Twelve guardsmen would be placed in this room at all time to protect the Queen - one of these guards warned the Queen's maids on October 6 1789 and in this way probably saved Marie Antoinette from falling into the hands of the angry revolutionaries. It is the landing of the Queen's Staircase also known as the Marble Staircase. This is the only part of the Queen's enfilade that is still the same as it was in the 17th century - the Queen never used it personally so it has not undergone the same transformations as the other rooms belonging to the Queen. The paintings of this room once hang in the Jupiter Room which was later transformed to the War Room in 1680. The largest painting in the room depicts Jupiter being carried in a chariot drawn by two eagles - the painting stands out in its octagonal shape.
The room's walls are completely covered in different shades of marble: black, red and grey marble. It is probably due to this that the Queen's Staircase derived its nickname.
Each of the arches are adorned with a painting - they represent four divine virtues, all illustrated through pictures of the Antiquity.
Hello. Love the website and I plan on spending a significant time here reading all of the posts. Some of the pictures for the Queen's Guards' room are not displaying. I was not sure if you were aware.
ReplyDeleteI've been to Versailles twice. Once for a single day's visit and then in 2016 the family and I spent 3 weeks living in a STR while spending a 5 or 6 days at Versailles and all of the other areas of the property. It was a great time and I appreciate you sharing some of the details that are not always on display.
Keep up the great work, it's appreciated.