Coronation Hall

Originally this served as the château's third chapel but it was changed in 1682 in a guards' room for both the King and Queen. The name has nothing to do with the Bourbon-monarchs but is derived from the incredibly large painting of the coronation of Napoleon which takes up an entire wall. Every year on Holy Thursday the King would wash, then kiss the feet of 13 impoverished children. Also, it was in this very room that Louis XV held a lit de justice on 13 April 1771 during which he announced the dissolution of the parliaments.
The ceiling is remarkably raised and has been gilded - all on the order of Louis-Philippe.

The ceiling

This is the notorious painting of Napoleon and Josephine's coronation

Toilet - or Cabinet de la Chaise à l'Anglaise de la Reine

Even royalty had to go and at the court of France this place was referred to as a Chaise à l'Anglaise or English Chair! Marie Antoinette's toilet is sensibly stripped of any extravagant décor (except for the white woodwork) and is dominated by the large wooden toilet. I wonder whether it was made so wide to make room for her dress?

Toilet Cabinet - former Cabinet of the Duchesse de Bourgogne

This is one of the many private rooms that are hidden behind the great galleries and salons. Previously this was the Cabinet of the Duchesse de Bourgogne but it was later transformed into the Queen's toilet cabinet. There are no furniture in this small room - except for yet another marble fireplace. Otherwise the décor is very simple and almost resembles the style at Petit Trianon with its completely white woodwork and simplicity.

Louis XVI's Games Room

This room was once a place filled with mysteries and technological wonders. When Louis XIV reigned at Versailles this was his Cabinet des Curiosités but every trace of what once was is now long gone. Louis XVI used it instead as his Games Room which is what the room has been restored to resemble. During his reign this would be a place to gather after a meal for a cup of coffee for the close friends and family - the King himself would often play backgammon in this very room. Riesener provided the four corner cub-boards in 1775 and the beautiful chairs are the work of Boulard in 1785.
The small paintings on the walls were actually chosen by Louis XVI himself and all depicts military victories of his grand-father, Louis XV. Previously this room also served as Madame Adélaïde's antechamber. The fireplace (cut from marble) is not the original but has been created to resemble the original the most.

The beautiful gold/red curtains perfectly match the chairs

Subtle Colours

Rip Torn wears this in "Marie Antoinette" (2006) as Louis XV when the King meets Marie Antoinette for the first time. The colours are very subtle in this set but still extravagantly decorated. The outer coat is a dark grey velvet which has been embroidered with gemstones in bright colours to stand out and sparkle. To finish it off the coat has been trimmed with brown/grey fur. The waist-coat and the trousers have both been made in the same blue/grey velvet which can seem greenish in a different light. The always-present lace is peeping out at the hands and the neck.
I love that even in the forest the King wears signs of royalty: the sky-blue sash and the diamond encrusted brooch.

A Watch Worthy of the Sun

     

This pocket watch was made between 1645-1648 in France. The Sun King is depicted on horseback on the lit and it is possible that it was made for Louis XIV himself. It is made of enameled gold with a hand of steel. Besides the King there are also two miniatures depicting the arms of Navarre and France as well as those of the Order of Saint Michael and the Holy Spirit.

An Unlikely Meeting

One of the rumours that anti-Austrian courtiers spread about Marie Antoinette shortly after her arrival at Versailles was one that targeted her honour and her dignity. Rumour had it that the young Dauphine had had a brief liaison with the Prince Louis de Rohan when he was posted as an ambassador in Vienna.
Luckily this is one of these rumours that we can easily debunk with just two simple factors: first of all Marie Antoinette was raised as an Archduchess which meant that there was no chance that the young girl (under 14!) could have an affair with an ambassador. And, the Prince arrived in 1772 - by that time Marie Antoinette had been at the French court for two years!