The Coaches Gallery of the Palace of Versailles is one of the most important collections of horse-drawn vehicles in Europe
Designed to impress
Upon entering the Gallery, one cannot help marveling at his works of wood and gilded bronze. Admiring these vehicles, heavy with symbols, one is like projecting back in time : one imagines the carriage, drawn by a team of horses, moving with majestic slowness. A crowned head leans slightly out of the window and waves to the crowd. Adorned profusely with gold and carvings, these stately vehicles were designed to impress. They represent monarchy, pageantry, wealth and tradition. The carriages of the Gallery are the creations of the best artists and luxury craftsmen of the Court: architects, carpenter, saddler-coach maker, mirror maker, locksmith, bronzier, chaser, gilder, founder, painter, plater, trimmer, embroiderer…
Made during the reign of Louis XV
In this new space, visitors will be able to relive the great moments in the history of France by admiring the sedans from the wedding of Napoleon I, the coach for the coronation of Charles X, the funeral chariot of Louis XVIII, and also the small coaches of the children of Marie-Antoinette and an astonishing collection of fancy sleighs made during the reign of Louis XV. Both a museum of French history and an 18th and 19th century Motor Show, the Galerie des Carrosses presents the most beautiful prototypes and the latest advances in French coachbuilding in terms of comfort, performance and technique: traction, suspension, first convertible coupes. In France, the first carriages appeared during the reign of Louis XIV around 1660-1665 in Paris.
A beautiful scenography
The scenography of this new museum space of 1000m² and composed of two galleries, highlights the details, gilding and embroidery of these sumptuous carriages. The Royal Stables built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart between 1679 and 1682 opposite the Palace of Versailles were housed in the King’s Small and Large Stables under the Old Regime. True jewels of classic French architecture, these two buildings were first intended to house the hair and carriages of the King and the Court. After being dispersed during the great revolutionary sales at the end of the French Revolution, Louis-Philippe manages to assemble the collection of historic carriages when he transforms the Palace of Versailles into a museum dedicated “To all the glories of France” in 1837 .
Carriage Gallery – Galerie des Carrosse
1 Avenue Rockefeller,
78000 Versailles
https://www.chateauversailles.fr/decouvrir/domaine/les-ecuries-royales/galerie-carrosse
