FUN AT - Château de Versailles

Game
booklet
FUN AT
Grand
Trianon
the
from Louis XIV to Charles de Gaulle
Louis XIV
the King builds a holiday home
This engraving represents the
Porcelain Trianon, which was called that
because of its blue and white facing tiles,
in a Chinese style. It became too small and
was pulled down to make room for the Grand
Trianon, where the King invited his friends
and the lovely ladies of the Court.
Before the 18th century, the Grand
Trianon had a different name what was it? Look at the building
to help you.
Far from the pomp of the Court
A Palace designed for pleasure and relaxation, this was the most
private of Louis XIV’s palaces.
The name Trianon comes from the village that the King had razed to
build a little palace, the “Porcelain Trianon”. It was here that he carried
on his affair with Madame de Montespan, then he had it destroyed
and replaced it with the current building, built in the Italianate style by
architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart in 1687. With its elegant peristyle
(columned gallery), its intimate salons and its scented flower gardens,
it is a bit like the King’s country home, far from the pomp of Versailles.
This where he could get away from all the “Etiquette”, the system of
rules governing the behaviour of the King and his courtesans.
This palace was to remain a place for rest and relaxation throughout
its history. Deserted after King Louis-Philippe, it was returned to its
original splendour under General de Gaulle, who transformed it into
a Presidential residence to welcome foreign Heads of State.
– 2 –
The Wooden Trianon
The Marble Trianon
The Stone Trianon
Louis XIV successively occupied several
apartments at the Trianon, first in the left
wing, to the south, with a view over the
Grand Canal (where he never stayed), then
in the left wing, to the north, which he later
preferred because it was cooler.
This painting by Jean Cotelle, View
of the Trianon Parterres with Flora and
Zephyr, illustrates an episode of mythology
taken from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Take a
close look – the Trianon is part of the scene,
as is the case in most of the paintings that
you can admire in the Cotelle Gallery.
Who do you think Zephyr was?
Louis XIV’s nickname
The god of the west wind
in Greek mythology
The Roman god of love
– 3 –
Louis XV
the Marble Trianon becomes the Grand Trianon
Louis XV rarely came here. In August 1741, he gave the
Trianon to his wife, Marie Leszczynska, to get her away
from the Court. Louis XV nonetheless took advantage
of the palace to live with Madame de Pompadour,
whom he met in 1745. He was the one who undertook
the construction of the Petit Trianon in 1750. Thus, the
Marble Trianon became the Grand Trianon.
Do you know who
Louis XV was in
relation to Louis XIV?
His son
His brother
His great-grandson
Napoléon
made a home for his second wife, Marie Louise
After the French Revolution, when all the furniture was sold, the Grand Trianon
found a new owner: Napoleon. The Emperor first wanted a home for his mother,
Laetizia Ramolino, who didn’t want it, before preparing the site for his new wife,
Marie-Louise, starting in 1810. The Emperor set up his private apartments in the
former apartments of Madame de Pompadour and Louis XV. He probably only slept
here about fifteen times.
In this Salon of Mirrors, which Louis
XIV used as his Council Room, the decoration
dates from the Sun King but most of the
furniture, sold during the French Revolution,
was made for the Emperor. Under the
Empire, the women came here to write their
correspondence and to play parlour games.
In this portrait, Madame de Pompadour
is looking straight into the viewer’s eyes.
Beautiful, intelligent, cultivated and interested in
politics, she was no doubt the woman who had
the greatest influence on the King.
The daughter of a squire who
was ennobled by Louis XV,
Madame de Pompadour’s real
name was Jeanne Antoinette
Poisson.
Another important woman in Louis XV’s life was
his mother. She is represented here when she was very
young. Born Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy, she was married
to the Duke of Burgundy at the age of 11. She had her
own apartment in the Trianon’s left wing, under the
supervision of Madame de Maintenon. This did not
stop her from having many parties.
Among these 3 motifs, circle the one
that adorns the Duchess of Burgundy’s
dress and symbolises royalty.
A
B
C
– 4 –
What was the little table you can
see here in the middle of the three
chairs used for?
A minibar
A sewing box
A writing table
This lunch table set,
which belonged to Empress
Marie-Louise, was produced
by the Manufacture de Sèvres.
Put the letters in the
right order to discover
what these dishes are
made of.
