Ambitious attempt: CASERTA continue… June 15, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Air Tickets, Aquarium, Art Gallery, Coliseum, Destination, Dolphinarium, Flight Schedule, France, Gymnasium, Hotels, Italy, Library, Museum, Oceanarium, Planetarium, Restaurant, Round The World, USA , add a commentImmediately opposite the Great Staircase to the west stands the chapel, which, at the king’s request, repeats the scheme of its counterpart at Versailles. Although Caserta evokes Versailles in concept and ambition, this is the only part of the palace that directly imitates its French predecessor. As at Versailles, the main theme is stated on the gallery level, where coupled Corinthian columns march in stately procession towards the apse. But despite this common feature, the characteristically French ambulatory has been omitted and the proportions of the whole have been to some extent lowered.
The central peristyle also leads to the royal apartments that occupy the south front and the short wing leading to it. (more…)
Splendour Versailles continue… June 6, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Austria, France, Museum, Paris, USA , add a commentLouis’s vanity, however, was not inexhaustible. Once a year he felt the need to retire to Marly where a much easier regime was in force, and spirited young duchesses were even allowed to bombard him with bread pellets during supper. At Versailles too, he felt the need for greater intimacy. For this purpose he selected a small pavilion on the site of the former village of Trianon, which was enlarged to make the Grand Trianon in 1687. During the summer the king organised little dances and suppers there, to which he invited a few select guests. (more…)
Splendour Versailles June 6, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Italy, Lodges, Paris, USA , add a commentIn size and splendour Versailles has few peers in the history of Western palace building. In fact, the Roman Palatine itself is perhaps the only building complex that can rival the grandeur and historical influence of this palace. And like the Palatine, Versailles has undergone many changes, though fortunately far less actual destruction, even during the French Revolution.
Versailles was the creation of the Sun King, Louis XIV, who reigned for nearly three-quarters of a century from 1643 to 17154 And because practical requirements, new currents of taste and political upsets have led to many changes, a fair degree of imagination is needed to visualise the palace at the height of its glory. And Versailles repays the effort handsomely. (more…)
Hampton Court: A fine combination of the Tudor and English baroque styles continue… May 26, 2008
Posted by dodo in : England , add a commentIf the unspoiled Tudor character of much of Hampton Court is one of its greatest gifts to us, we owe it to the decision of William III to halt the rebuilding of the palace after the death of his Queen, Mary II, in 1694. In celebration of the Glorious Revolution which had brought them to the throne, William and Mary had been rebuilding rapidly since 1689 from the plans of their Surveyor of Works, Sir Christopher Wren, and these plans extended to a reconstruction of the entire palace, preserving only the Great Hall. Sir Christopher would have given us a palace with two great courts on two different axis, at right angles to each other ; and the architecture of that palace would have been varied and delightful, with a domed silhouette and many subtle recollections of Mansart and Le Van. The designs, in Wren’s own hand, exist and one wonders why they were not carried out. A possible answer is that they did not quite sufficiently resemble Versailles. (more…)
Versailles: Europe’s greatest palace, a scene of splendour and despair 2 May 23, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Lodges, Paris, USA , add a commentThe real story of Versailles opens with a windmill on a hill and a hunting party — of which the young king, Louis XIII, was a member — in the woods nearby. So marked an impression did this make on the young king that eighteen years later, in 1624, he bought the knoll and built a small hunting box there, which was the origin of the future palace. This was the scene of the Journee des Dupes (the Day of the Dupes) in 163o. On this occasion Louis XIII, in spite of the efforts of Marie de‘ Medici who wanted to dismiss Richelieu from his high office, asserted his authority and assured the Cardinal of his continued support and favour. In 1632 Louis XIII purchased the Manor of Versailles from its owners, the Gondis, to whom it had belonged since 1572. He took over the whole estate and committed to Philibert le Roy the task of improving the hunting-lodge which was to remain his favourite resort until his death in 1643. (more…)
Versailles: Europe’s greatest palace, a scene of splendour and despair 1 May 23, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Accommodation, Airlines, Destination, France, Paris, USA , add a commentHistory seems to select certain places, hitherto unknown, as appropriate settings for memorable events and scenes of splendour and shame. Looking back, the historian can see some connection between the name of such a place, its geographical position and the part it played in history. The fact that Versailles is built on a hill, and that the slopes that fall away on one side are covered in gardens while those that drop down on the other form one of the most impressive semi-circular approaches known to any royal residence, has frequently led men to think that the name ‘ Versailles‘ is derived from the word versant, a slope. (more…)
