Paris1972-Versailles2003

In my dear gorgeous Versailles; there are many places and so much to see I am marvel of finding again in my cd rom vault several pictures not in my blog yet and they should be for you and me. My kind of town, actually did lived there for 9+ glorious years! Very nice family memories. Walk it , and again, and see the beauty, architecture and history of the Château de Versailles ! Therefore, here is my take on the chimneys of the Château de Versailles !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I

In order to make life more comfortable to courtiers and the royal family, it was therefore important to heat the Palace of Versailles. But we can imagine the cost that it represented to heat as many parts. The palace was heated with wood. At the end of the 18C, it was the equivalent of 1,200 hectares of forest that were burned for a single year of heating at the palace, and had 1,315 chimneys. Given the number, you probably say that this is more than enough. But the height of the rooms made them difficult to heat. The Château de Versailles chimneys were indeed not thought of to heat the palace, but more to be ceremonial objects. The chimneys made a lot of smoke and dirty everything in their path, transforming the pieces into black. The palace, in addition to being very cold, also became irrespirable. Let’s not talk about the great winter of 1709 where it made -17 ° to -30 C (about 1 to -22 F ) in Versailles, Before the climate change hysteria !!!

The Bibliothéque or Library of king Louis XVI, was designed by the architect Gabriel shortly before the death of Louis XV in 1774, was both the first order of the young Louis XVI and the last intervention of the architect at Versailles. Already benefiting from several libraries in the upper floors, the king hastened however the work of this vast room which has the advantage of being on the ground floor with his apartment.  It is located in the King’s small apartment, on the first floor of the main building of the Palace of Versailles. The room measures about 10 by 8 meters, under a ceiling height of about 5 meters. It communicates to the pièce de la vaisselle d’or or room of golden dishes and with the dining room with new rooms. It overlooks the cour royale. It has an old cheminée or fireplace,with grooves and a curved molded panel for the upper part. The center of the panel has a decor of harsh grooves and asparagus surrounded by two molded panels.Above the fireplace is a golden bas-relief, the wisdom holding a torch in front of a dolphin medallion, carried by two geniuses.

The interior cabinet of Madame Victoire in this elegant little room and the following two formed only one at the origin: it was the Doric vestibule of the Bath Apartment, separated into three spans by two rows of columns in marble, which still remain behind the woodwork. This vestibule was partitioned in 1724 to constitute two antechambers for the count and the countess of Toulouse; The antechamber of this princess was in turn divided in 1767 to form this small living room and the following library. Antoine Rousseau is the author of the admirable woodwork, some of which have been put in place, as well as the Serancolin fireplace.

The chambre du Roi or king’s bedroom goes that in 1701, Louis XIV transferred his bedroom to the vast lounge nearly 80 m2, located in the center of the eastern facade of the castle. We then condemned the three high doors of the background which gave on the galerie des Glaces and above which Nicolas Coustou performed the allegory in stucco of France watching over the sleep of the king overlooking the bed. The most important and most symbolic room of the royal apartment, the room serves at several times of the day: the king holds the ceremonies of “ease” and “bedtime”, dinner to his “little cover” and can receive certain courtiers or ambassadors there. It was in this room that Louis XIV died on September 1, 1715, after 72 years of reign. The sumptuous decor of gold and silver brocade on the crimson background of the room is embellished with paintings, chosen by Louis XIV himself: four paintings representing the evangelists and the denier of César, by Valentin de Boulogne, French painter of the caravagesque style. Five portraits ;Agar and the angel by Giovanni Lanfranco; Above door, Saint Jean-Baptiste by Giovanni Battista Caracciolo aka Battistello, Italian painter. Marie-Madeleine by Dominico Zampieri , baroque Italian painter. two portraits from Van Dyck , painter, assistant of Rubens, then large portrait painter. On the cheminée or fireplace, a bust of Louis XIV by Antoine Coysevox, a pendulum and four candelabras that belonged to the Count of Provence,(Louis XVIII) brother of Louis XVI.

