decor of the House, and its contrast with the picturesque bucolic appearance of the exterior.

Essential restoration according to the An exceptional refurnishing project original design The restoration of the interior decor and refurnishing of The restoration of the Queen's House and the Warming the main rooms in the Queen’s House and the adjoining Room, located nearby, had become all the more necessary Games House were a major part of this operation. Two since their state of dilapidation prevented them from hundred years after the fall of the Empire, these places being open to the public. The project, launched in 2015, have rediscovered their refinement designed for Marie- involved cleaning and full restoration of the stonework, Louise and the deliberate contrast desired by the French framework and roofing. The structures have been sovereigns between rustic "shabby" exteriors and interiors strengthened to allow guided tours while the flooring, of spectacular luxury. woodwork and paintwork have been restored according to descriptions in the 18th-century work logbooks or n line Masons, joiners, carpenters, thatchers, electricians, with the arrangements made in the early 19th century for heating engineers, painters, gardeners... All types of Empress Marie-Louise, great-niece of Marie-Antoinette. tradespeople have taken part in this operation led by Jacques Moulin, Head Architect for Historic Monuments. The restoration of the Warming Room - an outbuilding From cabinetmakers to silk suppliers, trimmings containing a kitchen and service areas (pantry, silverware, suppliers, upholsterers, ancient textile restorers, leather sideboard, vegetable garden and bread oven) that was workers, bronze workers, sculptors and gilders, multiple used to prepare meals served in the dining room of the artistic craftspeople have contributed to the success of neighbouring Queen's House - recalls the functioning of the project, managed by Jérémie Benoît, Head Curator the Hamlet and life here during the Ancien Régime. at the Palace of Versailles in charge of the Palaces of Trianon. Once again, the high-level expertise of French The replanting of the gardens and surrounding area craftspeople has been brought to the fore. of these buildings puts the finishing touches to the operation. It restores the Hamlet’s landscape design, as A new museum had been previously done in the 1930s, combining its condition when it was replanted for Marie-Louise in 1810 Over the past few years the improvement of the Estate of with a few references to the layout for Marie-Antoinette Trianon has been a priority for the Palace of Versailles. such as the spiral staircase and vegetable gardens. The full restoration and refurnishing of these spaces, begun in 2008 with the Petit Trianon and continued in 2016 with the presidential apartments in the Grand Trianon and then the Queen's House in 2018, showcases these unique locations that evoke the intimacy of the © Château de Versailles / ThomasGarnier monarchs. The Palace of Versailles is constantly opening new doors to its visitors.

Press contacts Thanks to the patronage of Hélène Dalifard, Aurélie Gevrey, Violaine Solari +33 (0)1 30 83 75 21 / [email protected] presse.chateauversailles.fr

7 8 © Biblioteca Estense Modena Estense © Biblioteca ICIthe Hamlet, partMON I from TITre deMarie-Antoinette partie to Marie-louise

9 the fashion in part I gardens

In France, the fashion for irregular or "English-style" landscaped gardens, as opposed to the regular "French- style" formal gardens, developed from the 1770s. They were laid out on hilly ground, crossed by winding streams and dotted with "follies", pleasure pavilions in various styles, according to the taste of the time, sometimes a reference to history, preferably ancient history, or to some distant or exotic land. Walkways were created to give views over the surrounding landscape. The spirit and the aesthetics of these creations borrowed a great deal both from the writings of Jean- Jacques Rousseau – especially the myth of the "Noble Savage" as described in the Discourse on the origin and basis of inequality among men (1755) or his vision of idealised nature in Julie or the New Heloise (1760) – and from the physiocratic concerns of Dr. François Quesnay, a theoretical economist who wrote about the reorganisation of agriculture.

The success of garden follies

In 1783, when Marie-Antoinette began building her Hamlet, this was not a new idea. As early as 1774, the Prince of Condé had his landscape architect Jean-

François Leroy build a whimsical village in Chantilly Album of the Count du Nord: plan, elevation and cross-section of the salon and the Park, also called "the Hamlet". It included several rustic dining room of the Hamlet. Chantilly, musée Condé half-timbered cottages, in the Normandy style, which © RMN-Grand Palais (domaine de Chantilly) / Franck Raux / René-Gabriel Ojéda contained a salon, a billiards room, a dining room, and a mill. There were others too, at Raincy, for example, the Duke of Orleans' Chateau, or at Versailles, on the estate of Marie-Antoinette's sister-in-law, Madame Élisabeth, where the architect Chalgrin had built Anglo-oriental gardens twelve small houses around a lake. Custom had it that there should be a complete surprise between the rustic This intellectual and moral thinking was combined exteriors when compared with the luxurious and with a fashion for gardens, which arrived from England. refined princely interiors. At Chantilly for example, the At Kew, near London, in the mid-18th century, the barn concealed a salon with silver-fluted Corinthian Scottish architect Sir William Chambers had created an columns and pink taffeta hangings, and the ceiling was exotic garden and in it he had placed a Chinese pagoda painted with cherubs dancing in the clouds. However, (1761). He had immediately gained a great reputation in this ideal village there was also a working dairy, a for such a new idea. His design, cleverly combining stable for the herd of cows, and a bread oven. So while naturalism and aesthetics, quickly swept through he was dining, the prince could believe that he was in Europe, and France was keen not to be left behind in a village in the midst of real peasants. These Hamlets this total transformation of garden fashion. Gardens in were of course inseparable from the gardens in which the new English style began to spring up everywhere, at they were located and of which they were the crowning Ermenonville, for example, in the Bagatelle Garden, in glory. In this theatrical setting one could admire at one's Monceau Park, and the Désert de Retz. leisure the effects of artistically arranged foliage and groves, and immerse oneself in a re-imagined, idyllic nature, supposedly virginal and pure with no human intervention.

10 a project for a queen part I

Marie-Antoinette and the first English Garden: the Country Garden

After the death of Louis XV in 1774, the Petit Trianon became Marie-Antoinette's favourite place. It was a gift from Louis XVI, and this was the first time in history that a Queen of France had owned a property. The young sovereign, who was herself swept up by the fashion for Anglo-Oriental gardens, decided to transform this area. The scientific and encyclopaedic work carried out here by Louis XV, who until then had devoted these areas to research, was abandoned.

Like a true project manager, Marie-Antoinette decided to plant a new garden, which would extend to the site of the botanical garden and on to the undeveloped land just to the north.

First, the Queen asked Antoine Richard to draw up a plan, as he had travelled throughout England and had studied the gardens there. She did not approve his proposals, however, and brought in the Count of Detail of Caraman's plan: Approved by Queen Marie-Antoinette on 10 July 1774 Caraman whose garden at Roissy was considered to be a (hand-written annotations by Marie-Antoinette) perfect example. She also asked Hubert Robert to create picturesque and elegant vistas but without sacrificing too much to the taste for artificial ruins.

First development project for the Petit Trianon gardens Count of Caraman (1727-1807) Versailles, Palaces of Versailles and Trianon

11 Master plan for the French garden and country garden at the Petit Trianon, showing the groups of buildings. Watercolour between 1783 and 1786. Attributed to Richard Mique. Versailles, Palaces of Versailles and Trianon © RMN-GP (château de Versailles) / DR

Richard Mique, First Architect to the King, supervised the work. This began slowly, because funds were lacking and only a few trees and some lawns were planted at first. The first folly was built in 1776 close to the Petit Trianon: this was the Chinese ring game with its surrounding gallery.

Later, in February 1777, Richard Mique suggested a significant modification to Caraman's plan, while preserving the developments already in place. The ground was covered with a flowering meadow and beds, through which gravel paths wound their way, leading to follies scattered throughout the garden. The Temple of Love was completed in July 1778 on an island, in the east Album of plans and views of the Trianon. Louis-Pierre Baltard de la Fresque (1764- of the garden. North-West of the Petit Trianon was the 1846), architect, draughtsman, engraver, Claude-Louis Châtelet (1753-1794) and Richard Mique (1728-1794) Rock, finished in 1782, the Grotto, Snail Mountain, and Versailles, Palaces of Versailles and Trianon finally, the Belvedere, which took from 1778 to 1781 to © RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles) complete.

12 Extension of the English Garden: richard Mique the Trianon Hamlet

Richard Mique remains a very obscure figure. Yet he Scarcely was the first English Garden completed when was the last to bear the title of First Architect to the Marie-Antoinette was thinking about extending to the King, after Louis Le Vau, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, north and landscaping in the rustic style. This was not Robert de Cotte and Ange-Jacques Gabriel. merely a whim, she wanted to create a place where her children could learn about agronomy, livestock farming Born in Nancy in 1728, thanks to his talent and agriculture. And so she ordered the Hamlet to be Richard Mique became First Architect to Stanislas built. Leszczynski, Duke of Lorraine, deposed king of Poland and father of Marie Leszczynska. The Queen of France brought him into her service at Versailles in 1766. She entrusted him with building a convent- school for the canonesses of Saint-Augustin (now the Lycée Hoche). This building, which is especially noteworthy for its chapel with a classical portico, was built between 1767 and 1772. After the death of the Queen in 1768, and thanks to the protection of Mesdames, the daughters of Louis XV, Richard Mique was appointed Intendant and Controller General of Buildings to the future Dauphine. In 1775, Louis XVI chose him to replace Gabriel.

From 1775 onwards, Richard Mique worked for Marie-Antoinette at the Palace of Versailles on the refurbishment of her private apartments (Méridienne room, library, inner chamber, billiard room, etc.) which would undergo several modifications, according to the Queen's changing tastes. In 1782, on the ground floor of the Palace, he created the Queen's private apartments, opening onto the Marble courtyard. In the State Apartments above, he designed the Nobles' room in the neo-classical style.

