Feestzaal in de tuinen van het paleis van Versailles, 1726 1726

This print, created in 1726 by an anonymous artist, depicts a 'Feestzaal' or ballroom, in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles. The Palace, commissioned by Louis XIV, stood as a symbol of absolute power in a society deeply stratified by class. This carefully planned landscape wasn't just for show. It was a stage, designed to impress and control. The garden's geometric precision reflects the era's emphasis on reason and order. The artist is not named, highlighting the ways that visibility and acknowledgement were, and remain, unevenly distributed. It makes you wonder about the labor of those who built and maintained this space, those whose names were never recorded alongside this monument to power. The print captures a moment in time, but also reflects ongoing dialogues about who gets to create, who gets remembered, and what stories we choose to tell.