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The King’s Animals exhibition at the Château de Versailles until 13th February 2022

As the Château of Versailles is surrounded by a huge forest, it’s no surprise that the inhabitants saw animals on a daily basis. However, they also kept animals for livestock and as pets, making for a rather interesting mix of deer, cows and miniature monkeys.

This new exhibition takes a look at all the different sorts of animals there were at Versailles, and the surprising roles they played in the life of the chateau, and that of the king…

Nothing was too luxurious for the Sun King – lavish hunting sessions, the most beautiful pets and even a roayl menagerie in the château grounds.

His collection of animals was something he was proud of, and a way of showing his might, as if domesticating or enclosing these specimens showed and reinforced his power.

In order to convey this image of dominating nature, these animals were often depicted in paintings, as were scenes of hunts, and many of both can be seen in the exhibition.

You’ll also be able to admire thirty-seven animals sculpted in lead (there were originally 300) that used to adorn the bosquet du Labyrinthe, a vast maze that no longer exists but that we know of from drawings and plans. More proof that animals were ostentatiously presented to demonstrate one’s wealth and influence.

Exposition Les animaux du roi au Château de Versailles jusqu'au 13 février 2022
© château de Versailles

The exhibition also examines the pets of Versailles, a recurrent ‘accessory’ that no decent monarch could be without. Everyone in the Sun King’s entourage had a pet – a dog, a cat, exotic birds or even monkeys (and let’s not forget that the château also had over 2,000 horses!)

Several portraits in the exhibition show the inhabitants of the châteaux with their favourite pet…

Exposition Les animaux du roi au Château de Versailles jusqu'au 13 février 2022
© château de Versailles

The exhibition is not all paintings though. You’ll also see objects in the form of animals, some of which are very out of the ordinary, such as a candelabra with felines accoutrements, a bobsleigh in the form of a leopard and a little box in the form of a small dog lying on a side table!

One high point of the exhibition is the return of the Chevaux du Soleil, three huge marble sculptures dating from 1667. These were moved to near a fountain in 1781 and deteriorated over time. Now, they have been restored, and two are on show for the first time in a long time in their original location, near the lower vestibule of the royal chapel.

Exposition Les animaux du roi au Château de Versailles jusqu'au 13 février 2022
photo : Plyd, sous licence Creative Commons CC0 – don universel au domaine public

To dig deeper into the subject, guided visits are on offer, there’s a free audioguide in English (available on site or in the Château de Versailles app), workshops for kids, a podcast for French speakers called ‘à la Ménagerie du Roi’…

A catalogue of the exhibition is also available (464 pages, 385 illustrations, 49€ here at amazon.fr).

Catalogue de l'exposition Les Animaux du Roi chez amazon.fr

The exhibition Les animaux du roi is at the Château de Versailles (here) until 13th February 2022

Open every day except Mondays from 9am-5.30pm

Admission: 18€ / 13€ (included with entrance to the chateau)

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