For the Petit Trianon, the architect received several Marie-Antoinette of Austria, Queen of France with her two eldest children commissions. He built the theatre, the Temple of Love after Eugène Battaille (1817-1882) and Adolf Ulrik Wertmuller (1751-1811) and the Belvedere. After this he created the Hamlet Versailles, Palaces of Versailles and Trianon © RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles) / Gérard Blot during the second phase of the garden development. The work is copiously documented in the logbooks that At Saint-Cloud, at the request of Marie-Antoinette, he have been preserved. All the houses in the Hamlet and also converted two houses into a hospital and added a their exact location were the subject of preliminary chapel which still exists today. Another major project studies. In 1783, the painter Châtelet produced paintings was the chapel for the Carmelites at Saint-Denis for and the model-maker Féret produced models. Next the Madame Louise, daughter of Louis XV who had sculptor Deschamps modelled some of the details in entered holy orders. 1784 and 1785.

Richard Mique died at the Guillotine in Paris in 1794. The Hamlet is designed and organised in such a way that the best views are obtained when crossing the gardens from the Petit Trianon. The village is set around an artificial lake. On one side are the buildings used by the Queen and her entourage. The other part of the village is reached by a rustic stone bridge, which crosses a stream. This part consists of buildings used for agricultural

13 View of the Hamlet from in front of the lake, Claude-Louis Châtelet, 1786. Biblioteca Estense Modena purposes. The fashion for "surprise" thatched cottages is upstairs, a salon. A wooden gallery connected it to the perfectly illustrated here: the exteriors are rustic , in total Games House, which consisted of a billiard room and contrast with the interiors which are extremely refined. upstairs a small apartment for resting.

Work started with the earthworks: the entrepreneur Next there were four houses intended to be used for Tardif, known as Delorme, laid out the paths, dug out peasant pursuits: the Farm and its outbuildings, the the grottoes, the lake and the rivers during the summer Barn, the Dovecote, also called the hen-house, and the of 1784. The walls, made of rubble stone and timber working dairy. One house was reserved for the use of frames, were put up in 1784 and 1785 by the stonemason the servants, this was the Warming House, next to the Peraud. They were then painted with oil and decorated Queen's House. This is where dishes were prepared for to appear dilapidated. Finally the cottages were thatched the dinners given at the Hamlet. Finally, one house was with reeds by Gaumont. Only the Queen's House, the where the guard lived. Model Dairy and the Warming Room were roofed with tiles, laid by Rivet. The windows and doors and external Each house had its own small garden, planted with framework were painted olive green, yellow, sometimes Savoy cabbages, cauliflowers and artichokes. They white and sometimes the colour of wood. were surrounded by a hedge and wooden fence. The staircases, the galleries and balconies were decorated Work was completed in 1787, but further changes with flowerpots containing hyacinths, wallflowers or continued to be made to the Hamlet until 1790. geraniums. On the walls of the houses and the bowers shading some of the pathways there were scented The Trianon Hamlet now included eleven houses. Five climbing plants, Virginia creeper and espaliers. A swing were for the exclusive use of Marie-Antoinette and was set up in 1785 for the royal children but was soon her guests: the Queen's House, the Games House, the taken down. In 1788, a game of boules was created. Boudoir, the Mill and the Model Dairy. On the ground floor, the Queen's House contained a dining room and

14 an estate part I that has stood the test of time

The Hamlet under the revolution peasant farmer. In 1796, the Hamlet was assigned to a certain Langlois, who transformed the Petit Trianon into The Hamlet was barely finished when the Revolution a hotel and a restaurant. Refreshments were served in broke out. At her trial, Marie-Antoinette was so hated the gardens, there was dancing every Décadi (day of rest that the revolutionaries were only interested in helping at the end of the week in the revolutionary calendar), in themselves to her exemplary horticultural business. the Pavilion of the French Gardens. In 1801 and 1802, They turned the little village into a place of pleasure and when the Peace of Amiens was signed with England, debauchery, a fantasy that continues to follow the Queen several Englishmen, such as Henry Redhead Yorke or to this day in the collective imagination. Sir John Dean Paul, stayed in the Petit Trianon and left accounts of their visit. The British artist, John Claude The auction of national goods after the revolution began Nattes, produced drawings that show us the poor state of in 1794. Furniture, marble tables, mirrors, metalwork, the Hamlet at that time. People had even moved into the everything was sold, and the Farm was rented out to a cottages without permission.

Dining room of the Petit Trianon Hamlet under the Empire after John-Claude Nattes Engraving, 1 April 1807 Versailles, Palaces of Versailles and Trianon © RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles) 15 the Hamlet under the Empire the unfounded though long perpetuated myth that Marie-Antoinette literally played at being a farmer in When Napoleon became Emperor of the French in May her Hamlet, while the King and his courtiers played the 1804, he did not concern himself much with the Hamlet parts of the Lord of the manor or the bailiwick. but he did throw out the people living there. At the time, the Petit Trianon was refurnished, fairly sparsely, to be Much of the redevelopment at that time concerned the used by Pauline Borghèse, the Emperor's sister, while Queen's House. the Imperial couple and Madame Mère, his mother, planned to move into the Grand Trianon, however, this The carpenter Denis Dupaty renovated the parquet did not happen. It was not until 1810 that the Hamlet floors and the panelling, the gilder Chaise was came back to life. Napoleon had divorced Josephine, and responsible for framing the wall coverings and the married Marie-Louise, Marie-Antoinette's great-niece. It mirrors. Pierre Drahonet, the painter and decorator, was for her that the Petit Trianon and the Hamlet were painted the rooms. completely refurnished. In the Lord's House (Queen's House), the ground floor dining room was painted a coffee with cream colour. In it was placed a table by Marie-Louise's cabinetmaker, Pierre Benoit Marcion, who had already provided furniture for the Grand and Petit Trianon. On the first floor, the cornice in the salon was painted pearl grey with white highlights. The wall panels were hung with yellow silk painted with classical motifs, produced by Delaneuville, in association with Antoine Vauchelet who perfected the technique of silk painting. The upholsterer of the imperial Furniture Store-House, Pierre-François-Castelnaux Darrac, took charge of the decor and upholstered the chairs. The furniture for this large room, painted in white with gold highlights, was the work of Jacob-Desmalter, and consisted of a sofa, armchairs, chairs and a fire screen, covered in yellow silk velvet, painted with bouquets of flowers. The adjoining bedroom was painted orange with a thread of black and low grey wainscoting. Opposite, the other bedroom was in daffodil yellow with a fine thread of red.

In the Bailiwick's House, the billiard room was painted green. The small white salon upstairs gleamed with the delicacy of its amaranth veneer furniture (console table, pedestal table, "gondola" armchairs, a fairly modern and very feminine shape) which stood out against a background of white damask with convolvulus flowers. Empress Marie-Louise (1791-1847) presenting the King of Rome In the adjacent bedroom, the walls were covered with a Baron Gérard (1770-1837) Versailles, Palaces of Versailles and Trianon sea green ribbed silk and the bed hangings were made © RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles) / Daniel Arnaudet / Hervé Lewandows- of a simple faille of the same colour, fixed to gilt bronze ki hooks attached to the overhanging canopy. The restoration of the Hamlet buildings was then entrusted to the architect of Versailles, Guillaume While the chairs in the main rooms were particularly Trepsat. He pulled down the houses that were most delicate in design, those in the adjoining rooms and dilapidated, which unfortunately meant that the village bedrooms were more understated. They were made lost some of its original coherence. The double house of simple polished wood (upholstered with horsehair made up by the Queen's house and the Games House or green or yellow rose-patterned printed fabric), or changed its name and became known as the Lord's mahogany (covered with green leather), and showcased House (on the right) and the Bailiwick's House (on the all the inventiveness of Jacob-Desmalter. This simple, left). These new names were in fact in keeping with functional furniture highlighted the deliberate

16 distinction between the salons and the private chambers. There are some pieces of porcelain decorating the brought in to complete the decor (such as bedside tables, mantels, and also candlesticks, sconces and firedogs in a work box table, a small mahogany bookcase, etc.), gilt bronze, supplied by Claude Galle. Oil lamps were occasional furniture that was often used under the July used to illuminate some areas, like the Billiard Room. Monarchy. The presence of many pitchers and water basins clearly demonstrates the concern for hygiene, in A simple and harmonious rustic elegance was the line with modern thinking. The main house was affected theme for the furnishings here. The designers wanted a by these minor refurbishments. It retained the names it delicate interplay of pale colours in this summer house had been given under the Empire: the Lord's House and which was bathed in light, but they also wanted it to the Bailiwick's House. be in keeping with the spirit of Marie-Antoinette, by maintaining the surprise as soon as one enters. The Duchess of Orléans was therefore the last occupant of the Hamlet. Napoleon and Marie-Louise first visited in August 1810 when the new Empress took possession of the Petit However, in the second half of August 1855, during Trianon. The inauguration took place on 25 August 1811, Queen Victoria's visit to Napoleon III, a visit to the to coincide with the end of the festivities to celebrate the Hamlet was organised followed by a gala dinner in birth of the King of Rome. From 1813, the little village Versailles in her honour. The fashion at that time was was abandoned, as were the two Trianon palaces: the end the rediscovery of the 18th century. In 1867, Empress of the Empire was approaching. Eugénie organised an exhibition on Queen Marie- Antoinette at the Petit Trianon, transforming this part of the estate into a museum. It was she who launched the myth of Marie-Antoinette, linking the Hamlet to her memory alone. From that time on there was a never- ending stream of visitors, the public thronged to the Petit Trianon and the Hamlet, in the footsteps of the martyr Queen, and there were regular festivities in front of the small village.

