'Les Animaux du Roi' at Versailles
October 12 2021
Video: Château de Versailles
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Palace of Versailles have opened their latest exhibition today entitled Les Animaux du Roi.
According to the website's blurb:
The exhibition aims to illustrate the bond between the Court of Versailles and animals, whether “companion animals” (dogs, cats and birds, mainly), exotic beasts or “wild” creatures. No study of the Palace during the reign of Louis XIV would be complete without considering the Royal Menagerie, which the Sun King had installed close to the Grand Canal. It was home to the rarest and most exotic animals – from coatis to quaggas, cassowaries to black-crowned cranes (nicknamed the “royal bird”) – constituting an extraordinary collection in which the king took ever greater pride.
The exhibition, which seems to feature a great deal of old master paintings, will run until 13th February 2022.
