LOUIS XIV
During the reign of Louis XIV France was the premier power in Europe. He was the first King since François I to launch major building projects which are now landmarks.
Louis realised his ambition to have France recognised as achieving supremacy in the arts, directly influencing the decoration of his residences. It also became a fashionable pastime among the aristocracy and businessmen who could afford it. His chateau at Versailles was a permanent exhibition of the products of the French luxury industry. It was a showroom of the latest fashion in décor, the model for the rest of Europe.
There are two bed chambers associated with Louis XIV—at Chambord and Versailles.
VERSAILLES
Louis XIV was in his mid twenties when he organised the first major works at Versailles. Largely it involved the gardens where he staged an eight day party known as “The Pleasures of the Enchanted Island”. He added balconies and gilding to his father’s chateau and paved the courtyard with marble taken from Vaux-le-Vicomte.
Five years later he started the second building campaign which involved building a large “envelope” of stone around the original chateau on the garden side. There was a seven room apartment for the King on the northern side of the first floor and the Queen’s apartment was the same size on the southern side. There were new internal courtyards on both sides. Between the King’s apartment and Queen’s apartment, a large central salon was created (in Louis XIII’s original brick chateau) with windows overlooking the marble courtyard.
Between the two apartments on the garden side was a large terrace.
Normally in a royal residence the king’s apartment had two bedrooms — one a “Chambre de Parade” which was open to the public and the other was a private space.* Over the years at Versailles Louis XIV occupied several bedrooms, including moving into his mother’s bedroom on the ground floor after she died. It was in 1701 when Louis was in his early sixties that he set up permanently in the single bed chamber which can be viewed today.
Louis XIV moved his bedroom a number of times. With the new “envelope” he set up the “chambre de parade” (where he had his official “Lever” and “Coucher” – getting up and going to bed ceremonies) in the Apollo salon. The bedroom he actually slept in was a smaller room with its windows looking onto the terrace. When this became part of the entry to the Hall of Mirrors, he moved the ceremonial bedroom to the Mercury salon –
The bed displayed in the Mercury salon at Versailles was ordered by Louis Philippe in the 19 th century when he turned Versailles into a national museum. When Louis XIV died at Versailles in 1715, his body lay in state in this room for over a week. The paintings either side of the bed are original and were placed either side of his bed as part of the winter décor in his final bedchamber (which now displays the summer fabric). Originally this salon had a solid silver balustrade.
Louis XIV moved his private bedroom to part of what is now the “Oeil de Boeuf” salon.
In 1701 when Louis XIV was in his early sixties he decided to set up a single bedroom where
he could have the ceremonies each day and sleep in the same bed without having to move
backward and forward. That is the King’s bedroom as we see it today at Versailles –
Louis’ “lit à la française” bed at Versailles was like a monumental altar. It was the centre of the “lever” and “coucher” – the daily ceremonies of getting out of bed in the morning and going to bed in the evening. The rich fabric was woven with real gold which was melted down during the French Revolution (like most others for their precious metal). It has been recreated at Versailles, once again using real gold. It is now thought that this design was actually the winter fabric from the Queen’s apartment.
This remained the official bed chamber of the French Kings right up until the French Revolution. Louis XIV’s successors -his great grandson Louis XV and his great great great grandson Louis XVI – continued to use this bedroom for official ceremonies such as the “lever” and “coucher” but actually slept in a private bedroom close by.
*It should be noted that this was not the place he slept with women. He would visit the queen or mistresses in their bedroom.
CHAMBORD
Louis XIV made his first visit to Chambord at the age of twelve. Over the next 35 years he made a total of eight more trips there, mainly in autumn, to hunt and entertain the court.
Initially he stayed in the old section. In 1680 he assigned his architect Jules-Hardouin Mansart* to create a new official royal apartment and to finish the work started by François I.
After Louis XIV established the court at Versailles, he travelled much less, making his last trip to Chambord in 1685.
*Mansart is responsible for many landmark architectural works including the Hall of Mirrors, Chapel and Grand Trianon at Versailles and the Place Vendôme and Place des Victoires in Paris.