Napoleon walking in the Hamlet, circa 1810 Louis Gadbois Château d’Azay-le-Ferron © Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tours

The Hamlet under Louis-Philippe and Napoleon III

It was not until the reign of Louis-Philippe that the Hamlet was used for one last time. It was assigned to the Duke and Duchess of Orléans, and the Petit Trianon was Visit by Queen Victoria to the Queen's Hamlet in the Petit Trianon, 21 August 1855 refurnished according to the Duchess's fairly modern Karl Girardet (1813-1871) taste, with more comfort, but the focus was still on Versailles, Palaces of Versailles and Trianon © RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles) simplicity.

From 1837, some maintenance work was carried out, particularly on the fragile external wooden staircases, and especially the one on the Marlborough tower. Overall, the site had not changed much when in 1838, it was decided to refurnish it for the Duchess, Louis- Philippe's daughter-in-law. In fact, the wall hangings, curtains and furniture were those that had been used by the Empress Marie-Louise, but many objects were

17 18 © Château de Versailles / Didier Saulnier / Didier Saulnier de Versailles © Château urgent part II restoration

19 record of the

part II different restorations

The Queen's House in the Petit Trianon Hamlet, circa 1802 John-Claude Nattes (Vers 1765-1822) Versailles, Palaces of Versailles and Trianon ©RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles) / Gérard Blot

Surrounded by trees and bordered by a lake, the fragile In the 19th century buildings in the Queen's Hamlet have suffered ever since they were built from the damp and their insubstantial During the First French Empire, restoration work by construction. the Emperor's architect, Guillaume Trepsat, began from 1809 to 1812. The restoration policy focused on after the revolution speed: those buildings that were too dilapidated and for which no new purpose was found were demolished. From 1793, mirrors and marble fireplaces were removed So the Barn, the working dairy and the farmer's house from the two buildings that made up the Queen's House. all disappeared. The cottage gardens, which had been When the Convention decided not to sell the royal destroyed during the Revolution, were replaced by a palaces and gardens around Paris — and to maintain series of winding paths and grassed areas. The spiral them at the expense of the Nation — the buildings were staircase was replaced by a straight staircase against saved. All the furniture was sold off at auction. the wall. The interior of the buildings was recreated to reflect modern taste. The rooms were refurnished with chairs, tables, sideboards, clocks, gilt bronze firedogs and sconces, and formed a homogeneous ensemble,

20 which was light and well-adapted to the setting, and staircase (2002). which differed significantly from the furniture in the Imperial residences. In 1899, the architect Marcel As part of an overview of the restoration of the English Lambert carried out repairs to the roof framework, the and Country Gardens at the Trianon (December 1996), thatched roofs and the gallery of the Queen's House. the restoration of the plant and landscape elements of the Queen's Hamlet was the subject of analyses and proposals, In the 20th century some of which were implemented in 2001-2002. These included: — the restoration of the agricultural landscape around the Great Lake and the Farm; — the partial restoration of the screen of trees behind the Hamlet; — the partial restoration of the network of internal pathways in the Hamlet; — occasional planting projects; — the return to hydraulic operation of the cascades on the great lake.

View of the Queen's House, circa 1900 The cottage gardens around the houses were to retain © RMN-GP (château de Versailles) / Gérard Blot the same layout as that set out by Patrice Bonnet.

In 1930 and 1932, the Chief Architect of the Estate, Patrice Bonnet, was able to undertake some major renovation work thanks to the Rockefeller donation. All the houses, with the exception of the Warming Room and the Farm, were restored with the aim of returning the buildings and the gardens to their 18th century layout so that it would once again resemble a small village. The spiral staircase in the Games House was rebuilt, replacing the straight staircase, and the layout of the paths and the gardens gradually began to resemble the old documents. The buildings were also strengthened structurally, the roofs were replaced and the gardens replanted. Virtually nothing was done to the interior decor.

In 1957 and 1958, Marc Saltet, the Architect of Versailles, led a new restoration campaign. Because of the recurring problems of damp in the wood, he decided to replace some of the wooden joists with metal joists with hollow bricks, and to reinforce the interior basements of the houses. It was at this time that the decision was taken to repaint all the silk decoration in the large yellow salon in the Queen's House. The hangings put up by Vauchelet, which dated back to 1810, were still in place, although they had suffered from the damp and exposure to light. They were taken down and identical copies were made. The original 1810 hangings were never rehung, and today they are preserved in the reserve.

At the end of the 20th century, various projects were undertaken under the direction of the Chief Architect of Historic Monuments, Pierre-André Lablaude . These concerned mainly the Mill (1995), the Farm (1996), the Warming Room (2000), and the Marlborough Tower The Queen's House before restoration. ©château de Versailles

21 state of the buildings part II in 2015

For almost seventy years, no major work had been carried out on the Queen's House. Once again, it was in a critical state, and had deteriorated significantly due to the rising damp and problems with waterproofing, and the interior decors were very damaged, if not completely ruined. Restoring it was therefore clearly a conservation emergency.

The restoration of the Queen's House was also essential from the point of view of the public, who should be able to discover this place. A well-thought out restoration of the structure, the facade and the roof of the building, of its facilities and furnishings could mean that it could be opened up under ideal conditions. Games House and gallery © Château de Versailles / Christian Milet For the Hamlet gardens and the area around the follies, they retained their overall layout established in the 1930s by Patrice Bonnet, using Richard Mique's 1786 plan as a reference.

Although the layout of the gardens today is once again the same as that in the archive documents, over the last fifteen years some plant and landscape components have undergone gradual change, resulting in a fairly marked transformation of the Hamlet's rustic landscape: replacement of wild hedgerows by pruned hornbeam hedges, creating a very distinct separation between the gardens and surrounding areas, changes to the vegetables grown in some gardens, widening the pathways, etc.

Base of the gallery linking the Queen's House and the Games House © Château de Versailles / Christian Milet

Garden behind the Queen's House © Château de Versailles / Christian Milet Thatched roof on the Queen's House © Château de Versailles / Christian Milet

22 Wear on the exterior cladding of the Games House Dining Room in the Queen's House © Château de Versailles / Didier Saulnier © Château de Versailles / Christian Milet

Foundations of the spiral staircase after excavation Salon in the Queen's House © Château de Versailles / Christian Milet © Château de Versailles /Christian Milet

State of the fireplace and bread oven in the Warming Room State of an interior apartment © Château de Versailles / Christian Milet © Château de Versailles / Christian Milet

23 rationale behind part II the present restoration

The restoration of the Queen's House, supervised by – interior facilities including electrical systems and the Chief Architect for Historic Monuments, Jacques installation of heating /ventilation. Moulin, was carried out in a context of conservation/ restoration. The aim was to evoke the architectural Warming Room layout of the buildings and the landscape of the Hamlet in the 18th century, while retaining the main — Finishing the restoration of the external deterioration: contributions made by the First Empire and the Bourbon completing exterior plastering, restoring deteriorated Restoration. timber frames, laying paving, repairing thatched roofs etc., but without making changes to the layout decided As part of the preliminary studies required before work in 2000; began, some archaeological excavations were carried out — restoration of the interiors: fireplace with roasting in December 2013. These were in several locations and spit, vegetable garden, bread oven. notably they revealed the foundations of the exterior 18th century staircases, helping to produce a more exact restoration of the spiral staircase at the Games House. Gardens and surroundings Excavations also revealed the steady and very significant rise in the level of the ground in the Hamlet since the — Refurbishing the gravel paths and walkways according First Empire, contributing to the damp which was to the layout shown in the 1786 plan, around the ruining the buildings. We were therefore able to restore buildings and in their gardens; ground level to what it was originally. — excavating to create runoff slopes for surface water; — maintenance and completion of the gardens restored by Patrice Bonnet, replacing the hedges around the The restoration programme focused on the following cottage gardens and the vegetable plots with hornbeam buildings: trimmed to resemble low walls, planting fruit bushes (redcurrants, blackcurrants, etc.) and flowering shrubs (lilac, mock orange, etc.); Queen's House — partial replanting of the gardens when the excavation and levelling work are completed (boxwood borders, — Restoration of the facades, stonework, framework and fan-trained and cordon fruit trees, shrubberies, beds of timber-framed walls, tiles and thatch to their previous perennials, squares for growing vegetables and flowers) ; 1932 restored state, corresponding to the original layout — recreation of the decorative plants surrounding of the buildings, while retaining some of the First the Queen's House (climbing plants, trained trees, Empire additions: roof on the south staircase tower, roof shrubberies, etc.); over the wooden-framed gallery between the Queen's — removal, replacement and completion of fences House and the Games House; surrounding the gardens; — restitution of the exterior spiral staircase and — water system: creation of a rainwater collection restoration of the gallery; system. — restoration of the interior decoration, according to the principles adopted in 1933 and 1957, based on The plants used for the gardens are all taken from the the remains of the First Empire wall decoration that lists of plants delivered to the Trianon Estate at the end have been uncovered (plaster wainscoting, woodwork, of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th centuries. decorative paintwork); – restoration of the windows and door frames, glass and stained glass;

24 contributors

part II to the restoration work

3: Framework - roofing: - Framework: Union technique du bâtiment SA Contracting authority - Roofing: Ateliers Perrault Frères Sub-contractor: Etablissement public du château, du musée et du - Thatcher: Philippe Le Delliou domaine national de Versailles, Heritage and Gardens Directorate 4: Woodwork restoration - Atelier Jean-Marc Darde Supporting the contracting authority: - Atelier Christophe Bernard Technical supervisor: Qualiconsult Sub-contractor: Health and Safety coordination: L’Archivolte - Manoir et Traditions: restoration of stained glass General coordination of fire safety system: Siprev and wrought iron work Diagnosis of timber structures: Groupe L3A Diagnosis for asbestos and lead: Batimo Conseil 5: Restoration of wall painting Laboratory testing for lead dust: Biogoujard - Atelier Gilles Dupuis Assistance to the conntracting authority with the lead Sub-contractor: protocol: Antéa group - Comi Service: scaffolding Structural diagnosis: QCS Services 6: Decorative paintwork Project manager - Lacour Entreprise SAS

