Yet the glory of these apartments was outdone by the later achievements
of architect and decorators in the Salons of War and Peace and the Hall
of Mirrors that joins them. In the cupola of the Salon of War the
great Lebrun painted an allegorical picture of France hurling
thunderbolts and carrying a shield blazoned with the portrait of King
Louis, while Bellona, Spain, Holland and Germany are shown crouching in
awe. The colored marbles of the walls contrasted brilliantly with
gilded copper bas-reliefs. Six portraits of Roman emperors contributed
to the impressiveness of the Salon, and on the wall was a stucco relief
of the King of France on horseback, clad like a Roman. The Salon of
Peace was also decorated by Lebrun's adept brush. A ceiling piece
portrays France and her conquered enemies rejoicing in the fruits of
Peace. And, again, there are portraits of the ever-present Louis and
the Caesars of Rome. Both these splendid halls remain to-day much as
they were in the time of their creator.
Most lavish is the decoration of the Grand Hall of Mirrors--"the
epitome of absolutism and divine right and the grandeur of the House of
Bourbon." For two hundred and forty feet it extends along the terrace
that surveys the gardens where Louis XIV and his successors delighted
to ordain fetes of unimaginable gayety. Gorgeously costumed courtiers,
women that dictated the fate of dynasties, diplomats of our day bent
upon the solution of world-rocking problems, all have gazed from this
resplendent gallery upon the fountains and allees that beautify the
scene below.
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