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Berlin coaches, royal and imperial carriages from the Versailles collections took the road for Arras, to be admired from March 17th till November 10th at the fine art museum of the city.
Roulez carrosses ! is the first French exhibition devoted to horse-drawn vehicles. It is also the opening exhibition of the partnership signed between the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Region and the city of Arras, in July 2011, according to which the Château de Versailles has engaged for the first time in a process of cultural decentralisation.
Converted in 1856 for the baptism of the Prince Imperial, according to drawings by Percier.
Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon.
© RMN (Château de Versailles), Gérard Blot.
Paintings, sculptures, sledges, sedan chairs, horse harnesses and several outstanding carriages from the Versailles collection were hosted at the Musée des Beaux-Arts offering a journey through the History of France. The Versailles collection in fact contains an impressive number of historical carriages ordered for a specific event. So a choice was made to show those that were most significant historically, the most beautiful aesthetically and the most diverse technically. Eight carriages recounting History from the end of the Ancien Régime to the Republic were thus selected:
– The ancient court and its dolce vita, through sledges, sedan chairs and the children coaches belonging to the sons of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette;
– The most terrible days of the Revolution, with the remains of the coronation coach of Louis XVI, dismantled at the orders of the Convention (loan from the Delémont museum);
– The Imperial Court at its zenith, evoked by the Berlin coaches of Napoleon’s marriage.
– The Restoration and its efforts to restore prestige to a rather colourless dynasty, through the funeral hearse of Louis XVIII and Charles X’s coronation coach.
– The Second Empire and its pragmatism, with the reuse of these vehicles redecorated with imperial emblems.
– Finally, the young Republic and its austere virtue, represented by the Presidential coupé.
Displayed in chronological order over a 1000m2 space, these works were presented by means of astonishing scenography combining reconstruction, animation and immersion.
The exhibition provided an opportunity to discover Versailles and its collections whilst at the same time highlighting the historical links between Arras and the former residence of kings. It also provided an insight into the operation and evolution of horse-drawn vehicles. www.versaillesarras.com
By Chris Colemont
Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon.
© RMN (Château de Versailles), Gérard Blot.
Curatorship
Béatrix Saule, Director General of the Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon, General Curator.
Jean-Louis Libourel, Honorary Chief Curator of Heritage.
Hélène Delalex, Heritage Conservation Manager at the Château de Versailles and in charge of the coach museum.
Museography Frédéric Beauclair.
