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« and Her Children, the resplendent
centrepiece from one of the palace’s main
fountains — are being allowed to leave
France. “We have been delighted about
the level of generosity,” says Vaughan.
“Things we didn’t think we’d be offered
have been loaned to us and we’re very touched by that.”
It is a little-known fact that many of the original masterpieces from
Versailles disappeared during the French Revolution. Treasures From the
Palace is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the real deal and be immersed in
the lavish epicentre of the Baroque era. This is an impressive show due not
only to that, and the logistics involved in flying more than 130 priceless
works of art halfway around the world — including The Sourches Family
(1756), one of the biggest paintings to travel to Australia — but also the
high-level negotiations, which comprised a tête-à-tête between Governor-
General Peter Cosgrove and French President François Hollande.
The arrival of such a significant collection in Australia is a coup that can
be partly ascribed to Vaughan’s love affair with 18th-century art. “He knew
perfectly the history and discussed the masterpieces with great knowledge,”
says Catherine Pégard, president of the Public Establishment of the Palace,
Museum and National Estate of Versailles. “It’s a partnership, a crafted
exhibition, and Gerard is incredibly precise about what needs to be there.
“We want to come to Australia because there is common history, ideas
and values. It’s not enough to send an exhibition abroad. We must build
a relationship. It’s more than Versailles, more than Canberra. It’s Australia,
it’s France. It’s a question not only of culture but the links between nations.” »IN VIEW
clockwise from top left: detail of Fête Organized to Celebrate the
Marriage of the Emperor Joseph II to Princess Marie-Josèphe of
Bavaria by Johann Georg Weikert (1765). A bust of Louis XVI by
Louis-Simon Boizot (1777). Detail of the apartments of Mesdames
with Madame Adélaïde de France Tying Knots by Jean-Marc
Nattier (1756). Bedroom of Madame Victoire, with Madame
Infante, duchesse de Parme by Jean-Marc Nattier (1761).“Visitors to 17th-century Versailles were
not so much astonished by the luxury as by the light” — BEATRIX SAULE