1.09.2008

all that glitters is silver



"In everything he loved magnificently lavish abundance," wrote 17th-century chronicler, the Count of Saint-Simon of France's notoriously bling-bling Sun King, Louis XIV.

From man-size silver candelabras to 770-pound silver tables and 930-pound silver mirrors, Louis XIV's chambers at the Versailles Chateau have been redecorated for a spell to serve as a reminder of the extravaganza of silver celebrated across Europe at the time.

Titled "When Versailles Was Furnished in Silver", the exhibition runs through March 9 and brings together 200 massive pieces of silverwork gathered from the collections of European royalty, a third of them from Denmark. The display design and concept is by interior designer Jacques Garcia.



"This is the first exhibition ever in the king's apartment," says Beatrix Saule, Versailles' chief curator. "It will also be the last as there'll never be anything else grand enough to place there. Our aim was to show why European royalty and visitors would rave after seeing Versailles' silver furnishings."



The silver cabinets, stools, chandeliers -- and even an indoor fountain -- are on loan not only from Denmark's Rosenborg Castle but from England's Windsors, the Prince of Hanover's Marienburg castle, the Prussian Prince's Hohenzollern, Chatsworh in Devonshire, the Esterhazy's Forchenstein, as well as from the Kremlin and the Dresden castle.


Silver, some of it from Peru, some mined in Europe, was viewed as the most prestigious metal of those times, said Saule. "Louis XIV wanted his silver to serve his image," she said. The silver pieces of furniture, so heavy they had to be carried by several men, were a sign of his power. They had to be the most beautiful, the most numerous, the most modern.

Over some two decades Louis XIV had his silver metal turned, for the first time, into very massive works of art by the finest silver-workers available, working off designs often penned by official painter Le Brun. The pieces initially travelled with the court, wrapped in leather. But when Louis XIV moved to his just-finished palace at Versailles in 1682, the silver furniture and silver tableware graced his chambers. A one-ton silver balustrade was placed around the royal bed (good night, Irene).




As reports of the opulence of the Versailles court spread across Europe, making it a benchmark of lavish living, the fashion for silver furnishings took off in other European courts, many made in the southern German city of Augsburg, some in solid metal, others plated.

The exhibition, lit by candlelight to evoke the three weekly soirees of 1,000 people hosted by the king through the long winter months, conjures up the magnificence of the court, its wining, dining and its games. But the Sun King's silver period was short-lived. Faced by war against the Augsburg coalition of countries in 1689, and short on cash, Louis XIV coolly decided to melt the furniture down to fund his troops. Estimated as having cost 10 million pounds -- the currency at the time -- to produce, the king hoped to raise six million, but actually received only two million pounds from the molten metal. This never-before-never-again exhibition brings together many of the pieces that were spared Louis' desperate efforts to refinance his troubled monarchy.





:versailles, trekearth

9 comments:

Jen said...

Seeing Versailles for the first time was one of the most romantic and awe-inspiring moments of my youth, as well as sending shudders for how much this opulence cost his people.

This exhibit sounds amazing.

Bayou Contessa said...

Diana, the photos in this post are breathtaking! Of course Louis XIV was out of control, the opulence was amazing, but the artistry remains unparalleled.
Your posts are so educational and well researched. Thank you!
Julie

An Aesthete's Lament said...

The ultimate bling!

Washington Cube said...

I LOVE Saint-Simon. The eyes, tongue and pen on that man. He knew the scene. You just know he'd be blogging today. I knew Danish royalty had some amazing pieces having seen those silver lions before (created by Ferdinand Kublick:)

http://www.vam.ac.uk/
collections/metalwork/galleries/89/index.html

Whenever I see things on this scale, my first thought is...who has to clean that candlelabra or polish that silver. Lots of busy work for cheap labor.

I have a slew of books I'm waiting to read about that period, and I'll be adding the one you cited. Let's see:

The Private Realm of Marie Antoinette--Marie-France Boyer

Versailles by Jean Marie Perouse de Montclos

Walks Through Marie Antoinette's Paris--Diana Reid Haig

View and Plans of the Petit Trianon at Versailles--Pierrre Arizoli Clementel

and I want to go back and see photographer Deborah Turbervilles Unseen Versailles again with her ghostly people walking hidden halls....and it was Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis sweet talking French officials that got her behind the doors to take those photographs (Cube aside.)

blah said...

Dear Diana - did I ever tell you - Your blog has fabulous visuals - I love it! you are a woman after my own heart.

War has costs at many levels, non?

Maryam in Marrakesh said...

gasp, what a first image. swoon.

Sandra Evertson said...

Beautiful post!
Sandra Evertson

Luisa Perkins said...

Versailles is so delicious.

drhaig said...

Diana:muse, this encounter with Versailles is wonderful. Thanks for the exquisite images and thanks to washington cube for including my book Walks through Marie Antoinette's Paris in her comment. I wrote my book over several years, and it was thrilling to visit so many spots beloved by the ill-fated Queen (especially those at Versailles)

Washington cube, FYI, funny that you would mention the Deborah Turberville book - I visited the NY public library recently expressly to see it,
and was not disappointed. it was so haunting,

If anyone has questions about visiting spots in my book, feel free to email me at:
drhaig@earthlink.net