An interrupted investigation

Louis XIV, we sometimes forget, lived through some tumultuous times. Prior to the arrival of Madame de Maintenon, the Affair of the Poisons implicated several prominent figures and revealed a few grey areas surrounding the king. While these series of scandals did not reach the fever pitch surrounding Marie-Antoinette’s Affair of the Necklace, which tarnished the queen’s reputation despite her innocence and led to the demise of the royal family a century later, they did cast a shadow over the established power structure. What would have become of the Sun King’s absolute rule had the revelations not been hushed?

David Chanteranne, Editor-in-Chief of Château de Versailles: De l’Ancien Régime à Nos Jours

Contents of Château de Versailles No 34:

Versailles and me: Françoise Chandernagor “Versailles is a magical place”
On the cover: The Affair of the Poisons: La Montespan under suspicion 
Objects: The Persian and Turkish rugs in the collections of Louis XIV
Key figures: The Duke of Vivonne, from General of the Galleys to First Gentleman of the King’s Chamber
Portfolio: Reopening of the Queen’s Apartments: spotlight on the artistic professions 
Ancien Régime: The mouche, 17^th-century artifice of beauty
Tour: The marbles of Versailles: royal policy and the king’s marble workers
Event: Montgolfier, the man who sought to conquer the sky, 19 September 1783
At the Palace: Versailles, a palace to be heard
Heritage: The Versailles museum founded by Fayolle
Feature: The tapestry workshop 
20th century: Georges Pompidou, Élysée Palace, and Versailles

Co-editors: Palace of Versailles and Editions Soteca

Number of pages: 82 pages
Date of publication: late June 2019
Size: 23 x 29.7 cm
Languages available: French