Sciences at Versailles part 3: discovering new worlds, geography
Louis XVI had his own cabinet where he could enjoy drawing maps on a drawing table tailor made for him. Let's dive into a royal passion...
Louis of France, Dauphin, son of Louis XV (1735/1800) by after Louis TocquéPalace of Versailles
Geography as a science has always been a corollary of the exercise of power: it is associated with knowledge of the Earth and the discovery of new worlds; he who masters maps masters the territory he governs.
Throughout the 18th century, the Cassini dynasty contributed to elevating geography to the higher ranks of science.
Louis XVI giving his instructions to La Pérouse (1817) by Nicolas-André MonsiauPalace of Versailles
Similarly, geography occupies a choice position in the architecture of the royal apartments: on the first floor of the Stags Courtyard, the king had a private geography cabinet where he could devote himself to the pleasure of drawing maps on a specially designed drawing table.
Terrestrial globe indicating the submarine reliefs and the celestial dome (1786) by Edmé Mentelle 1786-1788 (geographer) and Jean-Tobie Mercklein (mechanic)Palace of Versailles
Globe commissioned by Louis XVI in 1786 for the Dauphin education
The special feature of this scientific and artistic instrument is that it consists of a terrestrial globe showing a relief outline of the emerged lands and the sea depths, contained by two hemispherical caps.
The upper cap represents the Old World…
...and the lower cap represents the New World.
The presence of dolphin brackets is a reminder of who the object was made for.
In the education of princes, whereas other subjects were taught by the governor and the private tutor, scientific knowledge was dispensed by scientists and members of the Royal Academy who came from the outside world to give lessons from time to time.
Charles-Pierre Claret, comte de Fleurieu (1701/1800) by Anonymous France 18th centuryPalace of Versailles
La Pérouse’s journey
In February 1785, Charles-Pierre Claret de Fleurieu (1738-1810), director of Ports and Shipyards, submitted a report to the King arguing for the dispatch of ship's captain Jean-François de La Pérouse (1741-1788) to the waters of the Pacific.
Louis XVI giving his instructions to La Pérouse (1817) by Nicolas-André MonsiauPalace of Versailles
On learning the results of the exploratory expeditions by Louis-Antoine de Bougainville (1729-1811) and James Cook (1728-1779), Louis XVI, who had a passion for geography, commissioned La Pérouse to organize a voyage around the world. On 26 June, the king, in the presence of his Secretary of State for the Navy, Marshal de Castries (1727-1801), received La Pérouse in his library to give him his instructions.
On 1st August 1785, two frigates, "La Boussole" and "L'Astrolabe", were fitted out near Brest following meticulous preparations by the Academy of Sciences led by Fleurieu and reviewed by the King himself. The expedition set sail for California, Alaska, China, Japan and Australia, and both ships were lost in a storm near the Solomon Islands.
Terrestrial and celestial globes by Pierre Lartigue and Louis LennelPalace of Versailles
Terrestrial and celestial globes
This sphere along with these terrestrial and celestial globes were made in 1777 by Pierre Lartigue (1745-1826) and Louis Lennel (1740-1784) and offered to Louis XVI on 6 July 1778, then placed in his Versailles library where they remained until 1793.
Celestial globe supported by a figure of Atlas (1777) by Pierre Lartigue (draughtsman) and Louis Lennel (maker)Palace of Versailles
The celestial globe supported by an Atlas figure is engraved with the signs of the Zodiac and different constellations.
Terrestrial globe supported by a figure of Atlas (1777) by Pierre Lartigue (draughtsman) and Louis Lennel (maker)Palace of Versailles
The terrestrial sphere in relief is a masterpiece of science and calligraphy: you can still see the extreme limits reached by Cook's voyages, and Louis XVI probably used this globe when preparing the La Pérouse expedition.
Catherine Pégard, President of the Palace of Versailles
Laurent Salomé, Director of the museum
Thierry Gausseron, General administrator
Hélène Delalex, curator at the furniture and art object department and curator of the digital exhibition
Géraldine Bidault, in charge of the photography library and the digitization of the collections, curator of the digital exhibition
Ariane de Lestrange, Head of communication
Paul Chaine, Head of digital service
Gaëlle Bertho, coordinator of the digital exhibition
