Versailles: Science and Splendour

A richly illustrated book that breaks new ground in exploring the relationship between science and power at the French court of Versailles – published to accompany the exhibition at London’s Science Museum.

Between the 1660s and the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789, the royal palace of Versailles – commonly associated with its architecture, gardens and courtly splendour – was also a place of serious scientific enquiry. This engaging book reveals how the French monarchy harnessed science to enhance its prestige and extend its global influence.

 

Versailles: Science and Splendour explores the relationship between science and power during the reigns of kings Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI, a period when the practice of what we now call ‘science’ changed significantly, and highlights how science and empire were connected at Versailles.

 

This book, which accompanies a temporary exhibition at the Science Museum in London, features 16 chapters by experts from Britain, France and America. Each chapter is inspired by fascinating objects, from a stuffed rhinoceros to an exquisite astronomical clock. The stories covered range from the early days of the French Royal Academy of Sciences and the engineering behind Versailles’s fountains, to the menagerie of rare animals that lived in the grounds and the first hot-air balloon flight at the palace.