Wedding Celebrations of Madame Première

Louise-Élisabeth de Bourbon was the first-born daughter of Louis XV and Marie Leszczynska and the only one to get married. Her union to Felipe of Parma was planned in 1739 and celebrated twice: first in January and then in August of that year. 

26 January:  The Wedding Contract Celebrations

The first was held on 26 January and was to celebrate the agreement between the kings of Spain and France. Technically, the marriage was not to be announced before February but rumours travels fast and everybody already knew by this point. Originally, the king had planned no less than three consecutive balls but Cardinal Fleury considered them to be too expensive and had it reduced to one.

The celebration was divided into four parts: a banquet, a dance, a masked ball and illuminations. For the first time a ball was held in the Salon of Hercules; the ceiling had been completed just three years earlier. Along the walls tiers of seats were erected to accommodate the most prominent members of court. The festivities were planned to begin at five o'clock in the afternoon but a scramble for the seats caused a disruption. It even got so bad that the king had to be sent for to settle matters. Finally, at seven o'clock the king went to the queen's chambers where she had been ready for the last two hours.
The king and queen were splendidly dressed. Louis XV wore a blue velvet suit lined with white satin and trimmed with diamond buttons; the Order of the Holy Spirit sparkled from his chest. The queen's gown was of white silk with embroidered flowers in gold thread. A necklace from the Crown Jewels had been brought out for the occasion; the Sancy and the Regent diamond both shone from around her neck. The royal couple were seated in two armchairs before the princesses of the blood and the ambassadors and envoys behind them.

Madame Première

The dance was opened by Louise-Élisabeth and her brother, Louis Ferdinand, as a stand-in for the bridal dance. Fourteen other couples followed suit. The salon was lighted with an immense number of candles; these - combined with the large number of guests - made the room unbearably hot. The windows had to be thrown wide open.

Two hours later - at nine o'clock - refreshments was served in baskets carried around by servants. The king retired to his own apartment where he enjoyed his supper while the queen remained in the salon to pray before she, too, went to dine in his apartment.

At midnight, the masked ball began. The entire grand apartment of the king (including the Hall of Mirrors) were used for the occasion. Every room was greatly illuminated by hundreds of candles; between 250-300 musicians were placed in their stands to provide the subtle background music. Only the Hall of Mirrors were devoid of musicians; instead, benches were placed along the walls for people to rest on. Three salons were dedicated to dancing - including the salons of Hercules and Mars. Marie Leszczynska stayed at the ball until four in the morning and then went to Mass before going to bed. Her royal husband, however, did not arrive until two and then stayed until seven o'clock.

Louis XV appeared to have enjoyed himself immensely at the masked ball. His distaste for being constantly in the spotlight made it an excellent excuse for disguising his identity. Thus, he changed his costume several times (once he was a bat) and amused himself by asking the guards when the king had arrived only to be told that His Majesty had not yet come.

Philippe of Parma - nineteen years old
at the time of the marriage

During the night, a banquet was set up at the end of the Hall of Mirrors as well as in the Salons of Peace and War. Cold meats, pies, confectionary, fruit and pates were spread out on the table and was served with wine, liqueurs and hot drinks. All through the feasting, each table was monitored by an officer in the Maison de la Bouche du Roi.

Finally, every courtyard of the palace was magnificently lit up in an extravaganza of light. Likewise, the chapel, the main staircases and the principal galleries were bright as day.

Exactly what these wedding celebrations cost seems somewhat unclear. One note mentions a payment of 39.533 livres for the celebrations hosted by His Majesty on 26 January while another estimate places the cost at up to 40.337 livres.

26 August: The Proxy Wedding

Exactly seven months after the ball at Versailles the marriage was celebrated in proxy. Louise-Élisabeth was dressed in her wedding gown and taken to the chapel where the Duc d'Orléans acted as proxy for the Duke of Parma. Then, she was taken back to her apartment where she received the customary congratulations by courtiers and ambassadors alike. This lasted the entire afternoon which must have exhausted her - she was just twelve years old after all.

The proxy marriage in the chapel

By six o'clock Louis XV and Marie Leszczynska arrived in the Hall of Mirrors were tables were put in place for gambling. The gamblers need not strain their eyes for once again the palace was splendidly illuminated. The bride sat with her brother, the Dauphin, and her twin sister Henriette at the cavagnole table while their parents indulged in lansquenet. The gambling lasted for three hours until the king rose and gave the signal for his court to follow him outside.

