& royal ceremonies

Court dress in Europe 1650 - 1800

31 march to 28 june 2009

court

pomp

& royal ceremonies

Contents

Foreword by Jean-Jacques Aillagon 3

A word from Karl Lagerfeld 5

A word from the commissioners 6

Press release 9

Tour of the exhibition 10

exhibition floor plan 11

French royal costume 12

The coronation and the royal orders 14

weddings and State ceremonies 16

the “grand habit” 18

religious pomp 20

The king’s day 21

fashion and court costume 23

scenography 25

exhibition catalogue 28

annexes 31

Glossary 32

Around the exhibition 37

Practical information 39

List of visuals available for the press 40

exhibition’s partners 42

Foreword by Jean-Jacques Aillagon

Versailles remains the most dazzling witness to court life in Europe in the 17th and 18th century.

It was here between the walls of this palace that the life of the monarch, his family and his court

was concentrated, bringing together almo all of what Saint-Simon called “la France”, its government

and adminiration, and creating a model that was to impose its yle on all of Europe. While

this model derived many of its rules from older traditions, notably those of the court of Bourgogne

exalted by the court of Spain, it was under Louis XIV, “the greate king on earth”, in Versailles,

that the court and hence the codes of court life acquired that singular sumptuousness designed to

impress ordinary mortals with the fa that the life lived around their monarch was of a higher

essence than that of other mortals, however powerful, noble and rich they might be. Everything, in

the Etiquette, ceremonies and rites, and in the coumes that make up the subje of this exhibition,

was designed to mark the almo other nature that royalty conferred on monarchs and those close to it.

The Royal Tables exhibition in 1994 threw light on the meals of the kings of France. In the same

way, this exhibition, ourt pomp and royal ceremonies, invites us to imagine the veimentary pomp

of the court of France, whose evocation requires us to appeal to resources in the great European

colleions because France, where the deruion caused by the Revolution succeeded the cuom

of “reforming” the out-of-fashion clothing of the court of France, dilapidated its own heritage

which Europe hailed for its brilliance, thus founding the reputation of Paris as capital

of fashion, luxury and nery. As well as for ilver furniture, we rely on the maerpieces preserved

abroad, particularly in northern and eaern Europe, to give us the sensation of what Versailles

and its court looked like, decked out in precious fabrics, gems and insignia whose every detail carried

a precise meaning in the same way as the ornaments that accompanied the calendar of the liturgical

year. Hence the coumes worn in court served as clothing in an accessory role because their main

role was to signify, to form part of that liturgy in which the king was both obje and aor and

which aimed at underlining in his person the pre-eminence of the immortal body of the sovereign

over the mortal body of the ruler in power.

This exhibition is the last one to be designed by Pierre Arizzoli-Clementel, who has been

Direor General of the Public Eablishment of Versailles since 1997. He is particularly intereed

in this theme because it recapitulates several passions of his professional life: textiles, the decorative

arts and of course the court life of Versailles.

Pierre Arizzoli-Clémentel, before he took in hand the scientic deiny of the palace of Versailles,

was chief curator of the Musée des Tissus in Lyon and then of the Musée des Arts décoratifs

de Paris (1984-1997). It is this very wide and very rich experience that has enabled him to take up

the proje of this exhibition with particular ease, an ease shared by his deputy, Pascale Gorguet-

Balleeros, chief curator of the Musée Galliera.

Their scientific collaboration is based on an initutional collaboration between the Public

Eablishment of the Museum and National Eate of Versailles and the Réunion des musées

nationaux on the one hand, and the Musée Galliera, a museum of the city of Paris, on the other

hand, which allows me to salute very warmly all the a of the museums adminiered by the city

of Paris where I used to be the Direor of Cultural Aairs.

And that is why it is particularly pleasant for me to be able to thank the Mayor of Paris, Mr Bertrand

Delanoë, the Mayor’s deputy in charge of culture, Mr Chriophe Girard and, of course, my successor,

Laurence Engel, Direor of Cultural Aairs.

To these thanks I would like to add my equally warm ones to Jean-Ludovic Silicani, president of

the Réunion des musées nationaux and omas Grenon, general adminirator of the same eablishment.

Thanks are also due to Giada Ricci who has so maerfully designed and implemented the scenography

of this exhibition, a dicult exercise owing to the fa that mo of the pieces presented require

particularly rigorous conditions in terms of security and lighting, without depriving us of the pleasure

of getting close to these wonderful works… Giada Ricci has handled this delicate task with great

skill and sensitivity.

This exhibition has also permitted another friendly and fortunate collaboration, between the Public

Eablishment of Versailles and the House of Chanel which wished to patronise its organisation.

My gratitude goes particularly to the man in charge of design in this preigious house, my friend Karl

Lagerfeld, whose photographic work dedicated to the château and its eate was exhibited in Versailles

in 2008. Few celebrities are as intimately familiar with Versailles as Karl Lagerfeld, with all his subtle

sensibility, and who nds with ourt pomp and royal ceremonies a new way of marking his solicitude

for this house that has in a way become his own.

I trust that between March and June numerous visitors will come to Versailles to nd in this

exhibition, like him, an additional reason for loving this palace and its glorious hiory.

Jean-Jacques Aillagon

ormer inier,

resident of the ublic ablishment of the useum and ational ate of ersailles

Even the most brilliant and the mo imitated French court did not hesitate to get into debt in

order to maintain the andard of fashion that aroused such universal fascination in its day.

Nothing was too ne for it and nothing was too expensive. At the end of the Ancien Régime, the court

and the higher nobility owed fortunes to the “suppliers”, such as the celebrated Rose Bertin. It was

necessary to dazzle to hold on to one’s power.

The court costume experienced its golden age under Louis XIV. Versailles was the ideal and magical

place to show the fashion of a world and way of life that are impossible to imagine in our own time.

ressed to ule is the title of a brilliant book by Philippe Mansel (published by Yale University Press

in 2005). e very title of this book sums up the irit of this exhibition to perfeion. Barnave wrote

to Marie-Antoinette that she was going to win the hearts of the French with ribbons and smiles.

Hiory shows that he was wrong but, until then, nobody had doubted the magical power of court

coume to impose the monarch’s power.

Dazzling the people was the be way of keeping it at a diance. is manner of dressing created

barriers that were praically impassable. Few ceremonial coumes have survived from the mo

dazzling court in the world. Fortunately, greater precautions were taken to preserve them in other

countries…

Thanks to them, we can enjoy this marvellous exhibition dedicated to the art of court coume

during its mo glorious epoch…

arl Lagerfeld

A word from Karl Lagerfeld

DAZZLINGLY LUXUrIOUS COSTUMES

TO SYMBOLISE THE MONArCHY

It was in 1995, place Bellecour in Lyon: we were talking with Pascale Gorguet-Balleeros about

a proje that was dear to me and which at the time I hoped to see in the musée des Arts décoratifs

in Paris: an exhibition evoking the court coumes in France in the 17th and 18th centuries.

e task seemed to us to be praically impossible because so many elements had disappeared in France

which showed little intere in holding on to and preserving its royal or princely wardrobes.

e annual cuom of the “reform”, whereby the garments worn by the king and the queen were handed

over reeively to the Fir Gentleman and the Dame of Honour, who then gave them away, sold

them or had them transformed, ensured that nothing was kept from the royal wardrobes of Louis XIV,

Louis XV, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. So many maerpieces lo to us,

whereas France was

the outanding European example in this eld! By chance, other kingdoms and other foreign

colleions did not follow our cuom, which was completed here by the Revolution which deroyed

so much. It then becomes possible to evoke, by equivalence, the tremendous owering of this art in

Paris and Versailles in the 18th century through what was preserved in England, in the northern

kingdoms, in Germany, etc. and which shows the inuence of France on court coume and on the

use of materials made in or brought from Paris or France.

One can easily imagine just how many people had to be contacted, how much help was

required, the negotiations entered into, how many plans and ideal lists had to be drawn up!

e proje was set up in collaboration with the Galliera museum. Many trips were necessary,

and Pascale Gorguet-Balleeros, the deputy commissioner, travelled to the four corners of Europe

as soon as the possibility of producing this exhibition so dicult and never attempted hitherto

emerged in 2006 in Versailles. is was the ideal place to present the life of the court, following the

two exhibitions on the oyal ables, resden to ersailles, and ilver urniture. Our links,

through the Centre International d’Etudes des Textiles Anciens and the International Council of

Museums (ICOM), with certain public colleions were essential – the Hermitage, Kensington Palace,

Dresden, Rosenborg Cale in Denmark, the royal palace of Stockholm, and the ate colleions

in Vienna, to mention only the mo important. e welcome we received was oen enthusiaic and

our task was facilitated as we negotiated the thousand and one obacles that we encountered on

the path to realising this passionately intereing proje. By chance, Jean-Jacques Aillagon, President

of the Public Eablishment of the Museum and National Eate of Versailles, was able to convince

the House of Chanel to assi us, which was a particularly judicious choice of partner given the excellence

in luxury garments that this almo century-old house has always exemplied.

e Réunion des musées nationaux collaborated with us on this proje meticulously prepared for

over years, and its catalogue, closely followed ep by ep by Pascale Gorguet-Balleeros, will

remain, we hope, as a useful teimony to the intere of the subje and of the work accomplished

here which will open up new elds of research. Let us wish all the success that it deserves to what

we are sure will be seen by many as a revelation, a pure marvel.

