Most people will know a fair bit about the last French royals: the exuberant wealth, the massive hair, the questionably true confectionary-themed catchphrases. And perhaps the most iconic thing about the late kings and queens of France? The Palace of Versailles.
Versailles: Science and Splendour explores the marvellous scientific research and discoveries that took place at the royals’ fabulous home before all the guillotining took place. Told in chronological order, the exhibit offers up digestible and fascinating bits of information about science, art and design – with treasures of the era to match – spanning the last years of the French monarchy from Louis XIV’s ascension in 1643 to the French Revolution in 1789.
Louis, who liked to call himself the Sun King – because what is more essential to humans than the Sun? – set himself the task of giving Versailles the biggest glow-up it would ever see when he came to the throne. And to do that, he needed technology. We learn about the engineering feats that were needed to create Versailles’ symmetrical gardens (the biggest ever made in the style), and how the royals used hydraulic power to channel more water into their fountains than supplied the whole of Paris.
It does a great job paying homage to under-the-radar figures, especially women
Gems on display include gilded astronomical devices, the earliest models of pregnancy, a stunningly detailed moon map and the Breguet No. 160: one of the most intricate and expensive watches of all time, ordered by Marie Antoinette, the diva that she was (see more on her style at the upcoming V&A exhibition this September). Perhaps the best thing of all is the gleaming ‘Clock of the Creation of the World’, on loan from the Louvre. The roughly three-foot-tall gold and silver timepiece looks like something from a dream, with swirling silver clouds surrounding a clock set inside a celestial golden sun.
This exhibition is accessible, interesting and immersive in a unique and more creative way than simply projecting big images onto a wall. Baroque music is gently pumped out from speakers around the displays. A recreation of the Versailles gardens, featuring sweet sounds of birdsong and pretty shadows of trees cast on the floor, makes for an atmospheric experience. It also does a great job paying homage to under-the-radar figures, especially women, like the pioneering midwife Madame du Courdray, and mathematician Gabrielle Émilie du Châtelet, whose translations of Isaac Newton made his work accessible to many.
Versailles is a satisfying feast of an exhibition, and has a bit of everything for art fans, aesthetes, history buffs and science enthusiasts. It’s definitely worth a visit.
