" But
the work had continued, as the King commanded, and when he finally
entered into possession of his new palace in 1682 with all his Court,
thirty-six thousand men and six thousand horses were still engaged in
making matters comfortable and satisfactory for His Glorious Majesty.
"The State," exclaimed the Sun King, "it is I!" and in the same mood he
might have added, "Versailles--it is the State!"
CHAPTER III
THE LUXURY OF VERSAILLES
The Splendors of the Chateau--its Apartments and Gardens, the Hall of
Mirrors
In planning the interior decorations at Versailles, the numerous
company of artists employed by the sovereign devised a scheme of
ornamentation inspired by the arts of ancient Rome. Mythological and
historical subjects were utilized for the glorification of the Grand
Monarch. A _Description_ of the chateau, officially printed in 1674,
gives us the key to the interpretation of the allegories. "As the Sun
is the device of the King, and poets represent the Sun and Apollo as
one, nothing exists in this superb dwelling that does not bear relation
to the Sun divinity."
The emblem of Apollo was in evidence everywhere; signs of the month
ornamented facades and walls; and inside the palace and out were
symbols of the seasons and the hours of the day. The King's apartment
bore on its ceiling and walls paintings depicting deeds of seven heroes
of Antiquity, supported by Louis' planet emblem.
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