The ''appartement du roi'' or King's Apartment is the suite of rooms in the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

that served as the living quarters of

Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

. Overlooking the Marble Court (''cour de marbre''), these rooms are situated in the oldest part of the chateau in rooms originally designated for use by the queen in Louis XIII's chateau. Owing largely to the discomfort of the grand appartement du roi and to the construction of the

Hall of Mirrors The Hall of Mirrors (french: Grande Galerie, Galerie des Glaces, Galerie de Louis XIV) is a grand Baroque style gallery and one of the most emblematic rooms in the royal Palace of Versailles near Paris, France. The grandiose ensemble of the hal ...

began to remodel these rooms for his use shortly after the death of

Maria Theresa Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position '' suo jure'' (in her own right) ...

in 1684. The ''appartement du roi'' evolved to become the everyday working quarters for

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

and

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

. Initially, the ''appartement du roi'' consisted of a suite of eight rooms that issued from the Queen's Staircase (''escalier de la reine''). The number was reduced to seven after 1701 and to six in 1755.

''Vestibule''

The vestibule is paneled in marble and lighted by two windows that opened onto the ''cour royale''. In 1701, in order to provide more light to the staircase, the south wall opposite the windows was opened, thus creating a loggia from the vestibule. During the latter part of Louis XIV's reign, the Queen's staircase and the vestibule served as entrance to the ''appartement du roi'', the ''

grand appartement de la reine The ''grand appartement de la reine'' is the Queen's grand apartment of the Palace of Versailles. Forming a parallel enfilade with that of the ''grand appartement du roi'', the ''grand appartement de la reine'' served as the residence of three ...

'', and the apartment of

Madame de Maintenon Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel * ''Madame'' ( ...

''Salle des gardes du roi''

The ''salle des gardes du roi'', served to house the ''Garde du corps du roi'' – the King's Body Guard. The early decor of this room included walls clad in tooled gilt leather and a battle scene by

Joseph Parrocel Joseph Parrocel (3 October 1646 – 1 March 1704) was a French Baroque painter, best known for his paintings and drawings of battle scenes. He was born in Brignoles, into an artistic family that produced fourteen painters over six generations. H ...

, "The Battle of Leuze, 18 September 1691", hung over the fireplace. Two large chandeliers emblazoned with the king's monogram complemented the decor. The utilitarian nature of the room was evidenced by the wooden benches, camp beds, and folding screens used by the guards stationed in the room. On Mondays, a table, dressed with a gold-fringed velvet rug, would be placed in this room, at which

would personally accept petitions presented to him by his subjects.

''Première antichambre''

The ''première antichambre'' or ''salon du grand couvert'' (also known during the reign of

as ''la salle ou le roy soupe''), opened with three windows onto the ''cour de marbre'' (north) and with three windows onto the ''cour de la reine'' (south).Verlet, 210. The decoration of the room consisted of battle scenes by

with the "Battle of Arbela" being displayed over the mantelpiece. After the death of the

queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

and the dauphine, the room served for those occasions during which

dined alone in public. For the ''grand couvert'', a table with a single armchair was dressed before the fireplace. The wall opposite the fireplace originally contained a tribune for musicians, but this was suppressed in the 18th century. The end of one of the more scandalous events in Versailles history during the Sun King's reign transpired in this room. In 1691, the fringe from the portieres in the Salon de Mars and part of the embroidered bed cover from the bed in the

Salon de Mercure Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

were stolen. Toward the service of dessert, a bundle was thrown through one of the windows facing the ''cour de marbre'' and landed on the king's table. Louis XIV's only comment, "I think that those are my fringes."

''Salon de l'œil de bœuf''

The ''salon de l'œil de bœuf'' or Antechamber of the Œil-de-Bœuf was formed in 1701 by combining two adjacent rooms, the ''deuxième antichambre'' and ''chambre du roi''. The ''salon de l'œil de bœuf'' became the main antechamber to the King's Bedroom, which was also created that year (see next section). Taking its name from the ''

œil de bœuf An ''oeil-de-boeuf'' (; en, "bull's eye"), also ''œil de bœuf'' and sometimes anglicized as ''ox-eye window'', is a relatively small elliptical or circular window, typically for an upper storey, and sometimes set in a roof slope as a d ...

