The Palace of Versailles has attracted travelers since it was transformed under the direction of the Sun King, Louis XIV (1638–1715), from a simple hunting lodge into one of the most magnificent public courts of Europe. French and foreign travelers, royalty, dignitaries and ambassadors, artists, musicians, writers and philosophers, scientists, grand tourists and day-trippers alike, all flocked to the majestic royal palace surrounded by its extensive formal gardens.
The Arrival of the Papal Nuncio, 1690s. Oil on canvas, 48 7/8 x 61 in. (124 x 155 cm). Collection of Aline Josserand-Conan, Paris. Photo by Christophe Fouin
Versailles was always a truly international setting. Countless visitors described their experiences and observations in correspondence and journals. Court diaries, gazettes, and literary journals offer detailed reports on specific events and entertainments as well as on ambassadorial receptions that were also documented in paintings and engravings.
Dress (grande robe à la française). French, 1775–85. Silk brocade (woven 1760s), H. from neck to train 59 7/8 in. (152 cm). The Kyoto Costume Institute (AC11075 2004-2AB) © The Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Takashi Hatakeyama
Visitors to Versailles (1682–1789) is was previously on view at the Château de Versailles through February 25, 2018.
Charles-Gabriel Sauvage, called Lemire père (French, 1741– 1827). Figure of Louis XVI and Benjamin Franklin, 1780– 85. Porcelain, 12 3/4 x 9 1/2 x 6 in. (32.4 x 24.1 x 15.2 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of William H. Huntington, 1883 (83.2.260)
Charles Cozette (French, 1713–1797). Folding Screen with Views of the Château de Versailles from the Avenue de Paris and the Cour du Cheval Blanc at the Château de Fontainebleau, ca. 1768–70. Wood, oil on canvas, painted leather, 79 1/2 x 153 1/8 in. (202 x 389 cm). Collection of Monsieur and Madame Dominique Mégret, Paris. Photo by F. Doury
Opening April 16 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Visitors to Versailles (1682–1789) will track these many travelers from 1682, when Louis XIV moved his court to Versailles, up to 1789, when Louis XVI (1774–1792) and the royal family were forced to leave the palace and return to Paris. (Exhibition Location: The Met Fifth Avenue, The Tisch Galleries, Gallery 899, 2nd floor)
Louis Michel Dumesnil (French, Paris 1663–1739 Paris). The Formal Audience of Cornelis Hop at the Court of Louis XV, ca. 1720–29. Oil on canvas, 41 1⁄8 × 64 1⁄8 in. (104.5 × 163 cm). Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, On loan from the Koninklijk Oudheidkundig Genootschap (SKC-512) © Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Pierre Denis Martin the Younger (French, 1663– 1742). View of the Château de Versailles from the Parade Grounds, 1722. Oil on canvas, 54 3/4 x 59 in. (139 x 150 cm). Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon, (MV 726), © RMN-Grand Palais/Art Resource, NY, photo by Jean-Marc Manaï
Through paintings and portraits, furniture, tapestries, carpets, costumes and uniforms, porcelain, gold boxes, sculpture, arms and armor, engravings, and guidebooks, the exhibition will illustrate what the visitors encountered at court, what kind of welcome and access to the palace they received, and, most importantly, what they saw and what impressions, gifts, and souvenirs they took home with them.
Sébastien Leclerc the Elder (French, 1637–1714). View of the Hall of Mirrors, ca. 1684. Pen and brown ink, brown wash on paper, 5 3/8 x 3 5/8 in. (13.6 x 9.1 cm). Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon (INV.DESS 1247) © RMN-Grand Palais/Art Resource, NY. Photo by Gérard Blot, Château de Versailles © RMN-Grand Palais/Art Resource, NY, photo by Gérard Blot
Visitors to Versailles (1682–1789) is organized by Daniëlle Kisluk-Grosheide, the Henry R. Kravis Curator in the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at The Met, and Bertrand Rondot, conservateur en chef, Château de Versailles. Design is by The Met Design Department. Design direction is provided by Emile Molin and Brian Butterfield. Exhibition design is by Alejandro Stein; graphic design is by Ria Roberts and Frank Mondragon, with support from Tal Pritzker; lighting design is by Clint Ross Coller, and production is by Maanik Chauhan and David Stith.
Maupérin (French, active 1774–1800). Nguyễn Phúc Cảnh, 1787. Oil on canvas, 63 3⁄8 × 39 3⁄8 in. (158.5 × 100 cm). Archives des Missions Etrangères de Paris, photo © Thomas Garnier
The exhibition is accompanied by a catalog published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and distributed by Yale University Press. The book will be available for purchase in The Met Store (hardcover, $65). The catalog is made possible by the Diane W. and James E. Burke Fund and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Fan with a View of the Château de Versailles, ca. 1780–85. Single paper leaf, painted in gouache over engraving, with gilt paper trim; sticks and guards: carved and pierced ivory, decorated with gilding, gouache, and mother-of-pearl, 6 1/4 x 12 1/4 in. (16 x 31 cm). City of Versailles, Musée Lambinet, (95.15.1) © Ville de Versailles, Musée Lambinet, photo by Christophe Fouin
The exhibition will also feature a unique audio experience that will evoke and bring to life what it was like to visit the palace during the ancien régime when Versailles was the seat of the court. This audio experience is sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
A series of events and performances will complement the exhibition. On April 21 (at 7 p.m.), the early-music vocal group TENET and the contemporary Metropolis Ensemble will present a program with two world premieres by cellist Timo Andres and musician Caroline Shaw. Opera Lafayette will perform Opera in Versailles on May 3 (7 p.m.).
Master chef and food writer Yotam Ottolenghi will create a Versailles-themed menu of dinner and desserts on June 19 and 20 (7 p.m.).
The role of the Palace of Versailles in 17th- and 18th-century Europe will be discussed in a Sunday at The Met program on April 22 and a half-day symposium on April 30. The Short Course The Kings of Versailles will take place April 14, 21, and 28 (2 p.m.); registration required.
The exhibition is made possible by The International Council of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Additional support is provided by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, Beatrice Stern, the Diane W. and James E. Burke Fund, the Gail and Parker Gilbert Fund, The Florence Gould Foundation, The Danny Kaye and Sylvia Fine Kaye Foundation/French Heritage Society, and The Al Thani Collection. It is organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Palace of Versailles.
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