|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Kiernan Joliat | profile | all galleries >> Travel >> Paris 2006 >> Versailles | tree view | thumbnails | slideshow |
 The approach to the palace, thronged with tourists. |
 Souvenir vendors hang out outside the palace to prey on unsuspecting tourists. |
 The palace is currently undergoing a lot of renovation and construction (for a new visitor's entrance). |
 The exterior of the royal chapel and a view of the motto placed on the palace by Napoleon. |
 A close-up of the chapel's exterior. |
 One of the rooms as you enter has a little scale model of the palace and grounds. |
 A close-up of the model. |
 The Hercules Room, named after the painting on the ceiling (which I couldn't get a good shot of, sorry). |
 The interior of the royal chapel, where the King heard mass every day. |
 The chapel's ceiling. |
 Louis XIV, dressed as a Roman soldier. |
 The famous bust of Louis XIV by Bernini. |
 The king never actually slept here - this bed was just for show. |
 A monarchy-celebrating clock that survived the Revolution, via its status as a "scientific instrument." |
 A door into another room - I can't remember where exactly this was but I liked the decoration. |
 Hyacinthe Rigaud's famous portrait of Louis XIV. |
 The Galerie des Glaces (hall of mirrors). The ceiling is a painted resume of the first 21 years of Louis XIV's reign. |
 The window side of the Galerie. |
 And the mirror side of the Galerie. At the time it was built, glass mirrors were an incredible luxury. |
 The queen's bed, in which Marie Antoinette (and others) did actually sleep. |
 The canopy of the queen's bed. |
 The Coronation Room, dedicated to Napoleon even though he never actually lived here. |
 An elaborate carving on the ceiling. |
 And another. |
 A view of the gardens, from a palace window. |
 Looking out towards the Grand Canal. |
 Most of the gardens close to the palace were designed to be viewed from above, like this. |
 A ground view of the elaborate knot gardens. |
| comment | share |