Interieur van de Salon de la Guerre in het paleis van Versailles 1858

Florent Grau made this photograph of the Salon de la Guerre in the Palace of Versailles, a monument to French opulence and power. These grand interiors weren't just backdrops; they were stages where identity, status, and political ambition played out. Versailles was the creation of King Louis XIV, and in this space, power was performed. What does it mean to construct a space dedicated to war? How do we interpret its visual excess? Think of the enslaved and working-class peoples who enabled such grandeur through their labor. The Salon de la Guerre is a statement, but perhaps one that is now haunted by the echoes of inequality and conflict that such displays of dominance often mask. Grau’s photograph invites us to consider the complex layers of history embedded in spaces like Versailles.