Walking the Talk

For heads of state, politics is often conducted by making speeches and publishing texts. With his flair for communication, Louis XIV did not see leadership merely in terms of holding coordination meetings with his ministers or issuing royal orders and publishing decrees. He also leveraged images, dance and theatre to express his sweeping vision of sovereignty to the world around him. Such displays had a profound impact on the zeitgeist, both in his time and beyond.

David Chanteranne, Editor-in-Chief of Château de Versailles. De l’Ancien régime à nos jours (Palace of Versailles. From the Ancien Régime to the current day)

Contents of the Palace of Versailles issue No. 36 

Versailles and me: “The town and the Palace inspire my cuisine” by Xavier Pincemin
Cover page: Representing the king via dance, theatre and staging
War: Vauban’s “belt of iron” in the Alps
Event: When Louis XV discovered the sea - September 1749
Object: The Queen’s incense burner
Ancien Régime: drawing power and embroidering the glory of the King’s military household Report: the Palace archives
Portrait: Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, Louis XVI’s court painter
Heritage: Peterhof, “Russia’s Versailles”
At the Palace: Marie-Antoinette’s bedroom in the Petit Trianon in 1867: challenges in restoring textiles
Portfolio: Versailles Revival
Tour: Louis-Philippe’s family lounge at the Grand Trianon

Joint publishers: Palace of Versailles and Editions Soteca

Number of pages: 82 pages
Issue: January-February-March 2020
Size: 23 x 29.7 cm
Available in French only.