Veüe generale du chateau de Versailles 1680s

Curator: This engraving from the 1680s by Adam Perelle offers a general view of the Chateau de Versailles, a sort of period advertisement, wouldn't you say? Editor: Absolutely, it gives off such an orderly vibe. A perfectly manicured landscape that is… impressive and, maybe a bit unnerving? The detail is remarkable for its time. Look at the sheer volume of tiny people! It's as if they're marching in step with the geometry of the gardens. Curator: The technique is indeed noteworthy. The precision achieved through engraving and etching allowed for the wide dissemination of images, which really contributed to the palace’s allure and set standards for other aristocratic landscapes of the era. Each line, etched into the metal plate, replicated to broadcast an agenda. Editor: Right, and it wasn’t just the nobles soaking it in. This image also suggests the power, not just visually, but because who are those tiny folk, going about their business on the grounds. I get this funny feeling that, although small in scale within the artwork, they were critical to the palace’s function. It almost brings to mind busy ants working relentlessly, and that feels sort of relevant. Curator: It emphasizes how baroque landscapes transformed labor and the construction of elaborate settings, so I find the class element fascinating to examine. Who toiled to bring the gardens into fruition and sustained them for Louis XIV’s aesthetic and political statement? Editor: It definitely is about labor and status. Yet, from this vantage, and from an almost godlike viewpoint of Versailles. It looks like an idealized miniature world – a perfect bubble built on... well, something far more complex than the etching might immediately reveal. What is it that the elite do that mere folks aren't, besides getting depicted within landscape etchings in engravings? It does make you consider these things. Curator: Precisely. This is more than just art; it’s propaganda etched into paper and disseminated far and wide, playing a role in shaping the grand narrative of Louis XIV’s reign, and the French monarchy at that moment. Editor: It does give pause about our present visual era. So thank goodness for all of the makers of counter narratives too, in any age, perhaps, hmm? Curator: Precisely.