Pierre Arizzoli-Clémentel

ommissioner-eneral,

ireor eneral of the ublic ablishment of the useum and ational ate of ersailles

A word from the commissioners

an outstanding adventure

A word from the commissioners

a pioneer exhibition

The idea of organising in France an exhibition on the court coume of the 17th and 18th century

was a huge challenge. e fa is that only a tiny number of court garments have come down to us.

is situation is oen attributed to the deruion caused during the French Revolution. But it is

probably the absence in France of the political will to preserve the coumes of monarchs as well as

their colleions of art which is the principal reason. Moreover, in the 18th century, the national

cuom was that kings and queens abandoned their wardrobes of one year to the ocers and ladies

who served them in the court. Rediributed by the latter, these “reformed” garments usually ended

up being sold to Parisian second-hand clothes shops

In contrast, Sweden, Denmark and the region of Saxony possess preigious colleions of court

coumes from the 17th and 18th century, colleed as a result of political decisions. ese colleions

are indeed the result of the syematic will to preserve the royal garments in these countries.

In Stockholm, in 1628, King Guavus Adolphus (1611-1632), by depositing in the royal Wardrobe

two of the outts that he had worn during the war in Poland, launched the idea of preserving royal

coumes linked to key moments of the reigns. e cuom was eablished of depositing the garments

of the Swedish kings in the Wardrobe aer their death. us rule was broken by Guavus III

(1746-1792) who decided to syematically preserve during his lifetime a coume linked to the great

events of his reign. is colleion could also be visited. In Denmark, the coume worn by king

Chriian IV (1577-1648) during his valorous resiance again the Swedes during the naval battle of

Kolberger Heide in the Bay of Kiel in 1644 was carefully preserved for its political and symbolic

value. Preserving royal garments for poerity became a syematic procedure. King Frederick III

(1609-1670) le a certain number of his coumes to the royal colleions, which continued to be

enriched by his successors. In Dresden, the Rükammer colleion of coumes goes back as far as

Maurice, the Prince Eleor of Saxony (1521-1553). On the prince’s death, the habit was eablished

of drawing up inventories of the royal garments and preserving all old and modern coumes. In 1711,

over two hundred and y coumes were inalled in the Weapons Cabinet, where the “Eleors’

Wardrobes” were preserved. In 1733, this colleion was further enriched with ten coumes that

had belonged to Frederick Auguus I, who became king of Poland under the name of Auguus II

(1670-1733).

It is thanks mainly to these hioric colleions that we can now imagine the lendour of the coumes

of monarchs, the royal family and courtesans at the court of France. Nevertheless, this approach can

be completed advantageously in France by numerous sources, archives, memoirs and iconographic

documents. Laly, the exience of coumes in other European colleions, initutional or private,

adds even more to our knowledge.

As the costumes preserved are generally linked to great events in the life of foreign monarchs,

the decision was made to present them according to their uses. e European court coume is

singular in forming part of a certain number of similar garments worn for all courtly

circumances, the monarch’s anointing and crowning, ceremonies of the royal Orders, weddings

and feivities. is mode of dress, made uniform by the circumances, is also unied by the

primordial inuence of French fashion.

e three-piece man’s outt, known as the “habit à la française” in the 18th century, and the “grand

habit” of ladies, both courtly coumes par excellence, and probably designed for the court of Louis

XIV, were adopted by all the courts of Europe at the end of the 17th century and in the 18th century.

is inuence is the conneing thread of the exhibition, and can be seen in the coumes made

in France, the fabrics and decorative details exported from Paris and the shapes borrowed from French

fashion. A Swedish coume dating from 1654, a Russian court outt from 1796, both ordered from

Paris, remind us that the inuence of French fashion and luxury began before Versailles and survived it.

However, in echo to this French inuence regarded too oen as hegemonic, it is important to

remind ourselves here of the exience of national fashions promoted by the sovereigns themselves.

is remarkable phenomenon of the second half of the 18th century teies to the search for

national identity through the hioric particularities of royal coumes.

Lastly, this exhibition takes a careful look at the denition of the court coume. ere are

diverging points of view when regarding the colleions as to whether to regard the coume as made

for all the participants in the life of the court or as a garment rily reserved to the court

microcosm, singularised by its submission to the formalism of Etiquette. Another variant is the

rich range of ecic outts and garments tting into the epoch’s fashion. For the courts were the

ne showcases for the manufaurers and suppliers of the Paris luxury goods indury. Foreign

monarchs, with their eyes xed on Versailles, consecrated the know-how of the merchants of the French

capital by succumbing to it. e court coume, in ite of its hiorical immobility, is revealed to

have been quite permeable to the inuence of fashion, thus teifying to the extraordinary development

of this seor, particularly in the second half of the 18th century.

Pascale Gorguet-Balleeros

eputy ommissioner,

hief urator of alliera, ashion useum of the ity of aris

Press release

Court pomp and royal ceremonies

Court dress in Europe 1650 - 1800

31 March to 28 June 2009 in the château de Versailles

The exhibition Court Pomp and Royal Ceremonies – Court Costume in Europe 1650-1800

traces the history of court costume in Europe and thus throws light on the major influence

of France in this field from the mid-17th century to the beginning of the 19th century.

For the r time, over 200 works (coumes, jewellery, iconography) linked to preigious European

monarchies are assembled here in an exhibition that will be presented only in Versailles.

e Vioria & Albert Museum, the Pitti Palace in Florence, the Louvre museum, the Musée Galliera,

the Arts Décoratifs, the Archives nationales, as well as private colleors have agreed to loan their

works. e royal colleions from London, Dresden, Denmark (Rosenborg cale), Sweden (Livru-

kammaren), Portugal (Ajuda Palace), as well as the imperial colleions of Vienna (Kunhiorisches

Museum), the tsars of Russia (Hermitage museum), and Cologne Cathedral will be presented

and assembled outside of their country of origin for the r time. is event forms part of a cycle of

exhibitions evoking the life of the Court in the 17th and 18th centuries which includes Versailles

and the royal tables in 1993-1994 and hen ersailles was furnished in silver in 2007-2008.

With the court costume there developed a genuine political language whose primary

function was to translate the hierarchy of power in visual terms.

e coumes

presented in the exhibition evoke both the extraordinary circumances in which the monarchy

was founded, the life of European monarchs and their courtesans, (anointing, crowning and

ceremonies of the royal Orders), as well as the preigious circumances that are found in all the

courts as in weddings. e outts worn during these events are outanding in the way they

submit to the formalism of court Etiquette.

It is the luxuriousness of the materials, fabrics, embroidery, lace and trimmings and the

accumulation of gems and jewellery that decide which court coumes are suited for this or that

circumance. e coume thus becomes a showcase for the trade in luxury goods, whose technical

and aehetic innovations it adopted. With the rising importance of fashion and the accelerated

renewal of coume conventions, the court coume evolved rapidly. Yet the numerous orders made

in Paris by European royal houses atte to the major inuence of France in the world of court

coume and fashion owing to the remarkable quality achieved by the Parisian crasmen.

is exhibition has been mounted thans to the patronage of

CHANEL, and the support of

the éunion des musées nationaux and in media partnership with

ClearcHANnEL.

With the collaboration of Houlès through the intermediary of the Société des Amis de Versailles

(Friends of Versailles Association) for the supply of fabrics and Erco for the lighting services.

press contacts

Aurélie Gevrey

01 30 83 77 03

Violaine Solari

01 30 83 77 14

Mathilde Brunel

01 30 83 75 21

presse@chateauversailles.fr

faesdecour.chateauversailles.fr

Exhibition

organisation

Commissioner-General

Pierre Arizzoli-Clémentel,

ireor eneral of the ublic

ablishment of the useum and

ational ate of ersailles.

Deputy Commissioner

Pascale Gorguet Balleeros,

hief urator of alliera, ashion

useum of the ity of aris.

e exhibition is organised by

the Public Eablishment of

the Museum and National Eate

of Versailles with the collaboration

of Galliera, Fashion Museum of

the City of Paris.

part I

tour of the exhibition

Part I – Tour of the exhibition

Exhibition floor plan

1. French royal coume

2. e coronation and the royal orders

3. Weddings and State ceremonies

4. e grand habit

5. Religious pomp

6. e king’s day

7. Fashion and court coume

3 7

entrANCE EXIT

The exhibition opens with an overview of French royal costume, illurated by a gallery of

portraits which include the portraits of Louis XIV, Louis XV, Louis XVI, the Count of Provence and

Count d’Artois, brothers of Louis XVI, thus showing all the kings of the senior branch of the Bourbons.