Jacques Moulin, Chief Architect for Historic 7: Electricity - high-voltage heating - under-floor Monuments, 2BDM heating - SECMA Pictet Sub-contractors: - BET ARCADE 7 bis: Low-voltage electricity - VDI cables - F.E.G. - Conexdata - PANTEC 8: Low current electrical safety / fire safety - SPIE Facilities Companies according to contract Sub-contractor: packages - Siemens implementation fire safety system

1: Green spaces: 9: HVAC - plumbing: Robert paysagiste, landscaping - IDEX Énergies Sub-contractors: 2: Masonry, stonework: Degaine SAS - SYLC: ventilation ducts - MDI Laurent: handling - ATA: air-conditioning Sub-contractors: - Ateliers Saint Jacques: restoration of paving, Archaeological surveys and earthworks for technical fireplaces, cottage gardens, oven and roasting spit systems: Chapelle et Cie - Staff en Seine: traditional plasterwork - EGV: floor insulation Automatic irrigation: Gesbert Arrosage - Gel Rénovation: levelling, screed and brickwork restoration Removal of lead dust: Vacuum Cleaner France - Arnholdt Echafaudages: scaffolding - APII: asbestos disposal Geotechnical surveys: Saga Ingénierie - ATB – Assèchement technique bâtiment: damp- proof course

25 major phases of part II the operation

Queen's House Framework - roofing

Erection of scaffolding Restoration of framework and dormer windows and monumental canvas — Refurbishment of the wooden frames of the buildings, structures and side walls of the dormer windows, also treatment of all timber. — Further research: for conservation and reuse of most of the wood.

— Scaffolding over all the facades and galleries.

— Creation and installation of a monumental canvas, created by the artist Pierre Delavie on the west facade, thanks to the patronage of Dior

For all pages covering the major phases of the project © Château de Versailles / Didier Saulnier

26

Roofing

— Removal of the different roofing structures from the buildings, outhouses and galleries (flat tiles and thatch). — Restoration of the flat tiles on the roof and dormer windows of the Queen's House, with renewal of the battening.

27 — Reinstating thatched roofs on the other buildings and galleries, renewing the zinc roof-boarding and the battening. New clay ridges, planted in the traditional way.

28 Wooden frame gallery and balconies Spiral staircase

— General inspection of structures, assemblies and — Creation of a new oak staircase: stringer, steps and uprights. riders, intermediate landings and upper landing, — Full restoration of the west balcony of the Queen's guardrail all according to archive documents. House and its canopy.

Timber-framed walls

— Inspection of timber-framed walls, assemblies and spiked pegs. — Replacement of any damaged timber.

Structure of the floors

— Refurbishment of joists in the adjoining bedroom.

29 Masonry - Stonework — Further research on solid brick facing, with partial restoration (damaged bricks and replacement of varnished bricks by artisanal bricks), removal of cement Structures in brick, chimney joints, renewal of pointing. stacks and flues

— Restoration of the brick chimney stacks and their tops in rusticated masonry on limestone slabs.

30 Stone structures Walls and external rendering

— Consolidation and adjustment of stones. — Inventory and identification of the different types of — Graft repairs where needed. rendering, and identification of decorative applications — Creation of new door sills and landing treads. (imitation stone, imitation bricks, etc.). — Replacement of window sills in stone. — Repair of the masonry in places where it has — New dies to support wooden frame gallery posts. deteriorated by grouting. — General restoration of cavities in stone slabs, — Restoration of any unstable or damaged rendering. in roofing headers. — Consolidation of foundations.

31 Ceilings and cornices Interior flooring

— Restoration of the ceilings in the dining room and salon — Work on the flooring of the ground-floor rooms creating a traditional ceiling. according to existing layouts: stone slabs / marble — Restoration of the stucco cornice. cabochons and terracotta tomettes, also replacing damaged structures.

Fireplaces

— General restoration of the marble of the different existing fireplaces, their hearths and floor slabs.

32 restoration of the woodwork Parquets, panelling, picture rails

— Creation of "Versailles" oak parquet wall panelling on Exterior and interior frames ledger boards for the two rooms in the Games House. — Restoration and additions to the lower panelling. — Refurbishment of exterior woodwork, with recovery and restoration of locks. — Overhaul of interior wooden frames and their locks and handles. — Restoration of stained glass and panes of blown sheet glass, with replacements and additions where necessary.

South staircase of the Queen's House

— Restoration and consolidation, with partial dismantling and replacement of damage on the stringer and steps. — Checking anchorage points in the stonework of the walls.

33 restoration of wall paintwork / Decorative paintwork decorative paintwork — Painting walls, cornices, ceilings and panelling, picture rails and wooden skirting boards in the shades Restoration of wall paintwork used during the First Empire. — Painting all window frames, doors and different parts — Study of old preserved decors with samples and of the exterior galleries, balcony and staircase. analyses carried out by a specialised laboratory. — Conservation restoration and research into old preserved decors, interior and exterior. — Creation of decors on restored rendering (interior and exterior): imitation cut stone, imitation brickwork, decorative painting, painting for harmonisation, etc. — Creation of a "rotten wood" decor on all exterior wooden structures (gallery framework, balcony, spiral staircase, timber-framed walls, dormer windows, roof boards, woodwork, etc.). — Addition of ageing patina and harmonisation of old and new decors.

34 green spaces

— Designing shrubbery hedges around the enclosed gardens, supplying and planting mixed shrubs (fruit bushes, flowering shrubs). — Planting low box hedges around the borders of the gardens, plots with shrubs and rose bushes. — Planting vegetable patches, flowers and fruit in the cottage gardens. — Recreation of gravel paths and walkways, reintroduction of country meadows and grassy areas. — Development of supports for tying up plants (fruit trees and climbing plants) using chestnut poles. — Replanting of a Lombardy poplar.

35 warming room Masonry - stonework

Framework - roofing Exterior walls and rendering: — repair of any damage to stonework on the outside — Inspection of the timber-framed walls, assemblies and walls; spiked pegs, replacement of any damaged wood. — restoration of infill stonework on timber frame walls; — Overhaul of tile and thatched roofing on buildings, — consolidation of conserved rendering; adding new reeds when needed, renewing guttering, — application of tinted whitewash, to harmonise with restoring the ridges. the old conserved rendering.

36 — Restoration of stone flooring in the large kitchen, and — Full restoration of the vegetable garden (structure in tomette flooring in the adjoining rooms. coated bricks, tray made of terracotta tiles).

restoration of woodwork — Restoration of the large fireplace and the hearth (stonework and brickwork), the roasting spit — Restoration of window cross frames and their locks and ancillary elements. and fittings. — Restoration of the bread oven and hearth. — Restoration and repair of doors, fittings and locks.

restoration of wall paintwork and decorative paintwork

— Additions and harmonisation on the exterior painted decors and on the imitation stone painted decor in the large kitchen, — Painting new structures and locks with a decorative patina.

37 38 © Château de Versailles / Christophe Fouin / Christophe de Versailles © Château the part III part refurnishing

39 the major phases

part III part of the refurnishing

The refurnishing of the Queen's House was a key part of their correct place. A number of these pieces have been the restoration project. reunited — and some others have been found — with the result that original furniture makes up about three an initial inventory quarters of the new presentation.

Since the royal collections at Versailles were for the Sobriety and extreme elegance are the words that most part scattered far and wide at the time of the describe the furniture designed for the Empress. Chairs, Revolutionary auctions, today they contain very few armchairs, tables, all adopt the clean lines of the Empire items of furniture dating from before 1789. Refurnishing style. Legs are straight and tapered; chests of drawers, the Queen's House in the style designed for Marie- console tables and tripod pedestal tables or gueridons Antoinette was therefore not an option. In fact, of the are topped with marble. In the Queen's House, this little original furniture, the collections at Versailles hold only country palace, everything was to remain simple, using a few items, all belonging to the dining room: lyre back materials popular at the time: mahogany, amaranth, mahogany chairs by Georges Jacob and a mahogany even maple and sometimes lemonwood. All the console table and corner cupboard, both by the cabinet- refinement lies in the details, like these golden threads maker Jean-Henri Riesener. From the large yellow salon that highlight the structure of a console table and a in the Queen's House, all that remains is a writing table gueridon from the small white salon. decorated with gilded bronze by Riesener (acquired by This distinction is also due to the feminine presence in the Palace of Versailles in 2011 thanks to the patronage these rooms, as indicated by the lyre back chairs with of LVMH and Sanofi-Aventis), and six armchairs by turned legs, created for the dining room. The Queen's Dupain. All these items are on display in other places House also contains some "gondola" chairs with their in Versailles that have an association with Marie- all-enveloping back rests, and candlesticks in the form of Antoinette, such as the Petit Trianon or the Queen's quivers, typical of this time, around 1810. Private Apartments in the Palace. In addition, apart from the existence of four more corner cupboards and a gilt bronze firedog, which are preserved in the United States, very little information exists on the layout of Marie-Antoinette's furnishings in the Hamlet.

