Sunday 31 July 2011

Vicarious France 2 - Versailles and Painty Stuff

We had a brief but welcome break the last day we were in France after a lot of long hours working and we were grateful for a quick dash to the Palace of Versailles. The Palace is amazing but trust me ...don't visit on a Saturday afternoon early in July. There is too much to show you it all...but here is a touch of the painty stuff.

First off all every room has it's skirting boards marbled to match the fireplaces...nice touch

baseboards matching the fireplace below

I think this is Breche d'Alep Marble

There is the most beautiful room that is all painted in the most exquisite trompe l'oil....

James looking a tad glakit


jaw droppingly gorgeous


This is my favourite - the shell

lots of marbling...most of it stunning like this

and beautifully combined...nothing is overworked


OK so this is perhaps a little OTT for ...almost too much take in

my favourite bit of the mural painting was this central design
I have to say that  there is so much of everything you almost become inured to the beauty...after you have seen endless mural paintings it is the cartouche and the actual layout that starts to catch your eye


There is endless real marble (I will compile an album for my marbling mates) and much as I hate to say this but it does become samey...you start to think that these Palace dwellers got a job lot from their interior designer. So turning a corner and finding this fabulous raised and gilded ornamentation is really refreshing - and like everything else it is of exquisite quality.

I love this marbled ceiling
There are a few of these marbled ceilings and I LOVE them. They again are not overworked, the layout is simple and the marbling well composed. Any busier and it would look horribly false...and yet panels of Carrara marble would be impossible to put on a ceiling like this so it should FEEL false, but it doesn't.

Deliciously gilded doors
This look I saw in a few places, Paris Grey doors with gilded panel bead. It is so Parisian so chic...where oh where can I put it????

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