The singular combination of the coronation cloak and the novice’s habit of the Order

of the Holy Spirit

is an original feature of the portraits of the kings of France since Louis XIV.

A discrepancy can be seen between these representations and the real coronation coume,

emphasising the dierence between the reality of a ceremony and the way it is intended to be depied.

is recomposed image really proclaims the inderuible alliance between French royal power

and the Catholic religion, represented by the Order of the Holy Spirit. e symbolic portrait

of Louis XIV by Rigaud codies this new representation and shows clearly that behind the court

coume there lies a political discourse.

selected works

Portrait of Louis XIV in grand royal costume, studio of Hyacinthe Rigaud, 1702

Louis XIV posed for Rigaud at the request of his grandson, Philip V,

the new King of Spain. He was so pleased with this portrait that he decided

to keep it for himself and ordered an identical copy from Rigaud which

he sent to Philip V. is is now kept at the château de Versailles.

In this ocial egy, the King wears the royal cloak in velvet lined in ermine

decorated with eurs de lys, worn at the coronation, together with

the novice’s habit of the Knights of the Order of the Holy Spirit. On the day

aer the coronation, he wore this outt to become the grand maer of

this order, created in 1578 by Henri III.

This is the epitome of the royal cloak. It derives from the paludamentum,

the commander’s coat of the Roman emperors, which was purple.

Open on the right to leave the arm free, it is turned up on the le arm.

Dressed in this way, the King shows that he is also the proteor

of the Catholic religion. e royal insignia – the so-called “Charlemagne’s

sword”, crown, sceptre, hand of juice – complete this image of the King,

the new prototype of the ocial depiion of the French monarch.

Part I – Tour of the exhibition

French royal costume

room 1

ouis  in grand royal coume

in 1701, udio of Hyacinthe Rigaud

(1659-1743), 1702

Versailles, château de Versailles

Louis XV, King of France and Navarra, in full royal dress in 1760, Jean Martial

Fredou after Van Loo (around 1711-1795), 1763

Louis Michel Van Loo received in 1759 an order for a portrait of Louis XV in royal coume,

bearing the coronation insignia. Van Loo succeeded Hyacinthe Rigaud, who had codied the genre.

Exhibited at the Salon in 1761, the work met with the approval of both the public and the critics.

The painting is known today only by the multiple copies made of it, that of Fredou being one

of the mo successful.

The king is depicted here standing, his right hand reing on the crown and holding the sceptre

of Charles V surmounted by the atuette of Charlemagne. is sceptre, which can be seen today

in the Louvre, has lo its enamelled eur de lys which served as a base for the atuette. Louis XV is

dressed in the ample royal cloak made of velvet rinkled with gold eur de lys and lined in ermine.

He is decorated with the necklace of the Order of the Holy Spirit and that of the Golden Fleece,

and wears the baggy trousers ecic to that order. e sword can only ju be made out, but the hand

of juice is clearly visible next to the crown.

The Count d’Artois in the grand habit of the Order of the Holy Spirit,

Antoine-François Callet (1741-1823), fourth quarter of the 18th century

This work depicts the brother of Louis XVI, the future Charles X, who wears the grand

manteau decorated with ames of the Order of the Holy Spirit, lined with orange-coloured satin.

is major painting was ordered by the Prince of France for the court of the Aides d’Abbeville;

he wanted to appear in all his majey.

Antoine-François Callet painted several portraits for the royal family, for diplomatic purposes

and internal politics. e one depiing Louis XVI, carried out in 1779, became the ocial image of

the sovereign.

ouis  (1710-1774), ing of

rance and avarra, in full royal

dress in 1760, by Jean Martial Fredou

(1710-1795), aer Louis-Michel

Van Loo (1707-1771), 1763, Versailles,

château de Versailles © RMN

e ount d’rtois in the grand habit

of the rder of the oly pirit,

Antoine-François Callet (1741-1823),

fourth quarter of the 18th century

This room displays the coronation clothes, the cuoms in Europe and France’s inuence

in England and Sweden. e great European dynaic orders such as the Holy Spirit in France, the Golden

Fleece in Auria and the Garter in England are also presented. e orders are granted for merit to

courtiers whom the King wants to diinguish and bring close to his person. e creation of orders

of knighthood is oen linked to a dicult political situation where royal power needs to be

rengthened: the Hundred Year War for the Order of the Garter and the Order of the Golden

Fleece, the wars of religion for the Order of the Holy Spirit. e anointing and coronation

ceremonies are common to all the European courts. e coronation robe in embroidered velvet

lined with ermine is symbolic of the pomp of these ceremonies. ere are two main types: one

which is open on the le arm and turned up on the right arm, direly inired by the Roman

paludamentum and another, open in front, reminiscent of the ecclesiaical cope. e English and

Swedish coronation robes belong to the latter type. ey are worn over civilian dress. e King of

France wears a cloak of the former kind and during the anointing and coronation ceremonies

is dressed in three coumes consiing of elements derived from ecclesiaical garments, such as

the cassock and the dalmatic, a reminder that he is both king and prie. us he combines

ancient grandeur and the Catholic Church.

selected works

Coronation robe of King Gustav III of Sweden (1746-1792), on 29 May 1772

This sumptuous costume in silver cloth and Spanish point lace was worn

by King Guav III of Sweden at his coronation in 1772. e King modelled

this coume on the one which his anceor Charles XI (1655-1697) wore

at his wedding in 1680. Charles XI had a ecial liking for the juaucorps,

which had been in fashion since the 1660s at the court of Louis XIV.

is garment was worn under the royal cloak. Executed by Petter Rungren,

tailor to the kings, it is made up of a juaucorps (a long, narrow jacket)

complemented by a waicoat, trousers and a sword-belt. e pair of red

satin boots was made in Stockholm by Mathias Brun, shoemaker

to the kings of Sweden. Like the robe, it is decorated with applications of

embroidered crowns, an allusion to the coat of arms of Sweden.

The portraits of Gustav III show that in both England and Sweden the royal

cloak is open in front. When his father died, the future Guav III was in Paris

completing his education. He wanted to have his coume made in the fashion

capital but his government ordered the fabrics from the Swedish royal

manufaurers. However, Guav III chose the shape of his attire, which shows the political role of

the coume: he preferred to wear an old-fashioned juaucorps, in memory of his anceor Charles XI.

Part I – Tour of the exhibition

The coronation and the royal orders

room 2

oronation robe of ing uav 

of weden (1746-1792), on 29 May 1772

Court robe (grand habit) worn for the coronation of Sophie Madeleine

on 29 May 1772

Although Swedish, the coronation robe in fashioned silver cloth worn

by Princess Sophie Madeleine is a grand habit like those which the queens

of France wore at the court. It was made up of three basic, removable

parts: the top or bodice of the dress, the skirt over an enormous panier

– here almo two metres wide – and the bottom or train, ve metres long

and attached to the wai by silver hooks.

The trains played a particularly important symbolic role. ey show

how the coume complied with the rules of Etiquette. e length varies

according to the importance of the ceremony. In addition, two criteria point

to the position of the person authorised to wear a train: the length of the train

and the rank of the person who wears it. Hiorical memoirs and archive

documents eak of many quarrels over precedence relating to the rank of the wearers of trains, which

was meant to emphasise the importance of the owner of the train.

Coronation crown of Louis XV, Claude Rondé and Augustin Duﬂos, 1722

Under the Bourbons, two crowns were created for the coronation of each sovereign. e r was

placed on the King’s head by the archbishop and supported by the peers of France; this was

the coronation crown. e other, which was lighter and subituted the r aer the communion,

was worn by the King on leaving Rheims Cathedral.

For the coronation of Louis XV, then aged twelve, on 25 Oober 1722, the ecially executed

vermeil crown was embellished with 282 diamonds, 64 rubies, sapphires, emeralds and topazes and

213 pearls. e bigge diamonds available had been chosen to represent the eur-de-lys which

decorate the crown: the Regent’s diamond was set in the centre of the frontal lys and the Sancy

diamond surmounted the eur-de-lys which dominated the crown. On the arches were 8 quadrangular

diamonds forming part of the set of 18 mazarins. On the day of the coronation, the jeweller,

Claude Rondé, sent an escort to accompany the crown to Rheims and brought it to Paris. en, as

was the cuom, the precious ones were unset on the day aer the ceremony, replaced by imitations

and reused elsewhere.

ourt robe (grand habit) worn

for the coronation of ophie adeleine

on 29 May 1772

rown of ouis  (created for the

coronation), Also known as the Personal

Crown of Louis XV, by Auguin

Duot (1715-1774) and Claude Rondé

(aer) 1722

Beck-Coppola

Part I – Tour of the exhibition

Weddings and State ceremonies

room 3

The weddings of sovereigns were another occasion to deploy court pomp. The wedding

outt of Guav III is the showpiece of this room. Other State ceremonies are also represented

by the coume worn by Chriian VI of Denmark for the wedding of his son, Prince Frederick, the

ruby parure of Augu the Strong, Prince Eleor of Saxony and King of Poland worn for his son’s

wedding feivities, and the State robes worn by the Eleor John George II of Saxony.

