One of the functions of Louis XIV's Versailles was to provide a
setting for the receptions of ambassadors, heads of state, and
other visiting dignitaries who conducted diplomatic and political
business with France. These activities became particularly
important after Versailles was proclaimed the new seat of the
monarchy and government in 1682."Diplomatic Tours in the Gardens of
Versailles Under Louis XIV" is the first book to examine how the
vast gardens of Versailles were used for these diplomatic
receptions during the reign of the Sun King (1661-1715). The
gardens were the final mise en scene of an elaborate ritual, which
included the housing of the foreigners in Paris, their journey to
Versailles, and their official audience with the king in the
palace. A showcase for the achievements of royal artists, landscape
architects, and hydraulic engineers, the gardens were soon regarded
as one of the wonders of the modern world, proclaiming the wealth,
power, and artistic taste of France and the French monarchy.The
diplomatic tours were programmed every step of the way, with
trained guides leading their guests on prescribed itineraries.
Beginning in 1689, the king himself drafted a series of
comprehensive itineraries, collectively called the "Maniere de
montrer les jardins de Versailles," for the use of his guides (a
newly discovered version of the "Maniere" appears for the first
time in this book). These itineraries changed over the years in
concert with modifications and additions to the gardens, attesting
to a constant search for an ideal itinerary--a subtheme of
"Diplomatic Tours."
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