'' (oval) window located in the south cove of the ceiling, the ''salon de l'œil de bœuf'' features a gilt-stucco running frieze that decorated the cove of the room's ceiling and features a trellis-work background on which are groups of dancing putti. It is the decoration of the cove that heralds a transition from the formalistic style that was used in the decoration of the grand appartement du roi and the

to a more relaxed style that anticipated the ''

style Louis XV The Louis XV style or ''Louis Quinze'' (, ) is a style of architecture and decorative arts which appeared during the reign of Louis XV. From 1710 until about 1730, a period known as the Régence, it was largely an extension of the Louis XIV style ...

''.

spared no expense in decorating this room. Mirrors, "The Fainting of Ester" and "Judith with the head of Holofernes" by Veronese hung as pendants, and gilt furniture all contributed to making this one of the most sumptuous rooms in the ''appartement du roi''. File:Salon de l'Oeil de boeuf. Versailles..JPG, View of the southeast ceiling corner of the ''salon de l'œil de bœuf'' with windows facing the Cour de la Reine File:013Versailles bed.jpg, Detail of the cornice frieze The former two rooms, the ''deuxième antichambre'' and the ''chambre du roi'', were earlier part of the apartment of the queen, but in 1684, after the death of Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche,

attached these rooms to his apartment.Verlet, 211. The ''deuxième antichambre'' served as waiting room for courtiers waiting to attend the king's ''lever'' in the ''chambre du roi'' and was also known as the ''antichambre des Bassans'' on account of the number of paintings by the northern Italian artist,

Jacopo Bassano Jacopo Bassano (c. 1510 – 14 February 1592), known also as Jacopo dal Ponte, was an Italian painter who was born and died in Bassano del Grappa near Venice, and took the village as his surname. Trained in the workshop of his father, Francesco t ...

, that were displayed on the walls. Over the mantelpiece, the famed "''Noli me tangere''s" by

Lambert Sustris Lambert Sustris (c. 1515-1520 – c. 1584) was a Dutch painter active mainly in Venice. The works Sustris completed in Italy exhibit either a Mannerist style or qualities that may be deemed proto-baroque. He is also referred to as ''Albert ...

was displayed. File:Noli me tangere-Sustris.jpg, ''Noli me tangere'' (2nd half of the 16th century) by

File:L'Evanouissement d'Esther.jpg, ''The Fainting of Esther'' (late 16th century) by Veronese

''Chambre de Louis XIV''

Cour de Marbre du Château de Versailles October 5, 2011

The ''chambre de Louis XIV'' (or King's Bedchamber) was constructed in 1701 on the site of the former ''salon du roi'' (or State Drawing RoomSaule & Meyer 2000, pp. 49, 52.), which dated from the time of

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crow ...

. This room underwent a number of modifications during the reign of

, most notably in 1678 when the three western windows facing the terrace became archways opening into the

(constructed beginning that year), for which the room became a kind of appendage. A ''

avant-corps An ''avant-corps'' ( it, avancorpo or , plural , german: Risalit, pl, ryzalit), a French term literally meaning "fore-body", is a part of a building, such as a porch or pavilion, that juts out from the ''corps de logis'', often taller than oth ...

'' was added to the exterior of the eastern facade facing the Marble Court, with three bays opening onto a gilt wrought-iron balcony overlooking the courtyard, and the top part of the room corresponding to the attic storey of the ''avant-corps''.Verlet 1985, p. 213. When in 1684

moved into the adjacent room to the south (the ''chambre du roi''), this central room behind the facade of the ''avant-corps'' was designated as the ''salon du roi'' or the ''salon où le roi s'habille'' ("the room in which the king dresses"). For 17 years, it served as venue for the ceremonies that surrounded the life of the king, such as the ''lever'' and the ''coucher''. When the ''chambre de Louis XIV'' was established in 1701, the archways to the Hall of Mirrors were sealed off, and the room became the ideological as well as physical focal point of the palace. The king died in this room on 1 September 1715. Later, Louis XV and Louis XVI would continue to use it for the ''lever'' and the ''coucher''. On 6 October 1789, Louis XVI,