The sovereign, in addition to the ecial outts (such as those for the coronation and order), wears

a three-piece coume identical to that owned by any relatively well-to-do man in his kingdom:

the habit à la française. us it was the quality of the fabrics and elements of adornment, embroidery,

trimmings, precious ones which would transform that habit into a ceremonial coume. Since

the middle of the 17th century, the European courts have adopted the cuom of ordering their formal

dress from Parisian suppliers. For ecial occasions, the princesses would wear the grand habit,

the traditional female ceremonial coume, handed down from the court of Louis XIV.

selected works

Wedding clothes of crown prince Gustav III of Sweden (1746-1792)

worn on 4 November 1766: coat, waistcoat, trousers, pair of shoes

The wedding of crown prince Gustav and the Danish Princess Sophie

Madeleine took place on 4 November 1766. Guav’s wedding clothes

the mo sumptuous of the twenty or so coumes in his wardrobe which

have been preserved and are certainly the mo beautiful outt he ever wore.

This habit à la française is composed of a juaucorps, a jacket and

trousers made from smooth, lurous silver cloth which form the base for

prodigious embroidered applications of blue angles, golden sequins and

gold threads. e dominant elements of the decoration of the suit and

jacket are dazzling suns charged with symbols emerging from bluish clouds.

Like small jewels, the buttons are also embroidered with gold threads

and sequins. e suit was not meant to be buttoned up and the exquisite

embroidery of the waicoat, formed of tracery and branches of leaves,

was supposed to remain visible, as was the elegant lining of the suit, silvery

moiré whose calendared surface changed tone with every ep.

edding clothes of the crown prince

uav  of weden, 1766

After this outfit was made, it was greatly admired in Paris deite the outdated appearance of

its immense cus.

Ceremonial military outﬁt belonging to Frederick Augustus I, Elector of

Saxony from 1694 to 1733, King of Poland from 1697 to 1733 under the name

of Augustus II of Poland (1670–1733): justaucorps, jacket, trousers, 1719,

reworked in 1730

This ceremonial military costume in shiny golden fabric, with golden

embroidery in relief padded with parchment over the entire surface, is

the mo precious of the clothes we know of from the wardrobe of the Eleor

of Saxony, Frederick Auguus I. He was crowned King of Poland in 1697

and became Auguus II, also known as Auguus the Strong.

At the time of the celebrations of the marriage of his son,

the Eleor of Saxony, to a Hapsburg princess in Dresden in 1719, Auguus

the Strong wore this coume during a “running of the ring” in the royal

ables. is marriage was extremely lavish: the clothing plan for it

provided for a dierent outt for each of the 29 days of the celebrations

and 7 dierent sets of ornamentation. For the Zeithain camp in Saxony in 1730

he had the outt reworked into a military uniform. He wore it on 1 June

to a general review of his army in the presence of Frederick William I of

Prussia (1688-1740) and Crown Prince Frederick (the future King Frederick II).

Ruby decorative set belonging to Frederick Augustus I, Elector of Saxony

from 1694 to 1733, King of Poland from 1697 to 1733 under the name of

Augustus II of Poland (1670–1733)

This ruby set, which matches the coume described above, comprises a cane, a sword and

scabbard, and a snu box. Additional buttons were attached for his son, the Eleor Frederick

Auguus II, the future Auguus II of Poland.

The courts of Europe followed the example of the Sun King, who in exceptional circumances

would syematically decorate his entire outt with diamonds and coloured precious ones.

This costume and its ruby set thus give us a good idea of what Louis XIV wore, of which nothing

now remains.

1. eremonial military coume of

rederic uguus , leor of

axony from 1694 to 1733, ing of

oland from 1697 to 1733 under the

name of uguus  of oland

(1670-1733), 1719, reworked in 1730

lungen Dresden | Hans-Peter Klut

2. nu box from the ruby set,

1730-1731 © Dresden, Staatliche

Kunsammlungen, Dresden | Jürgen

Karpinski

3. ane from the ruby decorations,

with gold nob, before 1733

Dresden | Jürgen Karpinski

Part I – Tour of the exhibition

The “grand habit”

room 4

The hegemony of the feminine grand habit or grand coume in Europe is set in pereive

in this room by an exceptional doll’s grand coume. e court outt par excellence, it was worn by

great ladies on the occasion of their ocial presentation to the king and queen. Essential accessories

for this outt, such as a fan or large diamond jewellery, French and foreign portraits, prints of

courtly dresses by Nicolas Dupin and Sebaien-Jacques Leclerc, and drawings of jewellery complete

the piure of this court outt. e feminine grand coume was reserved exclusively for life at

court. It was made of a grand corps or whalebone ays, a skirt which was always placed over a grand

panier or wide petticoat, or an underskirt of iened fabric, and it nished in a detachable train,

known as a queue. e queen of France shared the cuom of the grand coume with the ladies

in her service and those who were presented to her. In praice it was the ecial outt which women

had to wear at Versailles on the day of their presentation to the queen. is extremely important

event marked the young women’s ocial entry to court. However, the wearing of this typically French

grand coume was adapted in certain European courts, where the monarchs remained very

attached to the hiory of coume in their country.

selected Works

Doll’s grand costume: whalebone stays, skirt, skirt tail, around 1769-1775

Despite its name, this doll was not really a toy. It was a doll mannequin,

whose coume is one of the few to have survived to our day, and

the forerunner of present-day shop window dummies. Mademoiselle Bertin,

a fashion merchant to Marie-Antoinette, probably syematically used

these dolls as true tools of her trade. e Italia writer Goldoni tells us in his

Memoirs that these enabled Parisian fashion and tae to be read:

“t the art of each season, in the aberdashers’ reet in enice, you see

a dressed gure, nown as the French Doll; it is the prototype which all

the ladies have to conform to …”

We can clearly distinguish the three essential pieces of the “grand

coume” worn at court: the ays of the dress, boned, very rigid

with a wide décolleté and the top of the sleeves, the skirt on its petticoat,

and nally the bottom of the dress or train. Madame de Genlis, the governess of the children of the

Duc d’Orléans, points out in her emoirs that “it too  or  ells of fabric to mae a grand coume”,

or twenty four to twenty six metres. Only a tenth as much fabric is needed nowadays to make a dress.

is “grand coume”, which was only used once, was extremely expensive: up to 3000 livres.

As a comparison, a whole family of workers in the weaving trade (4 people) living in Abbeville around

1765 had an annual budget of 340 livres at their diosal.

oll’s grand coume: whalebone

ays, sirt, sirt tail, around 1769-1775

Somerset Council, Fashion Museum

Preliminary drawing for the 3rd book of grand formal outﬁts at the court

which gave rise to French costumes: “Presentation outﬁt”, around 1787

This illustration, the only one known to date, of the grand presentation coume correonds to the text

of François A. de Garsault, who in 1769 describes the black colour, accentuated by white lace, and

the underskirt and bodice adorned with pompoms in gold lace and diamonds, which completed the set.

The wearing of such an outfit was a general rule, which could vary if the lady being presented

was in mourning or if she managed to break free from the rule.

Diamond necklace of Queen Amelia Augusta (1752-1828), wife of Frederick

Augustus I (1750 -1827), King of Saxony, Ignaz Konrad Plödterl

(master in 1819 - † 1835), second half of the 18th century and 1824

The diamond necklace of the Queen of Saxony is impressive because it was enlarged in the 19th

century. Diamond necklaces were essential for women’s court coume, eecially for the outt worn

on the presentation of ladies to the king and queen. e Queen of France oen lent hers to the ladies

presented on this occasion.

Above : reliminary drawing for

the 3rd boo of grand formal outts at

the court which gave rise to rench

coumes: “resentation outt”, around

1787 © Paris, Les Arts Décoratifs |

Jean olance

Below : iamond neclace of ueen

melia ugua (1752-1828), wife of

rederic uguus  (1750-1827),

ing of axony, Ignaz Konrad Plödterl

(maer in 1819 - † 1835), Second half

of the 18th century and 1824,

lungen Dresden | Hans-Peter Klut

in just the same way as the court costume, the religious coume could convey a rong political

message, intended to impress everyone who saw it with power and authority.

selected Works

The Capella Clementina

The extraordinary copes of silver cloth entirely embroidered in gold,

and the mitre which goes with them, were ordered in 1742 by Clement

Auguus, Eleor and Archbishop of Cologne, in preparation for

the coronation of his brother Charles Albert, Eleor of Bavaria, as Emperor

of the Holy Roman Empire. e coronation mass was held in Frankfurt

Cathedral.

