La « galerie de Louis XIV » au château de Versailles

As part of the development of the Historic Galleries of Versailles, inaugurated in 1837, the stone gallery on the first floor of the South Wing was designed to house a collection of eighty sculptures, both ancient and modern, replicas and originals, illustrating the political, military and institutional history of the last three centuries of the Ancien Régime, with the figure of Louis XIV at the centre.

Parallel to the Galerie des Batailles, this gallery of Louis XIV was designed according to a programme that emphasised, beyond dynastic, political or religious divisions, the construction of France by its elites. Dismantled at the end of the 19th century, the Louis XIV Gallery has recently been restored based on old inventories: after being restored, the works have been returned to the places they occupied during the reign of Louis-Philippe.

This new book by Alexandre Maral is devoted to the history of this gallery, from its creation to its rebirth. The book includes a catalogue of the works.