versailles and Antiquity

versailles and Antiquity
Exhibition from 13 November 2012 to 17 March 2013
versailles was a new rome in sever al ways : in its impressive size,
its ambition to endure through the centuries, and its many
references to the great models of antiquit y. in the 17 th century,
antiquit y was an impassable absolute, with which the most
ambitious monarchs wished to rival : louis xiv created versailles
as the seat of power to revive that ancient greatness.
antiquity is first and foremost a collection of works, material and
artistic evidence, relics of a lost glorious civilisation that all
the powerful rulers of the 17 th century coveted. more than any other
european monarch, louis xiv sought to acquire the most prestigious
ancient pieces or have them copied. versailles was their sanctuary:
statues and busts in the state apartments and gardens, cameos
and medals and small bronzes in the king’s study. the collection
at versailles provides the vision of antiquit y recreated for
the glory of the king.
the exhibition will mark the return to versailles of nearly fift y
ancient pieces where they were originally displayed during the ancien
régime. the interpretation of antiquit y and ancient my thology
will be evoked by approximately two hundred works from major
french and foreign collections: sculptures, paintings, dr awings,
engravings, tapestries, furniture pieces and objets d’art.
through this exhibition, the public will be able to discover how
antiquit y influenced all areas of art, as well as the fascination
for the gods and heroes of my thology and ancient history.
1
versailles,
A NEW rOME
1.
Lower Stone Gallery
Presence of Antiquity
at Versailles
For the first time since the French
Revolution, the most prestigious
ancient sculptures which adorned the
palace and gardens during the Ancien
Régime will return to Versailles.
At the entrance to the exhibition, one
of the most spectacular statues is that
of Isis, which once stood in the rotunda
of the Orangerie.
Also on display in the Lower Gallery,
on high pedestals and alternating with
yew trees, are the eight sculptures
currently known to have stood in
the Salle des Antiques grove. Beyond,
the Muses which were once part
of the scenery of the gardens of Marly
also form a group.
2
The showpieces are grouped together
at the foot of the staircase: the Diana
of Versailles, part of the royal
collections since the 16th century,
the Venus of Arles, given by the city
of Arles to Louis XIV, the Apollo
Lyceus, purchased in 1680, and,
acquired after a hard-fought struggle
from Rome in 1686, the Cincinnatus
and the Germanicus Savelli.
1. Isis
ancient statue, marble
2. Venus of Arles
statue, marble,
late 1st century BC
3. Diana of Versailles
statue, marble
2nd century AD
3
4
room
2
(see map)
THE PALACE OF THE SUN
Louis XIV turned Versailles into a genuine
palace of the Sun, the dwelling place of
Apollo exercising his beneficial influences
on earth. According to a view of the
world inherited from Ancient times,
the harmonious connection between
the seasons, the elements and the planets,
are represented in the décor of the palace
and gardens of Versailles.
In the middle of the room, Latona and her
children, Apollo and Diana, is a group
from the main fountain in the gardens.
It portrays the protection granted
by Jupiter, king of the gods, to Latona
who, according to the myth, implored
Jupiter for help.
5
The four paintings of the seasons adorned
the great room at the royal pavilion
in Marly. In ancient tradition, each season
was symbolised by a mythological
deity: Flora for spring, Ceres for summer,
Bacchus for autumn and Aeolus for
winter. These four paintings are reunited
at Versailles for the first time.
The four finest French painters of the time
were asked to create these paintings:
Antoine Coypel, Louis II de Boullogne,
Charles de La Fosse and Jean Jouvenet.
Summer is in Rouen, Autumn in Dijon
and the last two Seasons, Spring and
Winter, were deposited by the Louvre
at the Promenade Museum of Marly-leRoi-Louveciennes. These four paintings
are reunited at Versailles for the first time.
4. Cincinnatus Savelli
statue, marble
2nd century AD
6
5. Latona
by Gaspard
and Balthasar Marsy,
1668 - 1670,
group sculpted in marble
6. Bacchus and Ariadne,
or Autumn
by Charles de la Fosse,
1699 - 1700,
oil on canvas
7
room
3
Ancient Heroes
and Heroines
The great men of Antiquity served
as models for the monarchs of Versailles.
That is why the figures of Alexander
the Great as well as Trajan, Augustus,
Severus Alexander or Cyrus, the
renowned king of Persia, can be found
in the Palace’s décor.
7. Tomyris, Queen of
the Scythians Massagets,
has the head of Cyrus
plunged into a vase
filled with blood
by Pierre-Paul Rubens, 9. Tapestry: Apollo
1620 - 1625,
on Mount Parnassus
painting, oil on canvas
by Jean Lefebvre
in the style of Pierre
8. Hanging of the Story
Mignard, 1692 - 1701,
of Alexander
high-warp tapestry
after the cartoons
workshop of
by Charles Le Brun
conserved at the Louvre, the Manufacture
des Gobelins, wool,
the entry of Alexander
silk and gold
into Babylon or the
Triumph of Alexander
circa 1670,
Manufacture des
Gobelins, wool, silk,
gold and silver
10. Turquin blue
marble vase
by Valerio Furgone,
circa 1683 - 1684
or 1686 - 1692
The famous women of Antiquity were
not forgotten at Versailles. Numerous
heroines are also represented in
the archivolts of the State Apartment
of the Queen.
