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Versailles Festivals of the Sun Kingfrom
the In brevi series of booklets The Hermitage has developed a program called In brevi, which is directed at readers of all ages who have the most diverse interests. In 2004 the State Hermitage Publishing House issued 5 illustrated books and brochures in this educational series. The Latin term In brevi may be translated as "briefly" and books in this series attempt to provide brief information about what is most important: about the most significant monuments in temporary exhibitions or permanent displays of the State Hermitage. These bright and attractive looking brochures are as a rule written by curators of the museum collections and can serve not only as a reliable reference work but also as a pleasant souvenir of a visit to one of the world’s largest museums. This brochure by senior researcher in the Department of the History of Western European Art Anastasia Rakova entitled Versailles Festivals of the Sun King enables the reader to sense the grandeur of Versailles during the age of Louis XIV. Legends about these festivals live on to our day: even now the most vivid impression about the rule of Louis XIV is not about his endless military campaigns but about the magnificence of the palaces and parks of Versailles, where there was an never-ending series of balls, feasts, concerts, shows, tournaments, as well as refined entertaining amidst fountains, ballets and fireworks... In order to prolong the magic of these festivities in time, the most remarkable episodes from the festivals were memorialized in engravings and other arts. This practice began as early as the mid-16th century. The book reproduces prints from the 17th century which captured in minute detail the contests, festive royal processions, and theatrical presentations. The text provides no less detailed descriptions of the festive events. |
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