These Episcopal ornaments also included the Eleor’s mitre,

accessories, cushions for the throne, another outt for an assiant prie,

and 18 other garments – including 2 copes for the Archbishop’s assiants.

Nearly 60 ornaments embroidered in gold were created in Paris. 20 crasmen

and 60 embroiderers, probably those of the King of France, worked

on them for 4 months. e involvement of the King’s embroiderers can be

explained by the fa that Louis XV supported the Eleor of Bavaria,

from the Wittelsbach family, who were allies of the Bourbon, again

the Hapsburgs, rivals of France.

This was the most lavish rite in the history of the Holy Empire, equivalent to the coronation of

the kings of France at Rheims. is outt is ill preserved in the Capella Clementina of Cologne

Cathedral, and is important teimony to the extraordinary quality of the golden embroidery in Paris

before the revolution.

Dalmatic embroidered by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria (1717-1780)

for the new chapel at the Pitti Palace, around 1765

Pierre- Léopold (1747-1792), son of Maria eresa of Auria and brother of Marie-Antoinette,

became Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1765 and settled in the Pitti Palace. is dalmatic formed part of

a set of liturgical clothes sent to Florence by the Empress herself for the inauguration of the new

chapel of the Pitti Palace in 1766. Created in Vienna, it is cut from heavy white and silver lamé

Tours silk, and accentuated by a wide oral decoration in polychromatic silk embroidery and gold

silk embroidery; it also bears the arms of Maria eresa in a cartouche (aria eresa ayl onigl

pol ayt: mperial royal apoolic majey).

Part I – Tour of the exhibition

religious pomp

room 5

Above : almatic of the apella

lementina, 1742 © Cologne,

Rheinishes Bildarchiv.

Below : itre of the apella lementina,

1742 © Cologne, Rheinishes Bildarchiv

Part I – Tour of the exhibition

The King’s day

room 6

The King’s day is represented here by a dressing gown which belonged to Frederick IV of Denmark,

which evokes up the King’s getting-up ceremony. Another essential point of this day was hunting,

during which men were presented to the King: a hunting outt given to King Chriian VII of Denmark

by Louis XV illurates this passion for hunting, which was extensively praiced at Versailles and

on all the Royal eates.

Works selected

Dressing gown of King Frederick IV of Denmark (1671-1730): dressing gown and

undergown, cap, pair of mules, around 1700

This outfit was used by King Frederick IV of Denmark at Frederiksborg

Castle,

where it was lied for the r time in a wardrobe inventory

in 1705. Dressing gowns were coumes of Etiquette, and also oered

proteion again the cold. is dressing gown and its undergown with

the cap and matching pair of mules are in brocade, a woven silk fabric,

with gold and silver threads. e lining of the dressing gown is entirely

embroidered with tiny silver motifs and has unusual traces of fading,

which sugge that either the garment was reversible, or it was ored

inside out. is outt reminds us of the importance of the public ritual of

the King of France’s getting up and going to bed. e dressing gown is

matched with his “toilette”, in other words the furniture and accessories

used by the King when getting washed: a table cover in taeta or damask,

and small caskets for his objes. In France, the two dressing gowns for

Etiquette “beautiful and rich, one for winter and the other for summer”,

were provided by the King’s Wardrobe. is adminiration, which

formed part of the King’s Civil Household, managed the orders for his outts.

Another department, reonsible above all for shows and called Menus-

Pleasures, provided the King’s ordinary dressing gowns and underwear.

ressing gown of ing rederic 

of enmar (1671-1730): dressing

gown and undergown, cap, pair of mules,

around 1700

Colleions, Rosenborg Cale

Hunting outﬁt given to King Christian VII of Denmark (1749-1808) by Louis XV: coat,

waistcoat, trousers, three-cornered hat, cross belt, sword, whip, knife, pair of formal

boots, 1768

This hunting outfit was created in a red wool fabric and a blue wool fabric, lined with chamois

and ornamented with gold and silver braid. e silk hat, leather boots and iron urs, the whip

of tortoiseshell, silver and cotton and the dagger all form an integral part of the hunting outt.

This set of clothes was given to Christian VII by Louis XV during a ay in France in 1768, on

the occasion of the Saint Hubert hunt which took place on 3 November at Fontainebleau. He took part

in a second hunt on 29 November, for which he received another coume which has not been preserved.

Men were presented to the King during Royal hunts, in particular ag hunts. Men were

permitted to take part or not depending on their rank and birth. In order to be considered

a “man of the court” it was necessary to have permission to ride in the King’s coaches on the way

back from the hunt.

unting outt given to ing hriian

 of enmar (1749-1808)

by ouis , 1768

Colleions, Rosenborg Cale

The last theme of this exhibition is the inuence of fashion on court dress. From the middle

of the 18th century a subtle change can be seen, which little by little overturned the unchanging side

of the dress worn at court: examples of this inuence are drawn from the wardrobes of the tsars

of Russia, and public English, Canadian and German colleions.

selected Works

“Robe parée”: dress and skirt, 1780-1790

Dresses referred to as “robes parées” were the height of fashion

between 1780 and 1785, and lent themselves wonderfully to the talents of

fashion merchants.

Extended by a train, this dress with its expensive and sophiicated

simplicity was deined for extraordinary circumances. It is attributed to

the talent of Mlle Rose Bertin, fashion merchant to Marie-Antoinette, Queen

of France, and one of the r personalities whose name was associated

with the fashion.

The dress is decorated with embroideries in metallic threads of

silk and chenille,

on the front of the skirt and on the long train.

In the middle of the 19th century the front of the dress has been modied

and the skirt narrowed. is dress, designed to be worn over the large

court hoops, can therefore no longer be presented as it was worn at the time.

Pair of men’s shoes, end of the 17th century - beginning of the 18th century

These luxurious men’s shoes are the extraordinary witnesses to the fashion for white shoes

with red heels which were worn at the court of Louis XIV. is type of shoe, decorated with large

bows, brooches and buckles, was intended to be worn at court by a monarch or a courtesan.

ey were regarded as a sign of particular elegance. Hyacinthe Rigaud draws particular attention to

them in his large portrait of Louis XIV in royal coume, dated 1701. e famous red heels appeared

at the court of France around 1670. ey were worn up to the end of the 18th century by the monarchs

of Europe.

Part I – Tour of the exhibition

Fashion and court dress

room 7

obe parée: dress and sirt, 1780-1790

air of men’s shoes,

end of the 17th century - beginning of

the 18th century © Dresden, Staatliche

Kunsammlungen Dresden

Marie-Antoinette in grand court outﬁt, Jean-Baptiste André Gaultier-Dagoty

(1740-1786), 1775

Marie-Antoinette is seen full length, her right hand reing on a globe.

Her grand court coume is made up of a grand corps or whalebone ays

with a wide oval décolleté, nishing in a point, a silk skirt over very large

petticoats, decorated with folds of riped gauze and punuated with

braid tassels. Finally she is wearing a court coat decorated with eurs de lys

and lined in ermine. Her hair is put up high, and on top is a velvet cushion

topped with a bunch of large white feathers xed by a diamond pin.

The foreign destination of the portrait and its political connotations

juied the painter’s insience on multiplying the eurs de lys in his

composition. e royal crown, the small rig of lilies placed on a gold-

trimmed cushion situated behind the harp, and the coat scattered with

the oral emblem are as much a symbol of French royalty.

The portrait was not unanimously celebrated. Initially intended for

the Empress Maria eresa, it seems that the Queen herself was not

satised with it, as she abandoned her plan of sending the canvas to her

mother and oered it to Prince Starhemberg in 1777. Madame Campan,

secretary to Marie-Antoinette, also teies to her dissatisfaion in her Memoirs, ating that this

portrait “revolted everyone with tae”.

arie-ntoinette in grand court

coume, by Jean-Baptie André

Gaultier-Dagoty (1740-1786), 1775

Versailles, château de Versailles

part ii

scenography

Dazzled and amazed

This exhibition at the château de Versailles of court pomp and royal ceremonies in Europe,

oers kings and queens a unique opportunity to live again through their portraits, court coumes

and jewellery, from ocial to everyday occasions: men and women in their majey.

With this scenography I wanted to communicate the emotion I felt on discovering these

lavish coumes, and these fabulous jewels which I was oered the opportunity of exhibiting, along

with the reonsibility of aging these unique objes, coumes and accessories worn by royal

personages and which were thus part of the heritage of the countries lending them. is posed a real

challenge, as of all the works and objes in museums, coumes are the mo demanding due

to their sensitivity to the conditions surrounding them.

These kings and queens await us with dignity as diated by Etiquette, majeic in their imposing

cases, in representative positions on the airs leading to their coronation or their throne.