At the far end of the room, a monumental
painting by Rubens portrays Tomyris,
Queen of the Scythians, who defeated
Cyrus and had his decapitated head
plunged into a vase filled with blood,
telling him to drink his fill. This
painting was displayed behind the royal
throne in the Apollo Salon at Versailles
as a warning to the king, encouraging
him to moderate his thirst to conquer.
Given that Versailles was a summary
of the ancient world, all of the main
cities were represented there in the works
and décors: Rome, as well as Babylon
and Rhodes, which are evoked by
monumental tapestries.
8
9
4
10
room Mount Parnassus
The theme of Apollo and the muses
on Mount Parnassus is used to evoke
the protection the French monarch
granted to artists and Versailles is its
most beautiful reflection.
The great tapestry of Mount Parnassus,
created after Mignard, shows
an element of the gallery of the Château
de Saint-Cloud, residence of the brother
of Louis XIV. It adorned the antechamber
of the Grand Couvert at Versailles.
The muses were also present in the décor
of the Ambassadors’ staircase, the grand
ceremonial staircase of the Palace
of Versailles.
The great cartoons of the muses
Euterpe and Melpomene were projects
for this décor which was unfortunately
destroyed in the mid-18th century.
According to a preliminary project,
the water parterre in front of the Palace’s
façade was supposed to illustrate
Apollo reigning on Mount Parnassus,
and overseeing world order,
symbolized by a display of allegories.
5
room
Ancient Materials
The influence of Antiquity has not limited
itself to the subjects of the works and
décors; it has extended to the materials
used, such as marble, bronze, alabaster,
porphyry, making Versailles a new Rome.
The porphyry and ancient yellow
marble vases displayed in this room were
part of the décor of the Hall of Mirrors.
The one made of Turquin blue marble
was in the War Room. The watercolours
are in keeping with the coloured marble
wall panels of the Bath apartment,
which was located on the ground floor
of the Palace’s central building.
Coloured marble was also used in the
gardens, as illustrated by the Colonnade
grove, represented in gouache by Cotelle,
as well as numerous bronze sculptures,
such as the two copies in ancient
style, casted by Keller, from the Orangerie.
MAP
1 - Lower stone
Gallery
Presence of Antiquity
at Versailles
2 - The
Constantine
room
The Palace of the Sun
3 - The Morocco
room
Heroes and Heroines
of Antiquity
9 - The Smalah
Corridor
10 - The Smalah
6 - Small Gallery room
The Grand Project
Sculptures inspired
Ancient-style celebrations
by Antiquity
7 - Third Crimea
room
Gallant Mythology
8 - Fourth
Crimea room
Permanence of Antiquity
in the 18th century
entrance
4 - First Crimea
room
Mount Parnassus
5 - Second
Crimea room
Ancient Materials
10
9
8
7
2
CONTINUED
4
3
5
6
1
1213
Room
11
Room
6
Sculptures Inspired
by Antiquity
Ancient sculpture was a source of constant
inspiration for the artists of Versailles
and Marly. For the gardens of the satellite
residence of Versailles, Louis XIV
ordered the creation of an original
programme around Diana and her
companions: among others, Flamen,
a sculptor, successively created the
groups of Diana and Callisto.
Also for Marly, in order to compose
a group of figures running, Lepautre
copied a famous ancient sculpture
portraying Atalanta and Coustou sculpted
Hippomenes chasing her. Two statues of
Venus Callipyge (Venus of the beautiful
buttocks) were copied, one for
Versailles, the other for Marly, from
one of the most famous ancient models:
they do however have some rather
significant variations; one of them has
a modest veil covering her buttocks.
7
Gallant Mythology
From the end of the 17th century,
Gallant Mythology was particularly
popular at Versailles, as well as
in the décors of the Grand Trianon
and the Château de Meudon, residence
of the Grand Dauphin, son of
Louis XIV. The main deities of Gallant
Mythology are Venus and Cupid.
Psyche and Cupid constitute the theme
of the great tapestry created after
Jules Romain, which adorned
the Salon des Nobles of the Queen’s
State Apartment in the 18th century.
The preliminary model for the décor
of the vault in the Hercules Salon depicts
an amorous aspect of the myth:
after his death, Hercules was welcomed
on Mount Olympus by Jupiter,
who presented him with his future wife,
the beautiful Hebe, goddess of youth.
13
Room
8
Permanence of
Antiquity in
the 18th century
15
Giving into a new fashion, the main figures
of the court had their portraits painted
dressed up as mythological figures:
Nattier depicted Madame de Pompadour,
Louis XV’s mistress, as Diana the Huntress
holding a bow, as well as the king’s
daughters, depicted as Diana or Flora.