Writing table for Marie-Antoinette, supplied circa 1783 for the salon in the Queen's House at the Petit Trianon Jean-Henri Riesener (1734-1806) Versailles, Palaces of Versailles and Trianon © RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles) / Gérard Blot

When Napoleon decided to refurnish the Queen's

Hamlet in 1810, he naturally called on Jacob-Desmalter, Pedestal table heir to Georges Jacob, to supply the furniture, which is François-Honoré-Georges Jacob-Desmalter (1770-1841) Versailles, Palaces of Versailles and Trianon still fairly well preserved. The inventory at that time, © Château de Versailles / Christophe Fouin the most comprehensive to date, was naturally used as the basis for restoring the items and assigning them to

40 In search of items would be upholstered with a simple yellow silk velvet. recreating the atmosphere The refurnishing work was begun in 2013 by the curators at the Palace of Versailles, under the direction Refurnishing the Queen's House involved not only of Jérémie Benoît, Head Curator for the Trianon palaces. the furniture, but also works of art and all the items It involved finding the items listed in the different that make up the textile decoration (wall hangings, inventories, which was done by delving into the reserves trimmings, tiebacks, borders), hardware (curtain at Versailles for period pieces, finding objects in rods, hooks, etc.), lighting (lamps) and even fireplace depositories, and searching out equivalent items. Several accessories (tongs and fire shovels). From information well-known pieces (the furniture, some listed porcelain in the inventories and delivery logbooks we were able pieces, some bronzes, a clock) were part of the Versailles to order fabrics, frills and trims and make the curtain collections. The chaise longue, the dining room table rods and rail ends. and many lyre back chairs are from the Mobilier National reserves, the pedestal table belongs to the Some important decisions had to be made. For Assemblée Nationale. These items of furniture have been example, for the silks in the bedroom above the billiard deposited at Versailles as a result of this refurnishing room, two documents gave two different versions: one campaign. noted the delivery of fabric described as "green ribbed silk" while the inventory described a In the reserves at the Petit Trianon there were some "cannetille". It was decided to trust the description by very similar objects from the Communs and which the supplier, who was probably more expert than the were exactly as mentioned in the historical documents. author of the inventory. These were able to be used to furnish the small rooms in the Queen's House and included walnut sideboards After this phase, many craftsmen were mobilised both and chests of drawers topped with Saint Anne marble, inside the Palace workshops and beyond. and gilt bronze torches. In addition, a splendid set of furniture had been given to Versailles in 1965 by the Thanks to the work that is now completed, we can Duchess of Massa consisting of a sofa, four armchairs imagine what these rooms really looked like. We are and four chairs all in white painted wood, adorned surprised by the beauty of this luxury, described as with small palms and florets picked out in gold, and "rustic" in the old documents, where mahogany, bronze they bore a striking resemblance to what was listed in and amaranth compete with silk velvet and leather. the inventory for the large salon, the most important room in the Queen's House. However, since this was not the original furniture, it was decided not to create a full reconstruction. Drawings of the flower motifs that decorated the original chairs are still preserved in the Archives Nationales, but it was agreed that these pieces

View of the salon in the Queen's House © Château de Versailles / Didier Saulnier

Chair, 1807 François-Honoré-Georges Jacob-Desmalter (1770-1841) Mobilier National depository Versailles, Palaces of Versailles and Trianon © Château de Versailles, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Christophe Fouin 41 the items on display part III part

The Queen's House will be revealed to visitors as a real museum, as they discover it furnished for the first time. In using Marie-Louise's furniture we are in no way being untrue to Marie-Antoinette's style. Both were extremely flowery, refined and feminine. Visitors will therefore have an excellent idea of what the Hamlet could have looked like in the time of the Queen.

The exterior of the Queen's House is bucolic and picturesque in appearance, while there were two very distinct aspects to the interior. On the ground floor are the living rooms or shared rooms, like the billiard room and the dining room with its mahogany furniture. On the first floor, the "noble" floor, there are some sumptuous formal rooms: the large yellow salon, adorned with silk hangings "painted in arabesques representing various subjects" including classical — Firedog in gilt bronze decorated with thunderbolts motifs and landscapes, and the small white salon, with and lyres, supplied by Claude Galle for this room in 1810. stretched damask which would have covered all the amaranth furniture.

ground floor of the Queen's House

Dining room

The dining room is the main room on the ground flor of the Queen's House. The various dishes would be prepared in the Warming Room, then eaten here by the — Pair of wall sconces in gilt bronze supplied for this Queen and her guests. room. Mobilier National depository.

The room has been restored to its 1810 state. The "coffee — Four candlesticks in gilt bronze. with cream" colour of the walls, which still remained in part, had been applied by the painter Drahonet. The curtains with their inverted pleats are made of dimity. For all the furniture and objects that could not be identified, equivalent items have been used instead.

— Dining table in mahogany. As the original table supplied by Marcion could not be found, this one was provided from the Mobilier National depository.

— Console table with shelf in mahogany, supplied by Jacob-Desmalter for this room in 1811.

— Set of twenty-four lyre back dining chairs, — Four oil lamps restored according to descriptions. upholstered in green leather by Jacob-Desmalter. Only four chairs that have one decorative ring on the legs are from the Hamlet, the others have come for the most part from the Élysée under the Restoration, and have either three rings or simple baluster-turned legs. All the visuals of the items on display © Château de Versailles / Christophe Fouin

42 Buffets Room

Associated with the Warming Room, this room was used to prepare meals served in the dining room.

— Walnut sideboard with marble top.

— Four chairs in walnut, covered with horsehair, supplied for this room in 1810, by Jacob-Desmalter.

— Set of billiard chairs raised by a walnut foot-rest, by Jean-Pierre Louis, from the Grand Trianon Palace.

ground floor of the Games House — Eight oil lamps in the form of a vase, restored Billiard Room according to archive descriptions.

This ground-floor room is entirely dedicated to billiards, — Firedog in gilt bronze. a game that at the time was played only by men. This room has retained some of its original green colour on the walls.

— Oak billiard table, refurbished in 2005 by the company Chevillotte as part of a skills patronage. This restoration was based on logbooks from 1776 mentioning a delivery by Masson of a "Billiard set for His Majesty Louis XVI". The Queen's billiard table in the Hamlet was similar.

43 first floor of the Games House — Two bergère chairs and four armchairs in the form of a gondola, made of amaranth wooden picked out in Traditionally, the private apartments were made up of gold, supplied by Jacob-Desmalter for this room, and three rooms: the antechamber, the bed chamber and upholstered in white damask with a design of bindweed the study or boudoir. Here, because the House is small, flowers. there are only two: the boudoir, which acts as the bed chamber, and the small white salon.

Salon

This room, and the adjoining one, made up a small private apartment which was used only very rarely. It has been restored to its design at the time of Marie- Louise, using white damask covered with bindweed flowers. The sobriety of the wall hangings and the refinement of Empress Marie-Louise's amaranth wood furniture give the small white salon an atmosphere of intimacy and elegance.

All the original furniture from the small white salon has been brought together. Here, the objects clearly belong to the Empire style, more subdued than that of Louis XVI. The gondola bergère chairs with their soft lines are upholstered with the same fabric as the wall coverings, matching the elegance of the colours tone on tone. At the fireplace: — Post clock in yellow marble with bronze patina. — Pedestal table and console table in amaranth wood — Firedogs in gilt bronze decorated with pomegranates, with moulding picked out in gold, supplied for this room supplied by Claude Galle. in 1810 by Jacob-Desmalter.

Boudoir used as bed chamber — Tric-trac game table in lemonwood, supplied by Jacob-Desmalter for this room in 1810. The boudoir that was used as a bed chamber is one of the most intimate of the rooms in the Queen's House. In 1837, the Hamlet became the holiday home for the family of the King of the French, Louis-Philippe. Work was undertaken to introduce several amenities at this time and a bathroom was installed to make the Queen's House more comfortable.

Restored to its 1810 appearance, this room still has its wall coverings of sea green ribbed silk, a very tightly woven fabric.

44 — Bed with two headboards stained yellow, to match — Six walnut chairs, by Jacob-Desmalter, supplied for the lemonwood of the butler's tray which accompanies it. this room in 1810, and still with their original yellow From the Mobilier National depository. fabric.

— Butler's tray which is also an escritoire, in lemonwood, supplied by Jacob-Desmalter. From the Mobilier National depository.

— Walnut chest of drawers topped with St Anne marble.

— Pair of wall sconces in the form of swans' heads. Depository of the Musée des Arts décoratifs.

— Water jug and basin in Sèvres porcelain.

At the fireplace: — Walnut table supplied for this room by Jacob- — 'Jasmin' vase with pink background, in Sèvres Desmalter in 1810. porcelain, one of a pair supplied in 1810. — Firedog in gilt bronze decorated with cherubs and bearing the letter J for Joséphine. — Pair of candlesticks in gilt bronze. first floor of the Queen's House

Adjoining bed chamber

Formerly the antechamber for the Nobles of Queen Marie-Antoinette, this room has been restored according to the description in the inventory of 1810, with its curtains in white cotton. The paintwork on the walls — Mirror. has been reproduced to match the traces that remained before restoration.

45 Salon Since not all of the furniture could be identified, some items have been replaced by equivalents. At the time of Marie-Antoinette, the first floor rooms were decorated with gilded cornices, white marble — Pedestal guéridon table by Jacob-Desmalter, supplied fireplaces and the walls were covered with silks. To for this room in 1810. be received in this very private place was an honour reserved for the sovereigns' closest entourage. Here, a light meal might be served, they would listen to music or bring a harp or a harpsichord from the Petit Trianon so that they could play.

This room, the most splendid in the Hamlet, still has its cornice from the time of Louis XVI. The silk wall coverings, painted with classical motifs and landscapes by the decorator Antoine Vauchelet in 1811 for Empress Marie-Louise, were completely renovated in the 1950s based on the old templates. They give back to the yellow salon all its imperial radiance. Vauchelet was the inventor of the technique for hand-painting silk velvet, which originally adorned the chairs in the salon. The original flower bouquet motif can still be seen on the watercolour drawings, as supplied by the decorator to Darrac, the upholsterer. — Set of seats consisting of one sofa, four armchairs and four chairs in white painted wood picked out in gold, bequeathed in 1965 by the Duchess of Massa. They were originally upholstered with silk velvet painted with bouquets of flowers, but they have now been covered simply with yellow velvet.

— Firescreen in white painted wood with moulding picked out in gold. — Console table.