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

, and the Dauphin appeared on the balcony before the mob that forced the royal family to move from Versailles to the

Tuileries Palace The Tuileries Palace (french: Palais des Tuileries, ) was a royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine, directly in front of the Louvre. It was the usual Parisian residence of most French monarchs, f ...

in Paris. File:Marie-Madeleine en extase au pied de la croix.jpg, ''

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurre ...

'' (ca. 1628–1629) by

Guido Reni Guido Reni (; 4 November 1575 – 18 August 1642) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, although his works showed a classical manner, similar to Simon Vouet, Nicolas Poussin, and Philippe de Champaigne. He painted primarily religi ...

File:Domenichino_-_Saint_Cecilia_Playing_the_Viol_01.jpg, ''

Saint Cecilia Saint Cecilia ( la, Sancta Caecilia), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman virgin martyr and is venerated in Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She became the patroness of music and musicians, ...

'' (ca. 1st quarter of the 17th century) by

Domenichino Domenico Zampieri (, ; October 21, 1581 – April 6, 1641), known by the diminutive Domenichino (, ) after his shortness, was an Italian Baroque painter of the Bolognese School of painters. Life Domenichino was born in Bologna, son of a shoem ...

File:Salon d'Apollon-LE ROI DAVID.jpg, ''

King David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

playing the harp'' (ca. 1st quarter of the 17th century) by Domenichino As a measure of economy,

retained much of the decor of the ''salon du roi'' in the decoration of the ''chambre de Louis XIV''. The over-door paintings included ''The Portrait of

Francisco de Moncada Francisco de Moncada (in Catalan: Francesc de Montcada i Montcada), 3rd Marquis of Aytona, (1586–1635) was a Spanish diplomat, soldier and writer of the early 17th century. He was also interim Governor of the Spanish Netherlands. Early life Mon ...

'' and a ''Self-portrait'' the two by

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy. The seventh ...

, ''

Saint John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

'' by

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of h ...

, and ''

'' by

. Domenichino's ''

'' was placed in the cornice setting of the south wall above the fireplace and the artist's ''

playing the harp'' hung as pendant opposite on the north wall. The western wall of the room became the wall of the alcove – the area of the room separated by a balustrade in which the bed was located. The decoration of the alcove, with the ornaments of the agrafe and volutes as well as the trelliswork sculpture, anticipate in many respects anticipates the '' style Régence'' that was in vogue between 1715 and 1723. Crowning the bed is Nicolas Coustou's relief sculpture, ''France Triumphant'', which is complemented by two relief sculptures of ''Fame'' by François Lespingola located in the pendentives of the arch.Verlet, 214. The present brocade on the walls of the alcove and for the bed has been rewoven as part of the initiative of the Fifth Republic to restore

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

. The original alcove and bed hangings were restored in 1736; and, in 1785,

ordered the brocade burned from which he obtained over 60 kilograms of gold. The present hanging, while accurate for the period, are not a reproduction of the brocaded that originally hung in the chambre de

. Owing to lack of archival information when the project was undertaken, it was decided to use the pattern for hangings of the ''tenture d'hiver'' for the queen's bedroom. Only after the project was underway were the original designs found; as the part of the project had been completed, it was decided to use the queen's ''tenture d'hiver''.

