Dining Room aka. "After the Hunt"

Until 1750 this used to be a bathroom but Louis XV had it remade into a dining room - the bare ceiling might be a remainder of the bathroom. Once or twice a week the King would dine with the nobles whom he had been out hunting with; Louis XV was a passionate hunter and often used this activity to escape the court etiquette he dreaded so much. An invitation to such a dinner party was a great privilege and courtiers would consider themselves more than lucky if they received one. The special thing about the dinners in this room was that the food itself came out of the King's private kitchens on the third floor and were then placed in the adjoining Buffet Room. 

The walls are dominated by golden engravings and the windows are hung with scarlet velvet curtains trimmed with gold. The same scarlet colour has been used to line the chairs. The fireplace is made of marble. Opposite of the windows are one of the most - if not the most - remarkable pieces in the room: the barometer  The large piece of marble on which it is placed has been marked with two intertwined L's. The barometer itself was made by Lemaire in 1772 and is adorned with the King's royal orb with three fleurs-de-lis flanked by two cherubs.

A closer look at the barometer