In the gardens a temporary "temple" had been erected facing the Hall of Mirrors. The main part was shaped as an Ionic temple with the crowns of Spain and France firmly fastened above. Virtues of Wisdom and Love were represented as well as the goddess of marriage. Nothing had been spared in the decoration of this temple. Minerva was seated atop of cannons and weaponry while several angelic children spoke a clear message of the intention of the marriage: to produce an heir.

Illuminations in the gardens

Fifteen minutes after the courtiers had assembled in the gardens, the sound of cannons could be heard from the Paris Town Hall and the royal Arsenal. This served as a signal to begin an exhibition of water and fire sprouts from the temple which took the shape of an erupting volcano. This in turn ignited the fireworks that sprung up from the temple and into the dark night sky.


The fireworks were finished and the court returned inside. The royal family made its way to the queen's apartment where they had supper with the princesses of the blood and several privileged ladies. While the royal family ate the rest of the court was treated to an illumination in the gardens. One particularly clever trick had been employed to bathe the temple in red, yellow, blue and green light: very thin horn leaves had been coated in various varnished and then lighted from behind.

Fireworks over a bridge in Paris

The statutes were adorned with garlands of flowers while the flower pots were lighted as well. Like, the previous celebrations the courtyards and staircases were illuminated to a great extent. The cost of the celebrations are estimated to have been between 70.000 pounds and 116.615 pounds.

Several thousand people attended this marriage celebration - both courtiers and commoners from Paris. These would lounge around the gardens or rest on the benches erected for this particular occasion. Some of the Parisians had to remain at the palace until the next day because there were far too few carriages to take them all back to Paris during the night.

Illuminations over the Seine

The Wedding Celebrations of the Comte and Comtesse d'Artois

The wedding of Charles-Philippe, Comte d'Artois and Marie Thérèse of Savoy took place on 16 November 1773 in the chapel of Versailles. Two days earlier Marie Thérèse had arrived in coach from Savoy; she had been greeted by her husband, Louis XV, Louis-Auguste and Marie Antoinette.

At 1 o'clock the bride and groom left their apartments and headed to the chapel where the ceremony took place. The couple knelt in front of the altar as was custom.

Louis XV led the procession that took the newly married couple back to their apartments where the Duc de Richelieu handed the couple the King's gifts. Or rather, the key to the King's gifts. Louis XV had had a chest of jewels prepared for the couple. Afterwards, the new Comtesse d'Artois was presented to her new household and each member swore an oath of loyalty to her.

At 6 o'clock in the afternoon the court moved into the Hall of Mirrors where tables had been placed for the royal family to play games at. So, the King and his family sat for games such as lansquenet. An hour later the party moved into a salon nearby where a dinner-table had been prepared for the wedding feast. The King took his seat at the head of the table and was followed by the rest of the royal family. People were not allowed to sit wherever they might want to; court etiquette demanded that they be seated according to their rank so that the Dauphin would take the place nearest the King.
While the dinner was being served a small orchestra performed several pieces by Francoeur who had created them just for the occasion.

When everyone had eaten their full, the King rose and headed for the couple's apartment for the bedding ceremony. Cardinal la Roche-Aymon stepped in front of the royal entourage and blessed the marriage bed by sprinkling holy water on the sheets. Louis XV handed the Comte d'Artois his chemise, as was custom, while Marie Antoinette gave the Comtesse hers - Marie Antoinette was the highest ranking woman since there was no Queen. Then, all that remained was for the couple to climb into bed and for the curtains to be drawn.

Originally, a display of fireworks had been prepared but the weather was so poor that it had to be postponed.

The wedding ceremony

The following days continued the string of celebrations:

On the 17 November the court went to the opera in the north wing to watch a production of "Ismeror which was scheduled for 18.00.

On 18 November the couple received their congratulations from the ministers and state deputies of foreign countries. The same day saw the corps of Paris in their finest livery paraded in honour of the union; the corps was headed by the Duc de Brissac who later gave the Comte and Comtesse gifts on behalf of Paris.

