Versailles: A Private Invitation

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Francis Hammond

Flammarion, New York, 2011, English

Nonfiction, Interior Design

9.75 x 12 inches, hardcover, 360 pages, 200 color illustrations

ISBN: 9782080200761

Suggested Retail Price: $95.00

From the Publisher. The largest château in the world holds a thousand and one secrets, even from those who know it intimately. Versailles has been described in minute detail since the reign of Louis XIV, but numerous rooms in the palace and its outbuildings are inaccessible to the public due to their fragility or state of preservation. For this book, the Château de Versailles gave carte blanche access to the palace and its grounds; the resulting photographs uniquely capture the exceptional ambience and light of both famous and lesser known places. From Marie-Antoinette’s boudoir, the wings of the Queen’s theater, or the Orangerie on a beautiful wintry day, Secret Versailles brings to life this extraordinary theater of unrivaled splendor, this place of hidden secrets, mysteries, and everlasting beauty, which continues to capture the hearts of visitors and aficionados of France from around the world.From the most renowned salons to the gardens, passing through the Trianon or the Queen’s hamlet, Versailles contains extraordinary details, transformed by light and shadow. From dusk on a summer’s evening to the veil of mist on a winter’s morning, these photographs reveal the many facets of Versailles and offer readers unprecedented access to this historical treasure.

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