The chambre de la Reine or Queen’s bedroom is the main room of the apartment, the one where the queen was most often held. She was sleeping there, often joined by the king. In the morning, she received there during and after her toilet, It is here again that the public deliveries took place: nineteen ” children of France ” were born there.The decor retains the memory of the three queens who occupied the room: the ceiling division was designed for Marie-Thérèse, wife of Louis XIV and the paintings and woodwork were ordered for Marie Leszczynska, wife of Louis XV. As for the furniture and the fireplace, they are in the time of Marie-Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI. During the invasion of the castle by the rioters on October 6, 1789 led to the great departure of the king and his family, a major event of the French revolution…, Marie-Antoinette managed to escape them by the small left door of the alcove opening on a corridor giving access to the interior cabinets of the Queen, a dozen small parts reserved for her private life and his service. During the French revolution, the palace was not looted, but its furniture was dispersed during auctions which lasted an entire year. Some have been found, such as Schwerdfeger’s greenhouse, which is on the left of the bed, or like the chimney screen; others have been replaced by equivalent parts: this is the case of seats delivered in part for the Countess de Provence, the sister-in-law of the Queen, and partly for the visit of the King of Sweden Gustave III. As for the fabrics that tend the bed and the walls, they were removed in Lyon according to the original boxes kept. The bed and the balustrade were rescued according to old documents. As for the two of the portraits in medallion, they are those known to the queen.

The appartements de la Dauphine, seconde antichambre or the Dauphine apartments, second anteroom ,the cheminée or fireplace with Queen Marie Leczinska in marble Sarrancolin, sculpted in 1723 ; the second anteroom of the Dauphine apartment in 1747. The door-to-door are decorated with portraits of Marie Leszczinska In royal costume and an unidentified duchess, as well as two flower paintings by Blain de Fontenay. The sérancolin’s chimney, which may come from the first floor room of Marie Leszczinska, supports a bust of the Regent sculpted by Jean-Louis Le Moyne. The paintings hanging on the walls are an equestrian portrait of Louis XV, by Jean-Baptiste van Loo and Charles Parrocel (1723), portraits painted by Belle representing the cousin and ephemeral fiancé of the king, Marie-Anne-Victoire de Bourbon (Infante of’Spain and daughter of Felipe V) and children of Béthisy. The portrait of Pierre Le Grand, recalls the stay of the Tsar in Versailles in May 1717. François Boucher was the author of Louis XV on pilgrim of Cythera and Charles Parrocel of the entrance to the garden of the Tuileries of the Turkish Ambassador Mehemet Effendi , March 21, 1721.

The Salon de Nobles or nobles’ room is the antechamber under Queen Marie-Thérèse, it was in this room that Mary Leszczinska granted her solemn hearings, seated under a dais. She also held her circle, as we called this time of conversation settled with the ladies of the court. Marie Antoinette had the decoration remade entirely, preserving only the paintings of the ceiling, and for her, the walls of Damascus green apple bordered with a large gold braid.  It is devoted to the god Mercury. In the center is Mercury spreading its influence on the arts and the sciences. The paintings are each decorated with a composition illustrating great female figures of antiquity the piece underwent heavy transformations under the impetus of Marie-Antoinette. The walls receive a low white and gold paneling and are tense with green silks bounds with gold. The queen also laid a chimney in Turquin blue marble dispersed during the French revolution, the fireplace and the furniture (with the exception of a chest of drawers not found) found this room iagain in the 1960s.

The official Château de Versailles on the palace: https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/estate/palace

The Versailles tourist office on the Château de Versailles: https://www.versailles-tourisme.com/visiter-et-explorer-versailles/les-visites-du-chateau-de-versailles/visiter-le-chateau-de-versailles

There you go folks, the must to see in Versailles and worth it. Another masterpiece of my belle France, and hope you have the time to see it while at this huge property that is the Domaine de Versailles. Again, hope you enjoy this post on the chimneys of the Château de Versailles !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!