Atmosphere and colours

In order to bring the procession of costumes to life and enhance them, together with

the large number of original paintings, the decorative backgrounds have been used to create

the atmohere. ese large-scale reproduions of the works of art of the period bring us nearer to

the large and small events in the life of the king, his coronation and ceremonies, along with scenes

of balls and hunting.

The harmony of the colours, two shades of grey with the rooms in green and red, and the lightness

of the exhibition ands are designed to make all the scenography immaterial, to make you forget

the dilay cases, the lighting, the humidiers, and allow the works to take their rightful place as

the protagonis in the exhibition.

To create the best view possible of these exceptional works, I conceived cases and ands

on an appropriate scale for each type of obje: coumes, jewellery, accessories, large paintings,

portraits, drawings, engravings and prints.

The variety of light sources creates relief and variations in the lighting, but remains within

the levels of illumination imposed by the conraints of conservation, namely a maximum of 50 lux.

Individual points of light or optical bres allow a jewel to shine or highlight a detail or a piece

of embroidery.

Part II – Scenography

a Royal sight

Controlled environment

Every scenography is a difficult compromise between the demands of the exhibition and

those of conservation, eecially in coume exhibitions, where the levels of lighting, temperature

and humidity have to be rily controlled.

Spotlights illuminate the large display cases through Perex ceilings, while the optical

bres provide cold and non-invasive lighting in the tted cases.

In order to respect the fragility of the costumes, the materials used in close proximity

and in conta with the objes are able and chemically neutral, while the humidiers create levels

of humidity in the rooms and dilay cases which support the conservation of the works.

Giada icci

part iII

Exhibition catalogue

A colleive publication under the aegis of Pierre Arizzoli-Clémentel and Pascale Gorguet-Balleeros

280 pages, 250 colour illurations, 52€

Publication March 2009

Since the Middle Ages, a typology of the coumes which were intended to serve the image

of the monarch and his courtiers has gradually emerged. At the end of the 17th and 18th centuries

there appeared at the European courts coumes which seemed like lavish uniforms, whose design

followed an unchanging pattern, contingent on the formalism of ceremonies and Etiquette,

and for which the court of Versailles became the model.

Unchanging in its forms, it was in the materials that court coume became the symbol of fashion

and luxury: gold and silver cloth, fully fashioned silks, metallic embroidery, diamonds and precious

ones, lace, etc. It was also through the renewal of its fabrics and parures that it became an expression

of power. But it was also to be seen as the be showcase for the luxury trade whose technical and

aehetic innovations it legitimised.

Most of the magnificent costumes presented at Château de Versailles have never le

their country. All the diversity of their funions will be illurated: the expression of political and

religious power aged on the occasion of ecial events such as weddings and coronations,

the coumes of an ordinary day in the life of the king, servants’ coumes, military and civilian

uniforms, but also “fashionable” coumes deriving from the creativity of the Parisian luxury indury.

Authors

Pierre Arizzoli-Clémentel, ireor eneral

of the ublic ablishment of ersailles

Pascale Gorguet- Balleeros, hief urator

at usée alliera, the aris ashion useum,

Lucien Bély, Lena Rangröm, Sally-Ann Héry-

Simoulin, Mathieu Da Vinha, etc.

Co-publication

Rmn éditions | château de Versailles

Format : 23 x 30,5 cm, 280 pages,

250 colour illurations.

Nomenclature : EP 195599, ISBN 9782711855995.

On sale at all bookshops.

Part III – Exhibition catalogue

COUrT POMP AND ROYAL CErEMONIES

1650-1800

Catalogue contents

Preface Jean-Jacques Aillagon

Preface Laurence Engel

A word from Karl Lagerfeld

Preface Pierre Arizzoli-Clémentel

Introduion Pascale Gorguet Balleeros

The speciﬁcities of court costume

e European courts, Lucien Bély

e Wardrobe Department: created by Louis XIV, Corinne épaut-Cabasset

e Menus-Plaisirs and the wardrobe of the ings of France in the th century, Raphaël Mariani

Some observations about court coume by the memorialis, Pierre Arizzoli-Clémentel

Charaerising court coume: proposals, Pascale Gorguet Balleeros

Power and glory

Permanence of the panier at the European courts, Amalia Descalzo

e materials of court coume, Lesley Ellis Miller

Embroidery of court coumes in France from Louis XIV to Louis XVI, Danièle Véron-Denise

Brilliant symbols of absolute monarchy, Marc Bascou

e ing and queen of France in majey, Hervé Pinoteau

e Episcopal ornaments executed for the coronation of the German Emperor Charles VII,

Dela von Boeselager

e pomp of the coronation of Guav III and Sophie Madeleine, Lena Rangröm

Magnicence of the Danish ings: coronation coumes and nights’ habits, Katia Johansen

e coronation robe of George III and the Order of the Garter, Joanna Marschner

e Order of the Golden Fleece, Katja Schmitz-von Ledebur

Livery people in the civil household of the ing of France, Mathieu da Vinha

Liveries and uniforms of the court of Peter Leopold, Grand Due of Tuscany, Roberta Orsi Landini

e role of the military household of the ing in court rites and pomp, Michel Hanotaux

Louis XIV and the myeries of the juaucorps à brevet (warrant coat), Sally-Ann Héry-Simoulin

Europe and the French model

French fashion at the Danish court of Frederic III, -, Katia Johansen

e inuence of Louis XIV on the ocial uniforms of Augu the Strong, Jutta von Bloh

French fashion and court coume in th century ussia, Tamara Korchounova and Nina Tarassova

Court coumes on paper: engraved portraits of the French court in the th century, Françoise Tétart-Vittu

e dissemination of luxury at the end of the Ancien Régime: Parisian shopeepers between

the court and the city, Natacha Coquery

e grand habit and fashion in France in the th century, Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell

e doll, r fashion model, Barbara Spadaccini-Day

e French wedding clothes of Prince Guav of Sweden, Lena Rangröm

ose Bertin, fashion designer of Queen Marie-Antoinette, and the orders of the Grand Duchess

of ussia, Maria Feodorovna, Natalia Vershinina

When Guav III introduced Swedish national coume, Lena Rangröm

Glossary

Bibliography

Index

annexes

glossary

around the exhibition

practical information

list of visuals available for the press

COSTUMES AND ACCESSOrIES

Barbes (Pinners)

Band(s) of at lace descending from the hair

along the neck.

Baudrier (Cross Belt)

Leather or fabric belt worn in a sling or at

the wai and holding a weapon.

Brandebourg

Trimming decoration adorning men’s clothes.

is motif is repeated for the jewellery.

Cadenette

Single tress or on either side of the face.

is hairyle owes its name to the Marquis

de Cadenet, who launched it at the beginning

of the 17th century.

Canons

Term r applied to the chausses, then to

the ounces of fabric placed at the bottom of

the haut-de-chausses, and laly to the linen

decorations attached to the bas-de-chausses

and attached below the knee by a garter.

Chape (Cope)

Also called pluvial. Originally a hooded coat

intended to prote again the rain.

Its charaeriic is that of being hooked up

in front and in the middle by a wide hook

called a fermail (cla) or mors de chape (cope

morse) and not on the shoulder like other coats.

A liturgical garment, it is adorned at the back

with a hood similar to the old cowl and is

decorated with rich orfreys.

Chausses

Masculine garment which covers the legs. It is

divided into upper chausses and lower chausses.

Corps à baleines (stays)

Garment worn by women on the bu, rigidied

by a succession of whalebones inserted between

the upper and lower fabric. rand corps

designates the ays of the grand habit, which

are conicuous for the wide décolleté

and raps placed very low on the shoulders.

Grand habit

Feminine clothing outt. It consis of the grand

corps, the skirt worn over a big panier and the

removable train of the skirt attached at the wai

by large hooks. Numerous lingerie, lace

and trimming accessories complement the outt.

Habit

Term designating both a clothing outt and,

more ecically, a masculine under-garment,

reaching to the knees, tted, buttoned, with long

sleeves and pockets. e evolution of the habit,

an outer garment, follows that of the inclinations

of the period: initially with skirted tails (basques

juponnées) and wide in front, it became more

and more moulded to the body, the front parts

became curved and were turned towards

the back, the cued sleeves became narrow.

Habit à la française

Masculine outt composed of the habit, a jacket

or waicoat and culotte (trousers). It became

wrongly synonymous with the masculine habit

de cour since it was worn at all the European

courts. In reality, it was not a garment reserved

for court life, but between 1790 and 1800 a certain

type of habit à la française appeared whose

shape and richly embroidered decoration teies

to curial use.

Annexes

Glossary

Haut-de-chausses

Upper part of the chausses. Reaching to the knee,

ample and bouant under Louis XIV, and

dissimulated under the rhinegrave, the hauts-

de-chausses gradually lo their volume to

become the culotte (trousers) worn throughout

the 18th century.

