Versailles on Paper

From the beginning of his personal reign in 1661 to his death in 1715, Louis XIV of France lavished special attention and resources on his beloved Versailles. Under the king’s close supervision, an army of artists, engineers, and workers ceaselessly enlarged the palace, remodeled its interiors, and embellished its gardens. At the same time, the best engravers of the age were employed to produce a lasting visual record of these transformations and to project the glorious image of the “Sun King” and his court around the globe.

This exhibition documents the contemporary representation of Versailles through a multifaceted array of prints, books, maps, medals, and manuscripts. It highlights in particular those elements that today survive only on paper: ephemeral festivals; short-lived creatures (courtiers, animals, flowers); fragile groves and fountains too costly to maintain; and once celebrated masterpieces of art and architecture that were irrevocably destroyed or altered. The “paper Versailles” is quite different from the one that millions of tourists visit every year and affords many unusual and surprising glimpses into a largely lost world.

All the books and prints on display were created in the 17th and 18th centuries. With only a few exceptions, they were selected from the holdings of Firestone and Marquand Libraries, acquired over the past 140 years. A large number of these items came as gifts; therefore, this exhibition also honors the curators, alumni, and friends of the Princeton University Library who have built its remarkable collections.