46 On the mantelpiece: Since the bed could not be identified, it has been — Clock placed in this room in 1810. It was made from replaced by: elements taken from a table centrepiece given by the — a walnut chaise longue, by Jacob-Desmalter, originally King of Spain Charles IV to Napoleon in 1807. placed in 1810 in the bed chamber in the Games House. This chaise longue belonging to Marie-Louise is typical of the furniture in the Hamlet, understated and comfortable. It is upholstered in a fabric embroidered with water lilies, the work of contemporary artist Paul- Armand Gette, and its green colour harmonises with the armchairs. Mobilier National depository.

— Six armchairs in walnut, by Jacob-Desmalter, supplied for this room in 1810, and as they had retained their original green fabric, they were simply restored. With their motifs of rosettes and stars, these armchairs provide exceptional testimony of the First Empire style.

— Pair of vases in 'fond nankin' Sèvres porcelain, supplied for this room in 1810.

— Pair of sconces in gilt bronze, in the shape of hunting horns, supplied for this room by Claude Galle. Mobilier National depository. — Firedog in gilt bronze, showing two reclining women, supplied by Claude Galle for this room. — Table in plane wood, supplied for this room in 1810. — Chandelier in crystal and gilt bronze, 18th century, — Sideboard in plane wood topped with bluestone corresponding to the description of the 1810 inventory. marble. — Pair of candlesticks in gilt bronze. — Pair of candlesticks in silver-plated copper.

Bed chamber

Formerly a room for tric-trac, a very popular board game played at the time of Queen Marie-Antoinette. This bedroom has retained some of its original colours on the walls, which have been restored, like the curtains, to correspond to the descriptions in the inventory of 1810. It was also used as a bed chamber, for although the Queen did not spend the night in the Hamlet, she could have a rest here.

47 Salon in the Games House © Château de Versailles / Didier Saulnier

Boudoir used as a bed chamber in the Games House © Château de Versailles / Didier Saulnier

48 Salon in the Queen's House © Château de Versailles / Didier Saulnier

Bed chamber in the Queen's House © Château de Versailles / Didier Saulnier

49 the work of the

part III part restorers and craftsmen

To offer visitors a glimpse of what the Queen's House For the billiard table, it was decided to use an equivalent looked like under the First Empire, many skills have model from the former Buffets Room in the King's Inner contributed to achieving excellence and preserving the Apartments at the Palace. In order to fully restore the national heritage. finish, the piece had to be completely disassembled.

at the palace of versailles Very many items for curtain hanging, such as wooden rails, end stops and pine cone finials, were gilded by the From 2014 onwards, the restoration workshops at the gilding workshop. Palace of Versailles have been very much involved in the operation to refurnish the Queen's House. Teams of To furnish the first-floor salon in the Queen's House, gilders, cabinetmakers and upholsterers have worked on a set of chairs given by the Duchess of Massa in 1965 about fifty different items. was chosen. The set consists of a sofa, six armchairs and six chairs. A firescreen from the Mobilier National The set of twenty-four chairs which were in the dining depository completes the ensemble. Again, the frames room of the Queen's House under the Ancien Régime were all checked. However, the main restoration was has been reassembled, thanks to major contributions carried out by the upholstery workshop which respected from the Mobilier National depository. These lyre back and reinforced the original upholstery: pick stitches mahogany chairs, of a kind so often found in imperial specific to the English-style trimmings were used, residences, were in poor condition. As they were all from the blond horsehair stitching was reworked and new different sources and had different stories to tell, the white underlayers were put in place. Circular armrests main challenge of the restoration work was to achieve with knife-edge seams were made for the armchairs. harmony. The assemblies were checked, the rabbets Finally, the seats were covered, a yellow silk velvet with restored, the finishes treated so that the different shades a contrasting indigo border was chosen to match the of mahogany matched. The mahogany table from the description in the inventory, which mentions a "painted Mobilier National depository, placed in the dining room, silk velvet, yellow background with bouquets of flowers also received surface treated in order to ensure this included". There were also new back covers in gros de beautiful overall harmony. Tours coordinated with the colour of the silk velvet. This was particularly delicate work because the fabric was A console table and a pedestal table in amaranth so fragile: it is impossible to exaggerate the difficulties with gilded highlights, to be used to furnish the salon in involved in making the immense sofa cushion using the Games House, were also treated in the same way. traditional techniques of the upholsterer's craft and adding the large borders. Two sideboards, a walnut table and a chest of drawers were also restored. Some parts were missing, the frame assemblies had deteriorated, the facades were stained With the participation of: and the locks had long disappeared. - Éric De Meyer, Philippe Cuciniello, Sylvain The carpentry and cabinetmakers workshop was called Molfessis, Éléonore Boscassi, cabinetmakers, in to make a canopy for a bed, a delicate operation Médéric Foulon, carpenter as consideration had to be given to ensuring that - Jérôme Lebouc, Laurent Jannin, Florence Muzellec, the size of the room and the dimensions of the bed upholsterers were compatible. They also had to meet the technical - Céline Blondel and Régis Gouget, gilders requirements of the upholsterer, to show off the fabrics adorning the bed to their best advantage. Managed by Élisabeth Caude, Head Curator, in charge of the restoration workshops of the Palace of Versailles, and Jérémie Benoît, Head Curator, in charge of the Palaces of Trianon.

50 hangings and drapes for the walls were made by Michel Chauveau and his assistants, including Sébastien Ragueneau. Sébastien also upholstered the dining room chairs with green leather suplied by the Lemerle brothers. Meanwhile, all the lawns and muslins for the window curtains, which were made by the same craftsmen, were supplied by the Maison Edmond Petit. And finally, Alice Vrinat produced the decoration for the chairs on display in the adjoining bed chamber.

Some of the chairs still had their fabric dating back to 1810. It was quickly decided that these fabrics should be conserved, even though some were very discoloured © Château de Versailles / Thomas Garnier or in very poor condition. In order to restore them, the Palace of Versailles called in Claire Beugnot, who specialises in this textile rehabilitation work. The result of her work can only be described as remarkable.

The varnishing of the bed and the bed canopy on display in the bed chamber of the Games House was done by the Atelier Mariotti.

One of the most important tasks was given to Olivier Lagarde, bronze worker and electrician. He cleaned all the sconces, the candlesticks and the firedogs in the fireplaces. He also made the oil lamps which adorn the rooms on the ground floor of the Queen's House. These items required careful study of the inventories © Château de Versailles / Thomas Garnier and the models provided in the documents dating back in external workshops to the Empire, which had to be adapted to modern requirements. Many external contributors, including some of the best craftsmen in France, were responsible for various aspects of the restoration work, to complement that undertaken in the Palace of Versailles workshops.

After determining exactly what needed to be done, the first task was to have Pascal Arlot sculpt the pine cone finials for the thyrses (wooden curtain rods), to a pattern supplied by the Palace of Versailles conservation department. The gilding on the old frames for the silk hangings was restored by Jean-Pierre Galopin, the gilder who was also responsible for restoring the © ZED furniture presented by the Duchess of Massa.

The only painted silk hangings that we already had were those in the large yellow salon, which were recreated during the restoration in the 1950s based on original preserved models, but they needed restoration. This work was carried out by Marie Lecœur. The other silk coverings were commissioned from the silk manufacturers Prelle or Tassinari, and the trimmings from Declercq. The Massa furniture was upholstered in the Palace workshops, however, the © ZED

51 52 © Château de Versailles / Christophe Fouin / Christophe de Versailles © Château exceptionalICI partie XX part IV patronageMON TITre de partie

53 DIOr AND LVMH,

part IV PATrONS OF THE PALACE OF VErSAILLES AND ITS ESTATE

Since 2011, the group has also made possible the purchase of items of major significance for the heritage of France: Queen Marie-Antoinette's desk by Riesener; three exceptional vases from the Sèvres Royal Manufacture for the apartments of Madame Victoire. In the spring of 2018, thanks to Dior, a very wide public Dior and LVMH have also supported contemporary from France and abroad was able to rediscover one of creation at Versailles, with exhibitions of the work of the jewels in the crown of Versailles, known worldwide, Anish Kapoor and Olafur Eliasson in the Palace gardens Queen Marie-Antoinette's Hamlet. Dior's patronage in 2015 and 2016. was mainly devoted to the restoration of the Hamlet's most legendary building, the Queen's House, and also its Warming Room.

This commitment forms only part of a global and ongoing philanthropic action begun in 1991 by LVMH / Moët Hennessy. Louis Vuitton and its Houses, Dior in particular, promote the conservation and the outreach work of the Palace of Versailles and its Estate.

First, we should not forget that more than 25 years ago LVMH undertook the restoration and refurnishing of a large part of the North Wing of the Palace - 1,700 m2 including the Africa, Crimea and Italy Rooms - this Olafur Eliasson exhibition at the Palace of Versailles, 2016 paved the way to two historic exhibitions: Solar compression Versailles and the royal tables in Europe (1993) then © Anders Sune Berg © 2016 Olafur Eliasson Kangxi, Emperor of China (2004). Moët Hennessy, patron of the exhibitions Louis XIV, Man and King (2009) and André Le Nôtre in Perspective (2013), has also provided support for the renovation and embellishment of the Palace Gardens and Park, with the restoration of a series of sculptures on the theme of Bacchus and the Abduction of Proserpina by Pluto, a sculpture by Girardon, in 2005; this was followed by the replanting of the Royal Star in the Palace park, in 2010.