Hoqueton (Smock-frock)

Part of the ceremonial uniform worn by

the Guards of the Prevoship of the Hotel (His

Majey’s “smock-frocks”) and the Guards of

the Sleeve; it is a kind of chasuble covered with

embroidery, worn over the ordinary outt.

Justaucorps

Term which appears in the 1660s. A long outer

jacket, tted to the body, with elbow-length, then

long sleeves. Initially open, it then became closed

by a succession of small buttons. e name

juaucorps was progressively replaced by that of

habit in the r half of the 18th century.

Manchettes (Cuffs)

Lingerie ounce or lace decorating the sleeves.

Manteau (Coat)

Outer garment. A term designating several

kinds of habits. At the end of the 17th and in the

18th century, a manteau d’homme [man’s coat]

was a cape reaching to the knee. An habit à

manteau was an habit, a juaucorps/habit,

waicoat and culotte provided with this cape.

e manteau was also, in the 1670-1690s, a

woman’s dress with a bodice without ays worn

on top of the ays and opening onto one or

several underskirts. e skirt of the manteau is

oen lied up and turned towards the back by

means of various ornaments. In the 18th

century, a manteau sometimes designated a dress

à la française, of which it is in fa the anceor.

Mantilla

Piece of lace or lingerie which covers

the shoulders.

Mantua

Special form of dress worn over ays, with tted

back and with the skirt lied up at the back and

pleated to form a narrow ap of fabric of a length

not exceeding than that of the under-skirt.

e mantua de cour was worn over a skirt placed

on a big panier and remained in use in England

until the beginning of the 19th century. is form

of habit de cour (court dress) never exied

in France. At the English court it was worn by

the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting since only

the Queen and the princesses of royal blood could

wear the grand habit.

Palatine

Large pointed chu, with a rounded point

at the back. It was made of lace and gaze de soie

(silk gauze). It took its name from the Princess

Palatine, the sier-in-law of Louis XIV.

Panier

Petticoat iened by a series of whalebones

or wicker hoops arranged at regular intervals.

It succeeded the farthingale and the garde-infant.

It appears in French fashion around 1720.

ere were dierent shapes and dierent sizes of

paniers. e grand panier was reserved for

the grand habit.

Parements

Front part of a garment.

Petite oye (ribbons and points)

Set of ribbons and laces worn in the 1650-1680s

to decorate a man’s habit. is term originally

designated goose giblets.

Pourpoint

Jacket, usually masculine, short, with or without

basques.

Queue

Train. e word train is not used in the 18th

century, either for masculine or feminine

garments. ueue de jupe designates the removable

train of a feminine grand habit.

Rhinegrave

Kind of short skirt, ample, pleated or gathered,

worn over the haut-de-chausses and decorated

with ribbons. It is sometimes an haut-de-chausse

reaching very low on the legs. e name

apparently derives from the outt of a palatine

count of the Rhine, “Rheingraf”, the brother

of Charlotte of Bavaria, a Palatine princess and

the wife of Monsieur, the brother of Louis XIV,

who came to France in 1671 for his sier’s wedding.

is origin is diuted however, since the rhine-

grave appeared well before the visit of this count.

e rhinegrave disappeared around 1680.

Robe à l’anglaise (English style dress)

Dress worn over an under-skirt. e bodice

is tted and ends in a point below the wai. It is

worn with a bule or padding placed at

the base of the back.

Robe chemise (Shirt-dress)

Straight dress in one piece and closed in front,

with ounced neckline, in muslin or cotton.

Robe fourreau (Sheath dress)

Dress opening onto a skirt. It is conicuous

for the back, widened by a double series of double

at pleats which are prolonged in the skirt.

Robe parée

Contemporary name designating dresses opening

onto a skirt of a dierent shape (à la française

or à l’anglaise with turned up skirt) diinguished

by embroidered decor diributed over the facings,

sleeves and front of the skirt.

Robe à la polonaise (Polish style dress)

Dress opening onto a skirt, with tted back,

seams oen emphasised with trimming, and the

skirt of which could be turned up in three parts

by ties sewn inside the garment.

Robe redingote

Dress à l’anglaise decorated with large pointed

collars and sometimes with big buttons; it

derives from the masculine riding coat.

Robe tunique (Tunic dress)

Straight dress with the wai positioned ju

below the bosom.

Robe Watteau

Designates a dress à la française.

Soubreveste (Sleeveless jacket)

is is ecic to the Mousquetaires du Roy

(King’s Musketeers), to whom it was attributed

in 1680. It is a kind of blue-coloured chasuble

with a cross in front and at the back as well as on

the shoulders, and with silver braiding. e

soubrevee is not worn by the “grands ociers”;

its braiding depends on the grade (from maréchal

des logis (marshal of lodgings) to simple musketeer)

and the cross is dierent depending on the company.

Tournure (Bustle)

Half-crinoline placed under the skirt in the 1880s.

e tournure did not exi in the 18th century.

It derived from the panier.

Trousses

auts-de-chausses opping half-way down

the thigh and bouant.

Veste

Masculine under-garment with sleeves. e vee is

worn under the habit.

textiles

Armure (Weave)

“Method of meshing we and warp threads

”

Broché

Designates an “ee of a drawing formed by a

we which limits its use to the width of the

motifs it produces”. “Fabric in which such wes

participate

.”

Broderie en couchure

Spun or sewn at next to one another by the

same itch of silk thread.

Broderie en rapport

Decor by means of detached parts embroidered

on a lattice xed to a background fabric.

e embroidery, held in place by the lattice, is

then cut out, removed from its background and

sold. is embroidery technique is also

designated by the term broderie d’application.

Chenille

“reads comprising short fringes close

together ordinarily used as trame de broche

(brocade we)”

. Gives the decor the appearance

of cut velvet.

Chiné à la branche

“18th century silk fabric with polychrome

designs prepared on groups of threads (branches)

by successive teintures avec réserve

”. e branches

form the warp of the fabric and “provide the

formation of the design

”. is design has an

irregular, epped contour.

Damas (Damask)

“Fully-fashioned fabric composed of a background

ee and a design ee conituted by the warp

side and the we side of the same basic weave

”.

Drap d’argent (Silver cloth)

Hioric name designating a lamé fabric.

Façonné

“Fabric whose decor is formed by the weave

”.

Gourgouran

Trade name designating a fabric of the plain kind.

Gros de Naples

Trade name designating a silk fabric whose

weave is similar to gros de ours.

Gros de Tours

“Weave with two threads whose ribbing is due

solely to the insertion of several consecutive

we rokes in the same pass

Indienne

Generic term designating any cotton, or linen

and cotton fabric, with a painted and dyed or

printed decor. ndiennes are produced in India

and in Europe.

Lame (Strip)

“in, narrow metallic ribbon (gold, silver gilt or

silver) obtained by cutting out a leaf or by

lamination of a trait

”. e rip is used as is or

rolled around a silk core.

Lamé

“Qualies a fabric, or a twill weave, comprising

gold or silver rips. By extension, fabric with

a metallic base

”.

Lampas

“Luxury fabric conituted essentially by a back-

ground we (a «ground weave») or supplementary

wes, typically in taeta or sergé, by the threads

of a binding warp. ese ees and out on a simple

background weave built by one or two warps

”.

Lancé

“Design ee formed by an additional we

passing throught the cloth width.”

Liseré

“Design ee formed by a background we

”

Filé

Round thread composed of a metal rip rolled

around a silk core.

Mousseline (Muslin)

Very ne, tranarent cotton cloth, originally

manufaured in India. e name derives from

that of the city of Mossul, which exports this

cloth. ere are several kinds.

Nué

Known in embroidery to designate motifs whose

decor is formed by criss-crossing threads.

roderie en nuance is “the art of blending nuances

to convey light or roundness

”.

Paillettes (Sequins)

Small perforated, gilded, silvered or coloured

metal rounds, applied on a background fabric.

Paillon (Spangles)

Small silvered, gilt or varnished metal plaque,

cut out according to the desired decor.

Satin

“Weave whose bonds are dissimulated among

the adjacent ottés, in order to form a plain, at

surface which only shows ottés

”.

Sergé

“Weave charaerised by oblique ribbing obtained

by moving with a single thread to the right or

the le, all the bonding itches on each we pass

”

Taffetas

Silk fabric executed according to the taeta

weave, i.e.: “weave limited to two threads and

two rokes and in which the uneven and even

threads alternate at each roke, above and

below the we

”.

Uni (Plain)

“Uniform charaer of the surface of a fabric.

By extension, a fabric where the weave is repeated

without interruption over its entire surface […].

Antonym of faconné”.

Velours coupé

“Plain or fully fashioned velvet whose surface is

conituted by the threads of one or several

supplementary warps” “set up over a background

weave and seioned at the same level

”.

1. rench vocabulary of the nternational entre for the tudy of ncient extiles, Lyon, 1997.

