Overview

Why has Louis XIV’s Palace of Versailles, defining symbol of hedonistic opulence in 17th-century France and synonymous with the notion of the divine right of kings, continued to shape the aesthetics of cultural capital in the centuries since his death? In Versailles Mirrored, Robert Wellington tracks this enduring fascination with the Sun King’s palace through eight case studies spanning the 17th to 21st centuries. The book demonstrates how the extravagant palace style began as a symbol of the state in the 17th century; how it was adopted by the nouveau riche to show off their financial success in the 19th century; and, remarkably, how that palace look returned to play a role in statecraft in the hands of US President Donald Trump. Wellington links the aristocratic architectural traditions of France, England, and Germany to North America through the lens of Versailles, French architecture, and the decorative arts. Opening with a brief overview of the history of Versailles and the political and cultural motivations of its creation, subsequent chapters address aristocratic buildings in France and Germany built by the Sun King’s contemporaries; historicism in the 19th century in Britain, Germany, and America; and the present day, with Trump’s buildings and Château Louis XIV, known as the ‘world’s most expensive home’, purchased by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. In uncovering the motivations of those patrons, the book ultimately reveals why Versailles remains a powerful point of reference for those who wish to flaunt their social, cultural, and political capital.

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9781350451353

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Reviews

A fascinating exploration of Versailles' influence on present-day taste and culture, and of the imitations it has spawned, from Ludwig II's palaces to Mar-a-Lago. It employs Bourdieu's theory of cultural capital to offer a stimulating new interpretation of these extraordinary buildings. * Munro Price, Emeritus Professor, University of Bradford, UK; author of The Road from Versailles (2004) * A fascinating survey of seven individuals, from the 18th to the 21st centuries, whose palatial homes have referenced Versailles to various symbolic ends. In lucid and compulsively readable style, this book traces the ways that the literal citation of design features, as well as the more abstract evocations of Versailles style, have accrued cultural capital. * Claire Goldstein, Professor of French, University of California, Davis, USA * An erudite, entertaining account of the enduring obsession with Versailles and its Sun King. Wellington challenges the common view of Versailles as a static monument, exploring how a colourful cast of patrons have appropriated and altered its aesthetic for their own ends. * Meredith Martin, Professor of Art History, New York University, USA * An engaging and timely romp through five centuries’ worth of architectural usurpation, grounded in detailed histories of successive elites’ cloaking of their own power in the glitz and glamour of French absolutism. * Amy Freund, Associate Professor of Art History, Southern Methodist University, USA *

Author Information

Robert Wellington is Associate Professor of Art History at the Centre for Art History and Art Theory, Australian National University, Australia. He is co-editor of The Versailles Effect: Objects, Lives, and Afterlives of the Domaine (2021) and author of Antiquarianism and the Visual Histories of Louis XIV (2015).

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