L R O
E A
I
C N P
L R O
E A
I
C N P
– 5 –
Louis Philippe
Charles de Gaulle
moves in with his whole family
In 1835, King Louis-Philippe decided to move into the Grand
Trianon to supervise the work undertaken to transform the
Palace of Versailles into a museum. His private apartment
was set up in the west wing, in Louis XIV’s former kitchens
overlooking the Grand Canal. Queen Marie-Amélie opted for
the left wing, and their daughters moved into the Emperor’s
former apartments. The eldest son, the Duke of Orléans,
occupied the Petit Trianon with his wife.
A
B
C
hosts foreign Heads of State
With General de Gaulle, the Grand
Trianon became a Presidential residence
used to host foreign Heads of State.
The palace was therefore completely
restored and refurnished.
These four chairs include
General de Gaulle’s armchair.
It has armrests and legs ending
in animal feet. Can you find it?
A
Proclaimed “King of the French” rather than King of France,
Louis- Philippe reigned over a country that was changing
drastically under the control of the Parliament. He nonetheless
stayed in power for eighteen years between two revolutions –
that of 1830 and that of 1848.
Find the corresponding silhouette
B
D
Put the six Presidents
who have succeeded
General de Gaulle into
chronological order.
C
Among the many transformations
undertaken by Louis-Philippe at the Trianon
Palace, this former music room became a
game room for his five sons. What could
they play on the table you can see here?
François HOLLANDE
Jacques CHIRAC
Valéry GISCARD D’ESTAING
Parcheesi
Poker
Billiards
– 6 –
The Queen of England, Jimmy Carter,
the Shah of Iran, Ronald Reagan and
many others were welcomed to the
Grand Trianon by General de Gaulle’s
successors.
Georges POMPID
OU
Nicolas SARKOZY
François MITTERRAND
– 7 –
The Grand Trianon’s nickname was the Palace of Flora because of its magnificent flower
gardens designed by the famous André Le Nôtre. He had a brilliant way of playing with
perspectives – seen from the Grand Canal, this palace indeed looks grand!
Louis XIV loved flowers. A
changing collection could be
admired in the parterres –
they were planted in pots so
they could be renewed every
day. Their fragrance produced
such an odour that some ladies
became faint and had to leave
the gardens, even though they
are very large.
Complete the crossword
puzzle with the names of
flowers that Louis XIV
imported from around
Europe They were rare
at the time.
A
N
I
HYACINTH
TULIP
DAFFODIL
ANEMONE
CYCLAMEN
IRIS
T
S
SOLUTIONS: page 3: The Marble Trianon. The god of the west wind in Greek mythology - page 4: His great-grandson. Answer
B - page 5: A writing table. Porcelain - page 6: Answer A. Billiards - page 7: Answer C. 1-Georges Pompidou, 2- Valéry Giscard
d’Estaing, 3- François Mitterrand, 4- Jacques Chirac, 5- Nicolas Sarkozy, 6- François Hollande. page 8: Horizontally, from top
to bottom: Cyclamen - Daffodil - Tulip. Vertically from left to right: Hyacinth - Anemone - Iris.
Design and production
Editor: Maïa Bouteillet with Orianne Charpentier. Graphic creation: Olivier Junière. Coordination: Aïcha Djarir.
Page 2: © Château de Versailles - Page 3: © Château de Versailles, Dist. RMN / © Christophe Fouin - © RMN-GP (Château de Versailles) / © Gérard Blot - Page 4: © Château de Versailles, Dist. RMN / © Jean-Marc Manaï - © Christian Jean - Page 5: © Jean-Marc Manaï - © RMN-Grand Palais
(Château de Versailles) / © Gérard Blot - Page 6: © Château de Versailles, Dist. RMN / © Jean-Marc Manaï - © Jean-Marc Manaï - Page 7: © All rights reserved, Centre Historique des Archives nationales - © All rights reserved, Centre Historique des Archives nationales - © RMN-Grand
Palais - (Château de Versailles) / © Gérard Blot - © Château de Versailles, Dist. RMN / © Jean-Marc Manaï - © Christophe Fouin - © Château de Versailles, Dist. RMN / © Jean-Marc Manaï - Page 7: © RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles) / Gérard Blot
the Grand Trianon's flowers