On 19 November a ball was held in the King's Grand Apartment. It was opened by Louis-Auguste who danced with his other sister-in-law, the Comtesse de Provence (who happened to be the actual sister of the new Comtesse d'Artois!). Marie Antoinette was supposed to have opened the ball with her husband but she had been indisposed and watched from the sideline with Madame Élisabeth. When the Comte and Comtesse d'Artois took to the floor for their first dance it turned out to be a huge disappointment. Unlike Marie Antoinette, Marie Thérèse was a poor dancer and Charles-Philippe was clearly irritated with his wife's clumsiness.

Later that evening the weather was finally clear enough for the fireworks to be fired. No less than a battery with 800 "rounds" as well as a staggering 700 rockets were fired and that was just the beginning of the spectacle. It was followed by an impressing show that had been arranged to show off the best features of the gardens.

The Court Appartements

Louis XIV might have kept his court well-entertained but since there could not be balls and masquerades every week something else was invented in the intervals. The Appartements - so called because they were generally held in the Grand Apartments - were evening gatherings were there would be plenty of refreshments lined up on silver plates. Dancing and the music were also offered as well as card games. The Court Appartements were held during the winter season.

A buffet of an Appartement in 1696. This would have been the Salon de Venus

Usually, the Appartements would be held two-three times every week. These soirées were not dependent on whether the King was there or not; they would go ahead as planned even if he decided not to attend. And for those courtiers who thought it a waste of time to be there when the King was not, they were wrong. In his later years Louis XIV preferred to spent the evenings quietly with Madame de Maintenon but it pleased the King greatly to hear that the Appartements were still well attended.

The gambling sessions

The food served would be served all at once, like a buffet. Everyone could take what they wanted and consequently, the courtiers carried their own knife and spoon with them. The more fashionable would use the newly invented fork (fresh in from Italy) but the King was known to frown upon this new invention. There were desserts as well which mostly consisted of fruits - both fresh and sugared - and another Italian speciality: ices. Sorbets were becoming popular and as it was desirable for the King to show that he, too, could manage to serve ice cold treats (in an age without freezers) were in on it.

There is a lovely series of engravings which gives a hint as to what happened in each room; the series span from 1694-98:

Theatrical performances in the Salon d'Apollon

Drinks would be served in another room and would range from the usual wine and liquor to the exotic coffee and teas. Fruits juices were provided in an array of colours; they would usually be flavoured with herbs, spices and nuts.

Actually, each salon in the Grand Apartment had its own purpose during these entertainments (I also mention this on my post on the Grand Apartment). The Salon de Venus was a buffet room where the delicious dishes were elaborately displayed on large tables. The Salon de Mercure was filled with small tables at which different games were played and often at high stakes while the Salon de Diane was reserved for games at billiard. The Salon de Mars was reserved for ballroom dancing while the Salon d'Apollon was for music and theatricals.

The Court Appartements should not be mistaken for the private Appartement which would be far more limited in numbers and a lot more intimate.

Billiard games in the Salon de Diane

The Pleasures of the Enchanted Island

Louis XIV wanted to mark the court's removal from Paris to Versailles in a manner fitting his prestige. To accomplish this a virtual army of carpenters, artists and actors were brought in from Paris to bring to life what became known as the Pleasures of the Enchanted Island which consisted of a cavalcade of fêtes at Versailles lasting from 7th to 13th May 1664. The King put an immense pressure on both Molière and his troop of actors "Comédiens de Monseigneur le Duc d'Orlèans" - the actors were only brought in a week before they were supposed to perform. And Molière himself was given no extra time to prepare. In fact he was under a brutal deadline and had to abandon his project of having the play "La Princesse d'Elide" performed in prose. The entire festival was orchestrated by Carlo Vigarani who earned the admiration of his all-mighty master.

Publicly, the King dedicated the show of magnificence to his mother, Anne of Austria, and his wife, Marie Theresa - in reality it was in honour of the King's first maîtresse-en-titre Louise de La Vallière.

600 people were invited to watch the 25-year old Sun King roll out his magnificence but there was not enough room indoors (neither was the palace actually finished) so the festivities took place outside. Even the weather seemed to favour the King and during the entire length of festivities the court was bathed in soft sunlight. The days were to illustrate the story of the sorceress Alcine who kept the heroic Roger (played by the King) and his knights prisoners in a dungeon. This was the first time the French court had ever seen the combination of wonderful music and fantasy come together - and they were awed. So much in fact that the display which had originally been designed to last for three days were prolonged to almost an entire week.

