View of the Chateau of Versailles Showing the Chapel by Jacques Rigaud

View of the Chateau of Versailles Showing the Chapel c. 1730

print, etching, engraving

pencil drawn

architectural sketch

amateur sketch

light pencil work

print

etching

pencil sketch

incomplete sketchy

charcoal drawing

pencil drawing

pen-ink sketch

france

engraving

pencil art

Jacques Rigaud’s “View of the Chateau of Versailles Showing the Chapel” (c. 1730), a detailed etching, provides an architectural perspective of the Palace of Versailles. The central focus of the print is the Royal Chapel, a prominent structure, featuring a high dome and intricate detailing. The view captures the grandeur of the palace and the lively, bustling atmosphere of the royal court. Rigaud's meticulous work, characterized by fine lines and detailed depictions of the architecture, highlights the elegance and splendor of Versailles. This etching showcases the renowned French palace and provides a glimpse into the grandeur of French architecture during the Rococo period.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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The chapel at Versailles was begun toward the end of Louis XIV's massive construction effort and completed in 1710, just five years before the king's death. Jacques Rigaud, an accomplished illustrator and engraver of city and palace views, animated his architectural prints by populating the foregrounds with images of polite society. Here in the plaza in front of the chateau he depicts fashionable ladies and gentleman promenading and conversing, dogs running about, and two high-ranking visitors arriving in sedan chairs, carried by servants. Such bustling activity at the palace was quite common, as an estimated 1,000 courtiers kept rooms-pied-à-terres-in the chateau, accompanied by some 4,000 attendants. In addition, the staterooms and gardens at Versailles were open to the public, accessible to anyone in proper attire.