''Cabinet du conseil''

The ''cabinet de conseil'' came into being as a council chamber upon the construction of the Salon of War, which occupied site of the Salon de Jupiter, Louis's previous council chamber. Initially called ''cabinet du roi'' from 1684, with the remodeling of the apartment that occurred in 1701, this room received a new decor that featured walls paneled with mirrors. With the redecoration, the room was rechristened ''cabinet des glaces''. In spite of the luxury of mirrors, this room was furnished in a utilitarian manner. In addition to the velvet covered council table, there were three armchairs and 12 folding stools and a daybed, which

used in 1686 as a necessity while suffering from an

anal fistula Anal fistula is a chronic abnormal communication between the epithelialised surface of the anal canal and usually the perianal skin. An anal fistula can be described as a narrow tunnel with its internal opening in the anal canal and its externa ...

and the surgery that removed it.Verlet, 217. Of all the rooms of the ''appartement du roi'', this room perhaps best expressed the personal tastes of

. In addition to the collection of gems, there were works by

Nicolas Poussin Nicolas Poussin (, , ; June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was the leading painter of the classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome. Most of his works were on religious and mythological subjects painted for ...

and

Giovanni Lanfranco Giovanni Lanfranco (26 January 1582 – 30 November 1647) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period. Biography Giovanni Gaspare Lanfranco was born in Parma, the third son of Stefano and Cornelia Lanfranchi, and was placed as a page in the ho ...

on the walls as well as

Harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

with a painted case. The personal nature of this room was offset by the fact that this was the room in which

governed France. Councils were held here, writers who extolled the ''gloire'' of the Sun King were received here, and private audiences most often occurred in this room. The last room of the ''appartement du roi'' was the ''cabinet des termes'' – due to the decor that featured 20 Hermes – also called the ''cabinet des perruques'', as this was the room in which Louis XIV's wigs were stored. In addition to the gilt Hermes that decorated the wall, the doors were covered with mirrors. The room served as a changing room for the king, where he would change his shirt, wig, and hat as many as four times a day. In the evening, this room would be where

would gather with his children, other members of his family, and selected courtiers. The ''cabinet des glaces'' and the ''cabinet des perruques'' disappeared in 1755 when

ordered the enlargement and redecoration of the council chamber. This is the room that is seen today. In 1748, in order to accommodate the newly constructed ''cabinet du roi'' on the 3rd floor,

had the ceiling of the cabinet de glaces lowered by about a meter. The new dimension to the room necessitated a complete redecoration of the room. The following year, a new fireplace was installed and the one dating from the time of

and was sent to

Compiègne Compiègne (; pcd, Compiène) is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. It is located on the river Oise. Its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois''. Administration Compiègne is the seat of two cantons: * Compiègne-1 (with ...

. In 1755, during the installation of a terrace in the ''cour des cerfs'',

decided to enlarge the council room by incorporating the cabinet des perruques. This larger room was designed by

Ange-Jacques Gabriel Ange-Jacques Gabriel (23 October 1698 – 4 January 1782) was the principal architect of King Louis XV of France. His major works included the Place de la Concorde, the École Militaire, and the Petit Trianon and opera theater at the Palace of V ...

with the paneling sculpted by Jules-Antoine Rousseau. The panels were sculpted with symbols appropriate to governance: trophies of peace and war, attributes of the army, navy, justice, and the insignia of the monarchy.Verlet, 316.

Notes

Sources

* Baillie, Hugh Murray (1967). "Etiquette and the Planning of State Apartements in Baroque Palaces." ''Archeologia'' CI, 169–199. * Félibien, Jean-François (1703). ''Description sommaire de Versailles ancienne et nouvelle''. Paris: A. Chrétien. * Kimball, Fiske (1946). "Unknown Versailles: The appartement du Roi, 1678-1701." ''Gazette des Beaux-Arts'' 6 pér., vol. 29, 85-112. * Meyer, Daniel (1989). "L'ameublement de la chambre de Louis XIV à Versailles de 1701 à nos jours." ''Gazette des Beaux-Arts'' 6 pér., vol. 113 February, 79-104. * Piganiol de la Force, Jean-Aymar (1701). ''Nouvelle description des châteaux et parcs de Versailles et Marly''. Paris: Chez Florentin de la lune. * Saule, Béatrix; Meyer, Daniel (2000). ''Versailles Visitor's Guide''. Versailles: Éditions Art-Lys. . * Verlet, Pierre (1985). ''Le château de Versailles''. Paris: Librairie Arthème Fayard.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Appartement Du Roi, Palace of Versailles Palace of Versailles Art museums and galleries in France World Heritage Sites in France