The first days saw the King leading an entourage of knights on horseback; the King's horse's harness was studded with gold and gemstones and the King himself wore a bright-red costume. The knights were gentlemen of the court: the Duc de Noailles as Ogier the Dane, the Marquis de Villequier as Richardet, the Comte de Lude as Astolphe - even the Marquis de La Vallière participated! The cortège rode to the spot that know exhibits the Apollo Fountain where the palace of Alcine had been erected for the occasion. That night the entire garden was lit with thousands of candles while the courtiers watched a ballet inspired by the Seasons.
The next night brought on another ballet presented by Louis XIV; the ballet was the brain-child of the combined efforts of Molière and Lully with the title "La Princesse d'Elide". The courtiers were astounded and completely captivated by the many mythological creatures singing alongside shepherds. The third evening brought another splendid display when the carefully constructed palace of Alcine was illuminated by fireworks and just when the courtiers were clapping at the colourful display, an artificial whale emerged on the Grand Canal followed by two whale calves carrying Alcine and her servants.

The days that followed were packed with lotteries, horse-races, games, candle-light dancing and endless amounts of champagne and crystallised fruit. Each night 4.000 candles were lit in the gardens - the King wanted to make sure that his guests did not miss a single detail. The King took his court to see his menagerie of exotic animals as well. The courtiers were certainly well entertained; each night brought on a new spectacle and Molière unfolded his genius with productions of La Fâcheux and Le Mariage Forcé. Mock-battles were played out and masquerades added to the fantastical theme.

It was not until the 12th that festivities came to an unexpected halt when Molière's "Tartuffe" scandalised the devout party surrounding Anne of Austria - the King had been very much entertained by the play but was forced to ban it. Nevertheless, Louis XIV had succeeded in completely dazzling his court and by far out-shining Fouquet who had dared to display a great extravagance and paid the price for it.

When the court returned to Fontainebleau it was awestruck, the age of Versailles had begun.

The Four Seasons being played out

Fireworks

The Chariot of Apollon which was presented on the first night by the knights and Roger

Exotic animals on display - notice how the palace is missing the two wings

The Ball of the Yew Trees

The Ball of the Yew Trees was a great event in two ways. First of all it was the celebration of the marriage between the Dauphin Louis and Maria Thérèse of Spain. Secondly, it was during this ball that Louis XV met a woman who completely swept him away: Jeanne Antoinette Poisson or Madame de Pompadour. They had met previously but this was Jeanne Antoinette's first court ball so all eyes were on her.

The ball was held between the 25.-26. February 1745 in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. It was a magnificent ball made a tat strange by the fact that many of the guests wore masks. The guards had been told to stop people entering to check that they were actually of the nobility by the quick removal of the mask. The common people flooded to Versailles as well because the admittance to the ball was free - the crowds in the courtyards had to make way for the hundreds of elaborately decorated carriages that pulled up beginning at 11 o'clock at night. Some 600 people sat on the floor in and around the Oeil de Bouef waiting for the dances to begin. Others waited in the Salon of Hercules. It is estimated that 15.000 people attended the ball all in all.

Large tables were lined up for the guests' sake; since this event occurred during Lent there was served no meat but fish, fruit pyramids, sweets and of course liqueur.
At one point the great doors were opened and Queen Marie Leszczynska appeared dressed in an amazing white court gown glittering with pearls - it is said that the Queen wore two magnificent diamonds in her hair: the Sancy and the Regent. She was not accompanied by the King but by the Dauphin and new Dauphin both of whom were dressed up as a shepherd and shepherdess. Soon the main event was to take place which has given the ball its name.

Eight men suddenly appeared, all dressed up as yew trees and the King was certainly among them. It was Louis XV himself who had come up with the idea because he enjoyed the opportunity to astonish his courtiers and also eyed an opportunity to mingle incognito. Most ladies of the court turned their attention towards these "wooden" men, all in hope that they might become his next mistress. But their efforts were all in vain because the King had already noticed a lady whom he had seen before though never at court and she was far more interesting to him than the many Duchesses, Comtesses, Marquises etc. At one point one of the yew trees drew away from the crowd and headed towards the young Jeanne Antoinette Poison. It was of course the King and he spent the entire ball with the woman who would become his closest friend and advisor.
The ball ended at half past eight the following morning.

Charles-Nicholas Cochin the Younger

One of the few invitation that actually were sent out

Another work by Charles-Nicholas Cochin the Younger