Finally, in 2017, Louis Vuitton was patron of the exhibition Winter journey, showcasing several major artists from the international artistic scene.

contacts

lvmh Jean-Charles Tréhan

christian dior couture Isabel Mössinger +33 (0)1 40 73 58 64 / [email protected]

christian dior perfumes The abduction of Proserpina by Pluto,by Girardon Jérôme Pulis © château de Versailles +33 (0)1 49 53 85 17 54 Green-ground Sèvres vases with pastoral decoration painted by Charles Nicolas Dodin (1734-1803) and purchased by Madame Victoire, daughter of Louis XV, for her bed chamber. Three of these vases were bought through the patronage of the LVMH group; the other two are on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York. © château de Versailles, C. Fouin

Louis XIV, Man and King Exhibition © château de Versailles, C. Milet

55 56 © Château de Versailles / Thomas Garnier Garnier / Thomas de Versailles © Château discoverICI part V partie XX theMON Queen's TITre Housede partie and the Hamlet

57 the other houses part V in the Hamlet

Aerial view of the Queen's Hamlet © Château de Versailles / Thomas Garnier

After discovering the Queen's House and the Warming Room, visitors are invited learn more about the other houses and their functions in the Hamlet.

The boudoir and the mill

To the right of the Queen's House and the Warming Room is the Boudoir, a small building, raised over a basement which was used as a clothes storehouse. It comprised only a salon, a single very refined small room with a fireplace, decorated by the painter Dutemps and the sculptor Deschamps.

The Mill has a wash house and a paddle wheel operated by the river that winds around before flowing into the lake. On the ground floor it houses a salon, a study and a storage area, and on the first floor a bedroom. All the rooms were tiled and the ceilings painted white. The walls of the salon were first painted in a stone colour, but after this dado panels were added, painted in mahogany colour and with wallpaper above, as in the bedroom. A marble fireplace with some carving adds a note of luxury to this interior. the Mill. © Château de Versailles / Christian Milet

58 The Dovecote, the Guard house, the Barn style with projections, topped by a tower called the and the Model Dairy Marlborough Tower, a reminder of a famous song whose hero was an English general. The nanny of the After crossing the rustic stone bridge over the stream, Dauphin, son of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, used we come to a succession of houses whose walls are to sing it to him often. The bottom of the tower is made painted to resemble stone, these structures are used for of millstone grit and in front of it is a landing stage from agricultural purposes. They are adjacent to the areas where one climbed into boats to sail back and forth used by the Queen, which shows that there was no on the lake. It also has a vaulted stone base which was separation between the two, and that the Hamlet gave probably used to house the boats and fishing nets. An the Queen the opportunity to get as close as possible to outside staircase leads to the top of the tower which is peasant life. laid out as a belvedere, an ideal observation post from which to survey the whole estate. The first structure is the Dovecote whose ground-floor rooms served as a henhouse and aviary, while the first Just behind is the Model Dairy, a building covered with floor was a dovecote. tiles, with stone walls and the woodwork painted in "rotten wood" decor. This house comprises a large room Behind this house is the Guard House, where Marie- with hard stone slabs on the floor and walls painted in Antoinette established a Swiss guard called Bersy. imitation marble and imitation stone, with an arched ceiling decorated with trompe-l’œil caissons. The general Next, we see two sets of small walls. The first marks the layout of the room is similar to that of the working dairy. place where the former Working Dairy used to stand, There was a large marble central table and side tables on where the dairy products would arrive before being eaten stands. It was here that the dairy products from the farm in the model dairy. At the centre of the room stood a were eaten out of porcelain dishes (cups, plates, terrines, stone table on which the dairy products were made, then butter dishes) from the Queen's private manufactury in against the walls there were stone tables on stands where Paris. The model dairy was in poor condition in 1810 they were left to drain. The room was supplied with when work was carried out for Marie-Louise, and was running water to wash and preserve the dairy products. only saved from demolition by the addition of buttresses, The other wall marks the place where the Barn used to topped with busts. At the centre the large white marble stand, for storing the hay. It was also used a ballroom table is still there today, renovated by Pierre-Claude for the "peasant" parties that the Queen hosted. These Boichard in 1811 for Marie-Louise, and surrounded by houses could not be saved and were demolished in 1810. basins topped with goats' heads.

The farm The fishery, the Marlborough Tower and the Model Dairy Beyond the Hamlet and the lake is the Farm, built in 1784. Marie-Antoinette brought in real farmers As we continue along the path that borders the lake, from Touraine who raised cows and goats; they had a first we come to the fishery, a structure in the Roman farmyard with poultry and could therefore supply the Queen and her entourage. The Farm is made up of a house for the farmer, a barn and various stables, goat sheds and pigsties. It was a real farmer, Valy Bussard, who arrived from Touraine on 14 June 1785 and who was in charge. He looked after the animals and the crops, and made creams and cheeses in the working dairy.

The Marlborough Tower and the Model Dairy. © Château de Versailles / Christian Milet

59 digital part V devices

To mark the reopening of the Queen's House, the Palace of Versailles invites visitors to enhance their Photogrammetry is a 3D reconstitution technique visit, as they have produced a virtual tour of the Queen's based on photographs taken from different points of Hamlet. All the buildings and the six main rooms of view. The aim is to take as many photos as possible the Queen's House have been reconstituted in 3D, using (between 1,000 and 5,000) to reconstitute maximum photogrammetry techniques. detail. Software is then used to process these images, so To start with, only the outdoor spaces were modelled, that points of concordance are found between all the then the interiors were added as the house was photos and the object to be modelled in 3D can be refurnished. reconstituted from a point cloud.

By means of an interactive interface, visitors can move virtually around the site, they can hover over it, and get close to the follies… Audio commentary adds to the experience providing historical information and anecdotes about the places.

This virtual tour is particularly suited to anyone with a disability who is unable to access the first floor of the Titre de la légende. Queen's House, as it enables them to discover the rooms Sources de la légende. in their restored and refurnished state as a continuation of their visit to the ground-floor rooms.

The company Drone Volt, which specialises in taking photos for photogrammetry, was invited by the Palace of Versailles to capture the images that were required. Point cloud of the Marlborough Tower © château de Versailles / Drone Volt

Practical information

This new experience is accessible on the Palace of Versailles website: http://www.chateauversailles.fr/grands-formats/Hameau- de-la-Reine And on the Palace of Versailles Sketchfab account: https://sketchfab.com/chateauversailles

At the same time, a new audio visit route covering the Queen's Hamlet will be available on the official Palace of Versailles app. This is in addition to the visit routes 3D modelling of the Marlborough Tower for "The Grand Trianon", "The Petit Trianon" and "The © château de Versailles / Drone Volt Gardens of the Trianon" which are already available. Download the App free of charge from the App Store and Google Play.

60 practical part V information

for individual visitors accessibility

Because space is limited and the furniture on display is As part of the restoration work on the Queen's House, so precious, the Queen's House will be accessible only the area around the building has been adapted to through guided tours. provide for disabled access.

Dates and practical information People with motor disabilities will be able to access the From 12 May, tours daily at 2.45pm, ground-floor rooms of the Queen's House. They can except on the following dates: discover the first-floor rooms via the virtual tour that At 2.30pm: 19 and 27 June; 5, 13, 21 and 25 July; 3, 11, 16, the Palace of Versailles has produced. 26 and 29 August; 7, 11, 19, 22 and 28 September. Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes. Meeting point: entrance to The pathway from the Petit Trianon will also be the Petit Trianon. refurbished to improve access.

Prices €10 + admission Free: visitors under 10, visitor accompanying a disabled visitor.

Information and bookings Booking is mandatory and can be done by phone (01 30 83 78 00), online at chateauversailles.fr or on site on the day (subject to availability of places).

Access to the Trianon Palaces Ticket for the Trianon Palaces and Estate: €12, and the Trianon Estate: concessions €8. – From Paris: A13 motorway (towards Rouen); 2nd exit Versailles Notre - Dame. Entrance via the Saint Passport ticket (1 day) includes admission to the Anthony Gate. Admission is charged from 7am to 7pm Palace, Gardens, Trianon Palaces and Estate and to the in high season and from 8am to 6pm in low season. temporary exhibitions: €20 / €27 on Musical Fountains – From the Palace: 25 minutes on foot through the Show days. gardens, Petit Trianon and Grand Trianon stops on the little train. Passport ticket (2 days) includes admission for two consecutive days to the Palace, Gardens, Trianon The Trianon Palaces and the Trianon Estate Palaces and Estate, and to the temporary exhibitions: are open every day, except Mondays and on 25 €25 / €30 on Musical Fountains Show days. December, 1 January and 1 May: – from 12pm to 6.30pm in high season for the Grand Free for under-18s and EU residents under 26, except Trianon and the Petit Trianon, last admission at 6pm on the Musical Fountains Show and Musical Gardens (tills close at 5.50pm). days. – from 12pm to 7.30pm for the Gardens and the Admission to the Park is free every day of the year. Queen's Hamlet (Gardens emptied from 7pm). Admission to the Gardens is free, except on the Musical – from 12pm to 5.30pm in low season, last admission Fountains Show and Musical Gardens days. at 5pm (tills close at 4.50pm).