2. Charles Germain de Saint Aubin, ’rt du rodeur (1770), in es rts de l’habillement, Geneva, 2004, p. 23.

Themed visits

Themed visits dedicated to the exhibition ourt pomp and royal ceremonies are planned for the 5, 14, 19,

21, 24, 29 April, 2, 3, 5, 12, 15, 16, 17, 19, 26 May and 4 June 2009 at 10 am.

Information and reservations: +33(0)1 30 83 78 00

visites.conferences@chateauversailles.fr

The symposium

As part of the research program “Dressing at Court: typology, uses and economics”,

The Château de Versailles Research Centre

is organising an international symposium

on the visual and material culture of dress in the courts of Europe (1300 – 1815).

The symposium will be held in early June in the auditorium of the château and is organised

in cooperation with the Septentrion Initute of Hiorical Research of the Université de Lille 3.

is international symposium will focus on two closely related themes: the material culture

and visual cultures of dress in uropean courts from the end of the iddle ges, when a “body of

fashion” was invented, to the lendour of the rench mpire. is symposium addresses three

very aive elds of research – ourt tudies, the hiory of the material culture and the culture of dress

and appearance in visual cultures. e multi-disciplinary approach will bring together hiorians,

art hiorians and curators along with coume designers, ethnologis and lm udy ecialis.

e r part of the symposium will concern princely and royal wardrobes in urope from the enaissance

to the end of the th century. e second part will be dedicated to hiorical images of courtly

dress yles. e nal part of the symposium will concern recreations of court dress and its inuence

on contemporary fashion.

Information and enrolment: www.chateauversailles-recherche.fr

Educational activities

During the Easter school holidays, workshops on court dress will be oered for children ages 8 to

11 on 8, 15 and 22 April 2009 from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm.

During the workshop, children will learn about the importance of dress at court and be introduced

to the rich materials used. Each child will have the chance to dress up as a prince or lady of

the court and will have their photo taken in coume.

eservations can be made from Monday to Friday beginning 30 March 2009, ace permitting.

Charge: 5,50 € per child.

Information and enrolment from the Educational aivities oce on +33(0)1 30 83 78 00.

Annexes

Around the exhibition

ross belt with animal design (detail),

mid-17th century

Visits for special groups

Adapted guided visits on the theme of the exhibition are led by a guide who eaks sign language

for people who are deaf or have a hearing disability. ey are scheduled for Saturday 25 April

and Saturday 2 May at 2.30 pm.

Charge: 5,50 € for the guided visit (includes entry to the Château); free for accompanying person.

Information and reservations: Special groups oce +33(0)1 30 83 75 05

handicap@chateauversailles.fr

établissement public du musée

et du domaine national de Versailles

rP 834

78008 Versailles Cedex FrANCE

Exhibit held in

Africa and Crimea Rooms in the château de Versailles

Informations

+()    

www.chateauversailles.fr

faesdecour.chateauversailles.fr

Getting there

SNCF Versailles-Chantier train ation (leaves from Paris Montparnasse)

SNCF Versailles-Rive Droite train ation (leaves from Paris Saint-Lazare)

RER Versailles-Rive Gauche regional train ation (leaves from Paris Ligne C)

Bus 171, Versailles Place d’Armes op (leaves from Pont de Sèvres)

Handicap accessibility

People with reduced mobility may be dropped o by car or by taxi near entrance H

in the Court of Honour.

Opening hours

e exhibit is open every day except Mondays from 9 am to 6.30 pm (la admission is at 6 pm)

Rates

15 € (château + exhibit), reduced rate 11,50 €

Unguided visits

Information: +()    

Annexes

Practical Information

Louis XIV in grand royal costume

in 1701

Hyacinthe Rigaud (1659-1743) ) (based on),

Versailles, château de Versailles

Louis XV, King of France (1710 - 1774)

in 1717

Juinat Auguin (?-1743) painter,

18th century, reign of Louis XV (1723 - 1774)

Versailles, château de Versailles

Louis XV (1710 - 1774), King of France

and Navarre, in grand royal coat

in 1760

Fredou Jean Martial (1710-1795),

based on Van Loo Louis-Michel (1707-1771),

1763

château de Versailles

Crown of Louis XV

(created for the coronation)

Also referred to as the personal crown of Louis XV

Auguin Duot (1715 - 1774), Clause Rondé

(based on), 1722

Wedding suit of Gustave III

1766

Coronation suit of prince heir of

Gustave III of Sweden

29 May 1772

Court dress (grand costume)

worn for the coronation of Sophie

Madeleine: train

29 May 1772

Emblem of the Toison d’Or decorated

with yellow topaz from Brazil

1755-1756

Jürgen Karpinski

Frock coat and skirt

Around 1780-1785

Hunting suit donated by Louis XV

to King Christian VII of Denmark

(1749 - 1808)

1768

Rosenborg cale

Child’s dress, trousseau item created

for the future child of Edwige

Elisabeth Charlotte, sister in law of

King Gustave III of Sweden

1798

Decorated robes: dress and skirt

Attributed to Rose Bertin, 1780-1790

Pair of men’s shoes

End of 17th century - beginning of 18th century

Harness with animal motif (detail)

Middle of 17th century

Annexes

List of visuals

available for the press

Suit of knights of the order of Saint-

Esprit belonging to the Emperor

Alexander I of Russia (1777 - 1825)

1815

Wedding dress (grand costume) of

Edwige Elisabeth Charlotte de Holstein -

Gottorp, wife of Prince Karl and sister

in law of King Gustave III of Sweden

1774

Diamond necklace belonging to

Queen Amélie-Auguste (1752 - 1828)

wife of Frédéric Auguste I

(1750 - 1827), King of Saxony

Ignaz Konrad Plödterl (maer in 1819 - + 1835)

Second half of the 18th century and 1824

Dresden | Hans-Peter Klut

Grand doll’s costume: grand bodice,

skirt, train

Around 1769-1775

Fashion Museum

Dressing gown of King Frédéric IV of

Denmark (1671 – 1730): dressing

gown and undergarment, hat, pair

of mules

Around 1700

Rosenborg cale

Portrait of Yolande de Polastron,

Duchess of Polignac (1749 - 1793)

Louise Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun,

1782

château de Versailles

exhibition’s partners

partners’ forms

e exhibition has been mounted thanks to the patronage of

and with the support of the Réunion des musées nationaux

In media partnership with

With the collaboration of maison Houlès

through the intermediary of the Société des Amis de Versailles

for the supply of fabrics and Erco for the lighting services

CHANEL

Beauty, luxury, rarity and a desire for perfeion have eablished the reputation of French couture

all over the world.

CHANEL, a leading gure in the world of Parisian couture, has a duty to defend these values of

excellence on a worldwide scale and to arm the uncompromising reputation of French fashion.

CHANEL is thus participating in the exhibition which is to be held between 31 March and 28 June 2009

at the château de Versailles entitled “Court pomp and Royal Ceremonies”.

This exceptional, original project has attraed the attention of CHANEL because of the symbolic

nature of the garments which we have received which express a rong community of language

and airations.

Just as CHANEL created and developed the dierent codes or elements of an aehetic language

of the 20th century, the French court was a model for other courts in Europe. e French inuence

on the coumes of European courts was a kind of political language.

Through its partnership with the Chateau de Versailles, CHANEL is expressing its desire to open

up to dierent horizons and support the promotion of European cultural heritage.

Exhibition’s partners – Partners’ forms

patron

contact

Alexandra Lingeri-Gardon

01 40 86 27 33

alexandra.lingeri-gardon@

chanel-corp.com

clearCHAnNEL

Clear Channel outdoor, which is present in 61 countries, is the world leader in the external

advertising market with 97,300 billpoing syems and a turnover of around 3,000 million dollars

in 2006. which is present in 61 countries, is the world leader in the external advertising market

with 97,300 billpoing syems and a turnover of around 3,000 million dollars in 2006.

Tod ay

Clear Channel France is the only player to be present in all elds of external communication

combining urban and peri-urban areas (large poers, urban furniture, trams, buses) and the exclusive

areas of ations, undergrounds, shopping centres and car parks.

Clear Channel France has been committed for a number of years to supporting a range of cultural

campaigns including various partnerships with dierent locations dedicated to art (éâtre National

de l’Opéra, Paris, Musée d’Art Moderne, Paris, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Nancy and Bordeaux,

Musée d’Orsay and le Louvre, Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyon,

etc.) and partnerships with various feivals (Cannes feical, Francofolies, La Rochelle, Jazz Feival,

Antibes – Juan les Pins, Les Nuits de Fourvière, Nancy Jazz Pulsation), etc.

Clear Channel France is currently involved with the exhibition entitled “Court pomp and Royal

Ceremonies” which will be held between 31 March and 28 June 2009 by making its billpoing

networks available to raise the awareness of as many people as possible to this exceptional cultural event.

Exhibition’s partners – Partners’ forms

media partner

press contact

Chriine Pacault

01 41 86 43 04 | 06 80 88 44 44

cpacault@clearchannel.fr