Versailles Hall of Mirrors Reopens
Public Welcomed Again After More Than Three Years of Restoration
Although the Hall of Mirrors was never completely closed to the public, it has now been reopened in its entirety after a $16 million restoration.
Following a three-year, $16 million restoration, the Chateau of Versailles has reopened its famed Hall of Mirrors to the public. Traditionally, this type of work is paid for by the state, but this project was financed by a French construction firm, Vinci. It is said to be the largest cultural patronage project in France ever done by a private company. Since the passing of a 2003 law that gives French firms more tax incentive to support the arts, private patronage has become more common.
Vincent Guerre was in charge of renovating the gallery’s 357 mirrors. After spending years coming to Versailles nearly every day, Guerre told the Associated Press that he was proud of his work, but also sad that it had come to an end.
“Personally, when I put in the last mirror and saw the work was finished, I was very moved,” he said. “I told myself ‘OK, this is done, but it also means you won't come here everyday anymore.’ This is a place we would like to spend more time in.”
Of the hundreds of mirrors, Guerre said about 70 percent of them dated to the 17th century when the hall opened. The mirrors were repaired and polished, although a bit of graffiti was left, including the signature “Rene,” which Guerre said was inscribed during a previous restoration.
The Charles Le Brun paintings on the ceiling were a particular challenge of the restoration. The paintings mark significant moments during the reign of the Sun King, Louis XIV who ordered the construction of the hall as a monument to himself.
“We have restored its youth, brightened its marbles, rediscovered its hues,” said Frederic Didier, chief architect of France's historic monuments. “Visitors will have a better idea now of what this festive place was really like.”
The 800-square meter Hall of Mirrors, or galerie des glaces, as it is know in French, has been the scene of a few major historical events. Then Prime Minister of France Georges Clemenceau chose the Hall of Mirrors for the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I. The treaty took place on June 28, 1919.
Other, less important but none-the-less interesting events took place in the Hall of Mirrors as well. In February of 1715, Louis XIV received the ambassador of the Shah of Persia, Mohamed Reza Beg. It was Louis XIV’s last embassy, but later it was learned that the ambassador was a fake and that the entire event was staged for the benefit of the Sun King.
