The Rediscovered Treasure of the Sun King: the Grand Palais Unveils an Historic Heritage
France, 17th century, year 1668. As Louis XIV prepared to make the Louvre his royal residence, an exceptional commission was ordered: the creation of 92 monumental carpets to cover the floor of the palace’s Grand Gallery, a long corridor of 442m2 long, which connected the Louvre to the Tuileries. Charles Le Brun, the king’s First Painter, was entrusted to imagine the splendid motifs and patterns of these colossal 9-metre-wide pieces, meant to cover an area of 4,000 square metres. Under his supervision, their fabrication fell to the Savonnerie manufactory, which specialized in the making of velvet rugs, and to artists of the Gobelins manufactory.
As the Sun King neglected the Louvre in favor of Versailles, History forgot about these rugs, which were never installed. Enduring revolutions and the test of time, they were sold and damaged, dividing the collection in smaller pieces. But this fantastic heritage was not entirely lost: along the years, fragments were bought again, first during the First French Empire and then during the Bourbon Restoration, up until 2024, when the Mobilier national acquired a main part of the 50th rug.
Displayed for the time together under the glass roof of the Grand Palais, these rediscovered fragments include 41 of the 92 original carpets. The exhibition, entitled “The Rediscovered Treasure of the Sun King”, was co-produced by the Grand Palais and Les Manufactures nationales – Sèvres & Mobilier national. These sumptuous pieces are one of the many indicators of the splendor and ostentation of the era, and will be on display for one week only!
At the exhibition opening, we met Hervé Lemoine, Didier Fusillier, Peter Marino, Stéphane Bern, Jean-Michel Othoniel and many others.
Photos: Michaël Huard
