Versailles Puts Hundreds of Pieces on Loan

Adam Frans van der Meulen Louis XIV and Marie-Thérèse entering Arras on 30 July 1667, ca.1685 Photo: Gérard Blot via Château de Versailles

In accordance with a 10-year partnership with the city of Arras and the Nord Pas de Calais region, the Château of Versailles is to loan some of its artwork and artifacts to the Musée des Beeaux-Arts in Arras, Art Daily has reported.

Initiated by the regional council, the partnership aims to disperse Versailles’ vast cultural heritage for public display in other parts of France. The inaugural exhibition entitled Roulez Carrosses which took place from March 2012 to November 2013 was hugely successful, with over 300,000 visitors coming to view the collection of horse drawn carriages from the Château de Versailles.

The latest exhibition, opening on September 27 at the Musée des Beaux Arts is billed to include over one hundred artworks from the Versailles collection. Some of the pieces will be on display for the first time outside of the Château.

The exhibition is organized into six settings: marble, bronze, gold and silver; wood paneling and marquetry; water and fountains; parks and forest; flowers and fields; festivities and fireworks. Along the way visitors can look forward to masterpieces such as the bust of Louis XIV from the Ambassador’s Staircase, the Gobelins tapestries, Dauphin’s writing desk, the original sculpture from the Latona fountain, a selection of Marie Antoinette’s porcelains and the group of sculptures depicting Apollo being served by the nymphs.


Follow Artnet News on Facebook:


Want to stay ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the breaking news, eye-opening interviews, and incisive critical takes that drive the conversation forward.
Article topics