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MEDIA RELEASE 8 December 2016

THE PALACE OF VERSAILLES UNVEILED AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) has opened the gates to an exclusive exhibition of more than 130 treasures from the Palace of Versailles.

Versailles: Treasures from the Palace brings to life the extraordinary history of one of the world’s most opulent palaces, the centre of French power and taste during the reigns of King Louis XIV, XV and XVI. Featuring paintings, tapestries, sculptures, furniture and objects, this monumental exhibition evokes the sights, sounds and even scents of the French court during the 17th – 18th centuries.

‘I never imagined the exhibition would be so breathtaking,’ said Tina Arena, NGA Ambassador. ‘It truly is a feast for the senses. I am honoured to be a part of it.’

From the massive 3m x 2m Sourches family portrait to the intricate objects and porcelain of Marie-Antoinette, Versailles: Treasures from the Palace showcases many facets of court life during this remarkable period in history.

‘This exhibition features some of the most recognisable and beautiful pieces from the Palace of Versailles,’ said Gerard Vaughan, NGA Director. ‘Not only do we have the 1.5 tonne fountain sculpture of Latona and her children, installed on the orders of Louis XIV, but also treasures from the world famous Hall of Mirrors. Every object tells a story—evoking the lives, loves, taste and ideas of the kings, queens, mistresses and courtiers who lived at Versailles through so many great moments in French history.’

‘These treasures have travelled far to make this ground-breaking exhibition accessible to all Australians and we are very proud to be launching this exhibition with the NGA today,’ said Catherine Pégard, President of the Palace of Versailles.

The exhibition is a sensory journey, with music and a Louis XIV-inspired perfume incorporated into the experience. In a first for the Gallery, master perfumer Francis Kurkdjian has worked with the NGA to create a fragrance that scents the exhibition entrance.

The NGA’s main entrance has also been transformed by celebrity gardener, Paul Bangay, who has created a garden avenue as a homage to Versailles.

‘The NGA has delivered an international coup making it possible for these significant historical works of art to leave France for the first time in one comprehensive exhibition, and I have no doubt people will simply love what they see and feel in this exhibition,’ said Andrew Barr, ACT Chief Minister.

Versailles: Treasures from the Palace opens 9 December until 17 April 2017. Tickets are on sale through Ticketek.

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Children 16 and under have free entry to the exhibition, when accompanied by a ticket-holding adult. The free NGA Play space features another palace of delights for the young at heart, providing magical art experiences, holiday programs and much more.

This exhibition would not be possible without the generous support of our Exhibition Patrons and corporate partners including the ACT Government through VisitCanberra, Australian Government International Exhibitions Insurance Program, Qantas, Accor Hotels, ActewAGL, Moët Hennessey Australia, Canberra Airport, Vogue Living, The Seven Network, The Monthly, The Saturday Paper, WIN Network, ABC Classic FM, The Canberra Times and the Val Morgan Cinema Network.

Many thanks to our Exhibition Patrons including Philip Bacon AM, Kay Brya, Krystyna Campbell-Pretty, The Hon Ashley Dawson-Damer AM, Paula Fox AO, Wayne Kratzmann, Justin Miller, Lady Potter AC, Lyn Williams AM, and Ginny and Leslie Green.

Social media: Facebook: @NationalGalleryofAustralia Instagram: @NationalGalleryAus Twitter: @NatGalleryAus

Download high resolution images: http://nga.gov.au/AboutUs/MediaCentre/Versailles/Default.cfm

MEDIA ENQUIRES: Megan Reeder Hope, Publicist National Gallery of Australia E: megan.reederhope@nga.gov.au M: 0435 103 735

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FACT SHEET

Exhibition/Art:

The exhibition features over 130 objects including paintings, sculptures, tapestries, woodwork, furniture, and

objets d’art from France’s greatest artists and artisans of the 17th and 18th centuries, who created the

radiance of the Palace of Versailles

A collection of treasures from Versailles has never before been seen outside of France.

Key works featured in the exhibition include a portrait of Marie-Antoinette, a gilded Rococo table belonging to

Louis XV’s eldest son, a marble bust of Louis XIV, and the magnificent Carrera marble Latona and her children

fountain sculpture.

The Palace of Versailles

Versailles was the principal royal residence and centre of government from 1682 until 1789.

Louis XIV wanted a palace that would transcend all others. He transformed Louis XIII’s small hunting lodge into

one of the most spectacular architectural achievements of the 17th century.

His intention was to demonstrate the superiority of French taste and craftsmanship in the arts, making it a

model for the rest of Europe.

Louis XIV’s chief architect was Louis Le Vau (1612–1670), who died before his vision was complete.

The palace has 700 rooms, more than 2,000 windows, 1,250 chimneys, and 67 staircases.

The famous Hall of Mirrors has 357 mirrors.

Up to 3,000 aristocrats, courtesans, government ministers, and servants lived there at any given time.

The kings

Louis XIV, or the Sun King, reigned from 1643–1715.

In 1682 he moved the royal court from Paris to Versailles. Louis XIV always felt uncomfortable in Paris, and saw

Versailles as an opportunity to build a palace to his taste, on a grandiose scale, demonstrating his absolute

power. Under his rule, Versailles was transformed from a hunting lodge to an opulent palace.

Louis XIV chose the sun, and the sun-god Apollo, god of Peace and the Arts, as his emblem. The Sun King motif

is stamped all over Versailles, in carvings, paintings and the décor.

