The Palace of Versailles has generously shipped more than 30 paintings, tapestries, items of gilded furniture and personal possessions of three of the most famous monarchs in its history, the Sun King Louis XIV and Queen Marie Antoinette, halfway across the globe. Australia has responded by mounting a once-in-a-lifetime show of the ‘unending performance on the stage set that was Versailles’. Yet, beneath the opulence and brilliance lies a bloody and unforgettable period of history that ended – for many of their owners – in the Place de la Revolution with the guillotine. Among the most gorgeous items are a series of magnificent Gobelin tapestries considered the most important ever produced for the Sun King, as well as Marie Antoinette’s gold gilded harp.
Until April 17th at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia
Queen Marie-Antoinette, After Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, 1779-80, Oil on canvas. Photo Gérard Blot
