NEW YORK—Upon entering the “Visitors to Versailles (1682–1789)” exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, we first see a huge tapestry portraying the château that Louis XIV had build when renovating his father’s hunting lodge. Garlands suspended from Ionic columns frame the French crown property that would transform into the magnificent Versailles we know today. In the tapestry’s foreground, on a balustrade, a boy with a dog, a peacock in profile, and two vases bursting with flowers draw our attention into the scene.
“They created this sort of theatrical decor to focus on the castle—really wonderful!” said H.R.H. Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia on April 9, at a preview of the exhibition, which runs until July 29.
