Versailles: A Private Invitation

Description

The largest chateau in the world holds a thousand and one secrets, even from those who know it intimately. Versailles has been described in detail since the reign of Louis XIV, but numerous apartments in the palace and its outbuildings are inaccessible to visitors due to their fragility or state of preservation. This new edition includes previously-unseen material on the newly restored Cabinet de la Meridienne, the Salon d'Aurore, and new, up-close and in-situ details of objects that are not part of the general public circuit. Also included are historical memoirs and letters that provide fascinating insight into life at the palace. From the most renowned rooms to the gardens, passing through the Trianon or the Queen's hamlet, Versailles contains many extraordinary details, transformed by light and shadow. Whether it's Marie Antoinette's private apartments, the wings of the Queen's theater, or even the Orangerie on a beautiful winter day, these singular photographs bring to life a magnificent theater of unrivaled splendor that continues to capture the hearts of visitors and aficionados of France from around the world.

Guillaume Picon, a historian and specialist on the kings of France, has edited a dictionary and published a book on the subject. Francis Hammond's photographs have been published in A Day with Claude Monet in Giverny, Private Houses of France, and Historic Houses of Paris.

"Hammond was given complete freedom to walk the halls and grounds of Versailles sans crowds, capturing not only the grand rooms of the palace, like Marie Antoinette's boudoir and the Salon d'Aurore, but also intimate detail shots of architectural ornamentation and objects throughout the palace-some of which are not on view to the public. Picon's text, in conjunction with these photographs, gives insight into both the French royal family and French history as a whole, making it a perfect book for any Francophile. Preview some of the gorgeous photography from the book below, then work on planning your next trip to Versailles. As Laurent Salome, director of the National Museum of the Versailles and Trianon Palaces, writes in the preface, 'A splendid book like this one makes it possible to relive, or imagine, the fleeting emotions that come one after another during a visit here.' " -ArchitecturalDigest.com