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Mesdames’ Apartments

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Mesdames’ Apartments

The Mesdames’ apartments are symmetrical to the apartments of the Dauphin and Dauphine. Like them, they were turned into museum rooms by Louis-Philippe and recently restored to their state of princely apartments. Mesdames, as the six daughters of Louis XV were referred to, settled there in 1752, but only two of them, Adelaide and Victoire – who did not marry and lived a long life – lived there until the revolution.

Interior Chamber of Madame AdelaideShow

Interior Chamber of Madame Adelaide

This small room was famous in its time as Madame de Pompadour’s red lacquer cabinet chamber. Indeed, the mistress of Louis XV, once she had become the king’s “friend” in 1750, occupied what would subsequently become the apartment of Madame Adelaide; she also died there in 1764. With its highly refined furniture and souvenirs from Bellevue castle, the preferred residence of Mesdames, the current layout of Madame Adelaide’s interior chamber evokes this princess who, according to the Countess of Boigne “had an extreme need for the studied elegance invented by luxury”.

Madame Adelaide’s BedchamberShow

Madame Adelaide’s Bedchamber

It was bedroom of the Count of Toulouse, legitimate son of Louis XIV and Francoise-Athénaïs de Montespan, from 1724 to 1737, the duke of Penthièvre, son of the latter, from 1737 to 1744, and the Duchess of Penthièvre from 1744 to 1750. It then became the bedroom of the Marquise de Pompadour, who died there on April 15, 1764. The room of Marie-Josèphe of Saxony in 1766, but the Dauphine passed away, on March 13, 1767, before being able to settle there; however, after her death, she was exposed there on a ceremonial bed. It was the room of Madame Victoire from 1767 to 1769, and lastly, Madame Adelaide from 1769 to 1789.
The woodwork was probably carried out for the Dauphine in 1766, except for the frames of the overdoors, which are undoubtedly a “reuse” of the decor from Madame de Pompadour’s room: they frame four paintings by Natoire representing allegories of Painting, Sculpture, Architecture and Music.
In the alcove, whose wall covering evokes Madame Adelaide’s “summer furniture”, hang the portraits of Louis XV by Carle Van Loo and of Mesdames Sophie and Louise by Drouais. On the chimney, sits a beautiful bust of the Dauphin, brother of Madame Adelaide, by Augustin Pajou. The admirable seats were created circa 1770 by Nicolas-Quinibert Foliot and are from the old royal furniture.

Madame Adelaide’s Large ChamberShow

Madame Adelaide’s Large Chamber

It was Madame de Pompadour who gave this room its current form, and the chimney made of Serancolin marble was installed for her. The rich woodwork that adorned it has entirely disappeared, but the cornice made for Madame Adelaide has been restored. The small organ probably belonged to the princess, as well as the violin which “she played exceptionally well”.
Nattier painted the portraits of her older sisters: Madame Elisabeth, Duchess of Parma and Madame Henriette playing the bass viol: Madame Adelaide had placed that painting in her large chamber. There is an overdoor of Mesdames Victoire, Sophie and Louise by Drouais. On the chimney there is a bust of Madame Elisabeth, sister of Louis XVI and niece of Madame Adelaide.

Hoquetons SalonShow

Hoquetons Salon

The guards of the provostship, who were in charge of the palace police, were called “hoquetons” because of the tunics they wore. This room, which they usually occupied, received a décor done in trompe-l’oeil in 1672 representing weapons trophies and statues in false niches.
Madame de Pompadour had divided the room to form two antechambers, which were then used for the Dauphine, Madame Victoire and lastly Madame Adelaide, but which were not restored.
In the niches there are two statues: a Moor made of polychromatic marble from the collections of the Borghese princes, and an admirable figure of a draped woman, whose body is ancient, but whose bronze head and arms are the work of Algarde, a famous 17th century Roman sculptor.
The extraordinary clock of the Creation of the world was commissioned by Joseph-François Dupleix, managing director of the French trading posts in India, who wanted to offer it to an Indian prince: designed by Passemant, it was created in 1754 by clockmaker Joseph-Léonard Roque and bronzesmith François-Thomas Germain.