Danielle Kisluk-Grosheide, Curator of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, Metropolitan Museum of Art

PLEASE NOTE THE DATE FOR THIS LECTURE IS OCTOBER 17TH 2016

To make a reservation please email greenwichdecorativearts@gmail.com.

Under the direction of Louis XIV, Versailles was transformed from a simple hunting lodge into one of the most magnificent courts of Europe. The palace and its gardens attracted visitors from all over the world. Unlike other courts of Europe where access was restricted, Versailles was open to decently dressed people who gathered in hopes of catching a glimpse of the king or other members of his family. French and foreign travelers, royalty, dignitaries and ambassadors, artists, musicians, grand tourists and day-trippers alike flocked to Versailles, and detailed reports on specific events and entertainments were entertainments were recorded in correspondence and personal journals. This lecture will serve as an introduction to the exhibition Visitors to Versailles 1682-1789 which will be held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Spring 2017.  

Mechanical table
Jean Henri Riesener
French, 1781
Oak veneered with bois satiné, amaranth, holly, barberry, and various stained marquetry woods, gilt-bronze mounts
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The Jules Bache Collection, 1949 (49.7.117)

This table was made for Marie Antoinette's Grand Cabinet intérieur at Versailles.
 

Oval tureen and tray
Hard-paste porcelain
French (Sèvres), 1777-84
Most likely presented by Louis XVI to Gustav III in 1784
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Gift of Mrs. Francis Matthiessen, in memory of her husband, F.O. Mattthiessen, 1904 (04.6.3a,b.4)

Snuffbox with a portrait of Louis XVI presented by Louis XVI to Colonel John Laurens in 1781
Box by Joseph Étienne Blerzy; miniature by Louis Marie Sicardi
French (Paris), 1779-80
Gold, enamel, diamonds, ivory, glass
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Bequest of Edward C. Post, 1930 (30.58.3)