With their medallions portraying
the muses, the monumental woodwork
illustrates the revival of ancient forms
and themes in the last third of the
18th century. That rediscovered fondness
of the nobility of ancient forms is also
magnificently illustrated by the five
pairs of gilded bronze andirons placed
in the fireplaces.
11. Callisto
by Anselme Flamen,
1696,
group, marble
14
12. Atalanta
by Pierre Lepautre,
1703-1704,
statue, marble
14. The Cabinet
of the Muses (Calliope)
attributed to the studio
of Jules Hugues Rousseau
and his brother
Jean Siméon Rousseau,
circa 1785,
carved and painted wood
13. Iris and Morpheus
René Antoine Houasse,
1688-1689,
painting, oil on canvas
15. Mme de Pompadour
as Diana
Jean-Marc Nattier,
oil on canvas
Room
9
17
The Grand Project
At Versailles, the penchant for antiquity
was such that Louis XVI considered
almost entirely rebuilding the palace
he had inherited from his predecessors.
The projects presented show that the new
Versailles was to surpass the colossal
size of the monuments of ancient Rome.
That dream was compromised by the
financial crisis which would overcome
the monarchy.
16
Room
16
10
Ancient Style
Celebrations
The impressive ancient-style colonnade
presented on the table is in reality
a centrepiece used to adorn a banquet
table. This extraordinary object
was used for the wedding feast of the
future Louis XVI to Archduchess
Marie-Antoinette, on 17 May 1770.
Many of the 1770 wedding festivities
took place at the Royal Opera of
the Palace of Versailles, which had
recently been built.
One of the stage scenery projects
for this performance venue, enlarged
for the exhibition, shows an ancient
triumphal arch and rostral column.
In this way, Antiquity was present even
on stage, for the enjoyment of
the monarchs and court of Versailles.
16. Barometer
of Louis XV or Great
Barometer of Louis XV
and Louis XVI
Jean-Joseph Lemaire,
sculptor; Mazière,
gilder; and Toré, optician,
1772 - 1776,
carved and gilded oak,
ebony-plated walnut
17. Centrepiece from the
wedding of the Dauphin
Anonymous, attributed
to the Beurdeley House,
Royal porcelain factory
of Sevres,
1769 - 1770, soft paste,
entablature made of
porcelain bisque, gilded
bronze, mirror, marble
from the 19th century
Useful information:
The exhibition runs from 13 November 2012
to 17 March 2013
Daily, except Mondays, 9 am – 5:30 pm
(last admission at 5 pm)
The exhibition is open to visitors with Passeport
or Palace tickets
Free for European Union residents under
the age of 26.
Exhibition Catalogue
Co-published with Artlys
Available at the museum shops
and www.boutique-chateauversailles.fr
Social Networks
Château de Versailles
@CVersailles
Château de Versailles
chateauversailles
Game Booklet
For children ages 6-12
Available at information points.
Le Jeu des 7 erreurs
Dans ce tableau de René-Antoine Houasse, intitulé Minerve enseigne l’art de
la sculpture aux Rhodiens, sept petites erreurs se sont glissées.
Ouvre l’œil et repère-les !
336 pages,
250 illustrations
€ 50
Available in bookstores
as of 28 November
Game booklet is free
The exhibition is organised by the Public Establishment
of the Palace, Museum and National Estate of Versailles.
With the exceptional contribution of the Louvre Museum.
In media partnership with
LE MAGAZINE
The Public Establishment of the Palace,
Museum and National Estate of Versailles
RP 834 – 78 008 Versailles cedex
Information and reservations at +33 (0)1 30 83 78 00
www.chateauversailles.fr
Opening Times
Graphic Design
Credits
The Palace is open daily,
except Mondays and
certain public holidays,
or during official
ceremonies:
Information
and Communication
Department,
Palace of Versailles
Graphic design:
Des Signes, Paris.
© JM. Manaï
© Christian Milet
© RMN - Grand Palais
(Musée du Louvre)
René-Gabriel Ojéda
© RMN - Grand Palais
(Musée du Louvre)
Gérard Blot
© RMN - Grand Palais
(Château de Versailles)
Gérard Blot
© RMN - (Musée du
Louvre)
Les frères Chuzeville
© RMN- Grand Palais
(Musée du Louvre)
Hervé Lewandowski
© Musée des Beaux-Arts
de Dijon.
Photo François Jay
© RMN-Grand Palais
(Château de Versailles)
Christian Jean
Jean Schormans
© RMN-Grand Palais
(Château de
Fontainebleau)
Gérard Blot
© RMN-Grand Palais
(Musée du Louvre)
Jean Schormans
high season
9 am – 6:30 pm,
Last admission: 6 pm.
low season
9 am – 5:30 pm,
Last admission: 5 pm.
The Palace of Versailles presents
VERSAILLES &
Antiquity
Exhibition From 13 November 2012
to 17 March 2013
Open daily, except Mondays, 9 am – 5:30 pm, last admission at 5 pm
Information and reservations on +33 (0)1 30 83 78 00
www.chateauversailles.fr