Louis XIV was Europe’s longest serving monarch, and established absolute rule in France. He was succeeded by

his great-grandson Louis XV.

Louis XV was the King of France from 1715–1774. He was known for his love of science and during his rule he

enriched the gardens of Versailles, commissioning the Petit Trianon to house his mistress Madame de

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Pompadour. In 1774 Louis XVI gifted the Petit Trianon to his wife Marie-Antoinette as a private and less formal

sanctuary within the grounds of Versailles.

Louis XVI succeeded his grandfather in 1774, inheriting a deteriorating kingdom, rumbling with the first

indications of the French Revolution. His wife Marie-Antoinette is one of the most famous characters in French

history and left her mark on the decoration of the palace and its grounds. Louis XVI and his wife were

guillotined in 1793 during the Terror of the French Revolution.

The garden

Together with music, gardens were the greatest and most intimate passion of Louis XIV. The King never ceased

rearranging and embellishing his gardens

André Le Nôtre (1613 –1700), garden architect of Versailles, began working for Louis XIV in 1661.

Louis XIV was keenly aware that the gardens were another way to showcase the wealth, power and prestige of

France. Visitors to Versailles would have understood that these were the largest and most sophisticated in the

world.

Still, bubbling, and gushing water is at the heart of the gardens. Louis XIV ordered more and more elaborate

and hydraulically complex fountains for the grounds of Versailles to demonstrate his ability to tame nature.

Latona Fountain

The Latona Fountain was commissioned by Louis XIV. He wanted a fountain in the centre of his garden that

told the story of the childhood of the sun-god, Apollo.

The sculpture shows an episode from Ovid’s Metamorphoses: Latona, the mother of Diana and Apollo, flees

across Lycia, driven away by Juno’s jealousy. When she stops by a pond, the locals try to stop her from having

a drink. The villagers were subsequently cursed and turned into frogs. The sculpture was originally positioned

facing the palace and shows the pond full of figures in the process of being changed into frogs.

Like many of the garden’s sculptures, contemporary viewers were meant to read and interpret the stories as

allegories of life at the palace. Latona and her children represented beauty and civilisation, and the frogs those

who disrespected it. Therefore the fountain can be read as an allegory of victory over ignorance and rejection.

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Image sheet

Latona Fountain, Palace of Versailles © Kiev.Victor / Shutterstock.com Latona Fountain, Palace of Versailles © Paolo Airenti / Shutterstock.com

Jean-Baptiste Charpentier, the elder The Duke of Penthièvre and his family c.1768 oil on canvas On loan from the Palace of Versailles Photo © Château de Versailles, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Christophe Fouin

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Jean Varin Bust of Louis XIV 1665–66 marble On loan from the Palace of Versailles Photo © Château de Versailles, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Franck Raux

after Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun Queen Marie-Antoinette 1783 oil on canvas On loan from the Palace of Versailles Photo © Château de Versailles, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Gérard Blot

Manufacture des Gobelins, after Charles Le Brun The audience with Cardinal Chigi, 28 July 1664 1665–80 from the series Life of the King wool, silk and gold thread On loan from the Palace of Versailles Photo © Château de Versailles, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Christophe Fouin

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François‐Hubert Drouais The Sourches family 1756 oil on canvas On loan from the Palace of Versailles Photo © Château de Versailles, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Christophe Fouin

Palace of Versailles © lapas77 / Shutterstock.com

The Hall of Mirrors, Palace of Versailles 1678-84 © Jose Ignacio Soto / Shutterstock.com

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Jean‐Henri Nadermann Marie-Antoinette’s harp 1775 gilded and painted wood, metal, bronze, pearl and glass beads On loan from the Palace of Versailles Photo © RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles)

Gaspard Marsy and Balthazard Marsy Latona and her children 1668–70 marble On loan from the Palace of Versailles © Château de Versailles, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Christophe Fouin

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Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun Yolande‐Martine‐Gabrielle de Polastron, duchesse de Polignac 1782 oil on canvas On loan from the Palace of Versailles © RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles) / Gérard Blot

Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun Antoinette-Elisabeth-Marie d’Aguesseau, Comtesse de Ségur 1785 oil on canvas On loan from the Palace of Versailles © Château de Versailles, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Christophe Fouin

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Pierre Gole, cabinet-maker Bust of Marie‐Thérèse c 1666 gilded bronze, ebony and black wood On loan from the Palace of Versailles © Château de Versailles, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Christophe Fouin

after Rosalba Carriera or Rosa Alba Carriera Louis XV 1720 oil on canvas On loan from the Palace of Versailles © RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles) / Droits réservés

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François Roumier, sculptor Gaspard‐Marc Bardou, gilder Joseph Ducy, cartographer Hunting table with a map of Compiègne 1737 carved and gilded oak, stucco On loan from the Palace of Versailles © RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles) / Gérard Blot

Nicolas-Quinibert Foliot, joiner attributed to Toussaint Foliot, sculptor attributed to Gaspard-Marc Bardou, gilder Armchair for Madame de Pompadour’s residence at Crécy c 1755 carved and gilded walnut, silk National Furniture Depository, Paris © Château de Versailles, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Christophe Fouin

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Jean‐Henri Nadermann Marie-Antoinette’s harp 1775 gilded and painted wood, metal, bronze, pearl and glass beads On loan from the Palace of Versailles © Château de Versailles, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Christophe Fouin

Julien Le Roy Watch 1750–55 gold, enamel, brass On loan from the Palace of Versailles © RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles) / Franck Raux