61 62 © Château de Versailles / Thomas Garnier / Thomas de Versailles © Château ICIaround partie XX part VI MONthe Queen's TITre deHouse partie

63 part VI 64 exhibition photography of their cultural magazine magazine cultural their of of photos portfolio toproduce for aseries the Versailles "At of Palace end of by 2014, the the invited Iwas An exhibition by Claire Adelfang Hamlet Queen's the of Photographs Interior - Exterior clues that hint at the past of this place or suggest a future. afuture. or place suggest of this past at the hint that clues unveil Ialso time same on amoment but at the of "life", Ifocus a picture, Itake As place. this with associated stories different many so from derived imprints various mystery. Ihave able tocapture been their maintaining still while images, archaeological you doin as just foundations, their and bedrock their touncover tried work, I of restoration period this throughout Room Queen's Warming the Iphotographed the As and House person. of each imagination tothe open consequently and more abstract image each makes which timelessness, of a search in truth, bare the no artifice, with reality, of afragment of is my of each photographs subject The few years. last over the transformation entire able tofollow the where Iwas particular, in Hamlet Queen's the around and Estate of the parts different in Palace the with of acollaboration start the was This before Queen's restoration. its the Hamlet showing ( Les Carnets de Versailles de Carnets Les no.7, 2015) -September April Les Carnets de Versailles de Carnets Les

Val-de-Marne and the Musée des Beaux-arts in Orléans. in Beaux-arts des Musée the Val-de-Marne and in contemporain d’Art Musée (Paris),Photographie the dela Européenne Maison the Institute, Cultural Magrez Bernard of the collections the in and collections of Versailles Palace the Her work in is artist. to this devoted retrospective put first on the Orléans in arts 2016, In Beaux- des private. Musée and The public both institutions, several in shown work been has artist's The Paris. in works and Shelives -Salzburg). (London -Paris Ropac Thaddaeus Galerie represented by sheis the and 2010 in Paris in Beaux-arts des supérieure nationale École the from graduated 1984, in born Adelfang, Claire The artist Claire Adelfang Claire revealed." tobe one waiting just the place, the of appreciation another tocapture shifts gaze where the transition this vision, in change this is Iphotograph that spaces the in interesting Ifind What intrigue. the and invisible toshow keen the Iam and of afilm scenario the like location the Iexplore exhibition, the Throughout presence. much as as absence up layers tohighlight into image the I cut and mysterious, and silent spaces these references, make time of any of absence my photos, the framing tight The exhibition produced thanks to support from: support to thanks produced exhibition day except Mondays every Open from 12pm to 6.30pm (lastadmission 6pm) At thePetit Trianon From 4May 2018to 2September 2018 information Practical , photographer , The Queen's Hamlet - Interior VIII, 2015 The Queen's Hamlet - Exterior I, 2017 Claire Adelfang Claire Adelfang Silver-halide colour photograph Silver-halide colour photograph 120 x 120 cm (47.24 x 47.24 in) 120 x 120 cm (47.24 x 47.24 in) © Claire Adelfang Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London - Paris - Salzburg © Claire Adelfang Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London - Paris - Salzburg

The Queen's Hamlet - Observatory, 2015 Claire Adelfang Silver-halide colour photograph 120 x 120 cm (47.24 x 47.24 in) © Claire Adelfang Courtesy Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London - Paris - Salzburg

65 part VI on Marie-Antoinette on focusing gardens the in Spectacle Director: Christophe Bertonneau Christophe Director: Groupe F Versailles. of Palace at the gardens Orangery of the setting royal the Groupe F, in performed show collective by the major newpyrotechnic for this Marie-Antoinette, of Queen figure historical the celebrate bearers fire and characters luminous videos, flames, and fire Fireworks, 2018New in Bern by Stéphane Narrated Around Marie-Antoinette show light and A fire 66 www.chateauversailles-spectacles.fr bookings and information Duration: 1 hour without intermission From €25(price for under-26 price incat. 3)to inprestige €110(full cat.) Gardens Orangery 29 June then5,6,11and 12July at 10pm information Practical millennium fireworks in 2000... in fireworks millennium 2014 Tower 2015 and Eiffel Tower at the •Eiffel for the 2016 in Games Olympic •14 Rio fireworks of July the Abu Dhabi closing 2017 Louvre and of the •Opening Opening elsewhere: 2008). And and (2007 Sun of the face (2009) hidden Sun •The of the Empires the and (2010) XIV deBergerac of Louis •Cyrano nuptials 2015 2017) and (2011) •Venetian festivals Royal •The (2015, 2016 (2010, 2017) and fireworks 2012, •Royal XIV, show King Fire (since •Louis the Fountains 2007) Night Eaux Grandes Les of Versailles: Palace At the F: Groupe by shows previous a documentary part VI

THE SECRET VERSAILLES OF MARIE-ANTOINETTE

A documentary directed by Sylvie Faiveley and Mark Daniels Co-written by Niksa Dzordeski, Sylvie Faiveley and Mark Daniels Coproduction: ARTE France, ZED (2018, 90 min) In partnership with the Palace of Versailles

Two hundred and thirty years after it was built, Marie-Antoinette's Hamlet is rediscovering its former

splendour. As it follows this exceptional restoration, © ZED The secret Versailles of Marie-Antoinette paints a previously unseen portrait of the last Queen of France, unpopular especially for wanting to withdraw from the remorseless etiquette at Versailles and to preserve her privacy in her own Trianon estate.

Marie-Antoinette arrived in France aged 14, and from that moment she was constantly trying to escape the protocol of the Court. The different dwellings she occupied say more about the Queen and her tragic destiny than any official biography. Here she expressed her feelings, her state of mind, her fragilities and her dreams. She seized on the Petit Trianon and the gardens to shape them as she wanted, like a true project manager. © ZED Culmination of her achievements and symbolic of her desire for privacy, the Hamlet at the bottom of her English-style garden was a tiny rustic village to all appearances on the outside but a truly artistic nugget on the inside. In just 20 years, Marie-Antoinette had profoundly affected Versailles and made her mark on it. It was built by Louis XIV, but it was Marie-Antoinette who was its insatiable interior designer. After the Revolution, the Hamlet was unable to withstand the ravages of time. A large-scale operation is now doing it justice, as it will be presented to the public in June, completely renovated, for the first time since the 18th century. Behind the

furniture and the ornaments that will be back in their © ZED original places, we catch a glimpse of Marie-Antoinette, the first modern queen, whose main crime was that she wanted, well ahead of her time, to claim her right to happiness... a coproduction Practical information Shown on ARTE Saturday 23 June at 8.50pm

67 part VI 68 publications different outfits did she wear each day? Did she have any day? Did she have each any shewear did outfits different woman? How many abeautiful Was Marie-Antoinette 1June from bookshops In English FrenchIn and €6.90 128 pages, spaces. outdoor of the Trianon Petit and the room in of each complete features descriptions guide this illustrated, Lavishly Queen's of decor the Hamlet. rustic for the way orderly makes French the Garden quarters, service of the simplicity by the offset is apartments royal of the luxury the facets: many its here it reveals and ago years photographs. 200 more than through Marie-Antoinette of footsteps the in exclusive walk ones: an secret most for doors you… the even the all open photographers and in the shops on the Versailles national estate national Versailles shopson the the in and at www.boutique-chateauversailles.fr sale On ANTOINETTE Questions-réponses surlapluscélèbre reine deFrance ALBIN MICHEL DE MARIE-ANTOINETTE

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Le Hameau de la Reine Reine la de Hameau Le fashion. of history for the document priceless a is disappeared have since that garments hundred several lace)… inventory This listing (silk jacket yellow silk sulphur large skirt, taffeta pink-coloured who had lived some happy who hadlived of Marie-Antoinette, part the on eccentricity an wrongly, as considered, abandoned, Long Co-publication: Palace of of Palace Co-publication: Vinha da Mathieu Antoinette's wardrobe) Marie- (In Marie-Antoinette laDans garde-robe de of France. Queen famous most of the story fascinating the enable you to(re)discover will book little this answers, and words? 80 questions In her last were What influence? political

objects inspired

part VI by the world of marie-antoinette

On sale at www.boutique-chateauversailles.fr Box of 4 "Marie- and in the shops on the Versailles national estate Antoinette" plates - Faïencerie de Gien

The "Marie-Antoinette" exclusively from the online boutique series is part of the collection created exclusively by Gien Limited edition of accessories made from the for the Palace of Versailles. monumental canvas that covered the restoration With their zingy colours the site. plates dynamise the original prints showing the Queen of France at different stages of Collection available from May 2018. her life, from the idolised young Dauphine to the radiant On: www.boutique-chateauversailles.fr then the defeated Queen. Available as dessert plates or small dessert plates. In line with our responsible and reasoned environmental approach, the Palace of Versailles has Made in France. Unique expertise for 200 years. worked since 2012 in collaboration with Bilum, a Strict quality control. Exceptional faïence ware for a French company specialising in recycling publicity French lifestyle. tarpaulins, reusing this advertising material to create Prices start at €60 unique products. Each piece is hand-made in France by companies specialising in saddlery and leather goods. Shopping bags, clutch bags, makeup bags, "King's goblet" etc., made from the decorative scaffolding cover used Dinner service - for this restoration project, are offered in a limited Bernardaud edition. The "Goblet" was the first Prices start at €25 of the seven offices in the King's House, and was responsible for the linen, bread, wine and fruit that was served to the King. This dinner service, called the "King's goblet" was ordered by Louis XVI in 1783 from the Sèvres factory for serving the officers at Versailles.

Made in France. Limoges porcelain, produced since 1863, combining French expertise and innovation, creativity and tradition.

69 "Queen's House "Queen's Boudoir" 1785" Token – candle Arthus-Bertrand This candle is directly This is a replica of a token inspired by the world of intended for the staff at the the Palace of Versailles. It Queen's House and giving is hand-made in the purest access to the Gardens at tradition of French candle-makers. The glass bowl is Versailles during celebrations. On the obverse side it made by master glass-makers. shows a vase of flowers and on the reverse the inscription The "Queen's Boudoir" scent is inspired by Marie- reads "Gardens of Versailles, Admission for Four, Antoinette and is made from roses, spiced with notes of Queen's House 1785". cinnamon and cumin.

Made in France. Material: gilded or silvered bronze. Made in France. Prices start at €35 €30

"Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette" Medal – Arthus- Bertrand

This medal shows the profile of King Louis XVI on the obverse side and on the reverse side the profile of Queen Marie-Antoinette. It was inspired by a medal made by Benjamin Duvivier, General Engraver of the Currencies from 1774 to 1791.

Made in France. Material: Gilded or silvered bronze €60

70 © Château de Versailles / Thomas Garnier Garnier / Thomas de Versailles © Château