Peter the Great, a Tsar at the Palace of Versailles: our pictures

With its exhibition Peter the Great, a Tsar in France, the Château de Versailles revisits an event of international stature: the Russian Tsar's visit to France in 1717. For two months, Peter I flouted protocol, refusing to stay in the royal apartments, hugging the young king, but retaining France's finest advances for reuse in St. Petersburg. Three centuries later, his journey is on view from May 30 to September 24, 2017.

Peter the Great, a Tsar in France isthetheme of the next exhibition at the Château de Versailles.From May 30 to September 24, 2017, three centuries after his arrival, the Château de Versailles reveals the secrets and behind-the-scenes of the meeting between the Russian Empire and the King of France, Louis XV.

In 150 works, including magnificent paintings and sculptures, as well as plans, medals, books and manuscripts from the prestigious Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, the museum invites us to retrace the journey of the Tsar of Russia, Peter I, who came to France from April 21 to June 21, 1717. Several manuscripts take us back to the meeting from the French side, presenting key stages in the preparations, such as the proposal of several gifts that might please the Tsar, like a "saber mounted with all stones worth 26822 gold louis" or rubies estimated at 35.000 louis d'or, but also "the description of the Admirable Fireworks that the Lords of the Regency of Amsterdam had fired in honor of the Grand Embassy of Muscovy, on August 29, 1697".

While the exhibition is designed to be chronological, it does not fail to recall anecdotes from his trip, such as his meeting with Louis XV, which left its mark on people's minds through its lack of respect for protocol, or his hunt with the Count of Toulouse, and the mass at Notre-Dame. For more than two months, numerous memorialists, including Saint-Simon, the Marquis de Dangeau and Jean Buvat, left us invaluable accounts of this journey.

Saint Simon painted a vivid portrait: "He was a very tall man, very well made, rather thin, with a fairly round face; a large forehead; handsome eyebrows; a fairly short nose without anything too big at the tip; fairly large lips; a reddish-brown complexion ; beautiful, large, lively, piercing, well-slitted black eyes; a majestic, gracious gaze when he was careful, if not severe and fierce, with a tic that didn't come back often, but which dismantled his eyes and his whole physiognomy, and gave one a fright. It would last for a moment, with a stray, terrible look, and then immediately recover. His whole air marked his wit, reflection and grandeur, and was not lacking in a certain grace."

Czar Peter the Great was in search of inspiration at the time, and toured Europe: an inquisitive spirit with a passion for art, science and technology, Peter the Great visited Parisian manufactures and academies, meeting the most eminent scientists and artists of his time at the Observatory, the Gobelins Manufactory, the Jardin des Plantes, the Monnaie des Médailles, libraries, academies, cabinets of curiosities.... to draw inspiration from French knowledge to make St. Petersburg a major world center!

This tour takes us behind the scenes of diplomatic encounters, still enigmatic today. It reveals the full content of the symbols presented at every moment, respecting a meticulous protocol, a wonderful discovery in a magnificent and often forgotten part of the Domaine de Versailles!

Practical info
Peter the Great, the Tsar in France
From May 30 to September 24, 2017
Venue: Grand Trianon at the Château de Versailles
Opening hours: open from 12:00 to 18:30, closed on Mondays
Admission: €12 admission, €7 guided tour

Please note that it's been over 4 years since our last visit, so the place and experience may have changed.

Peter the Great, a Tsar at the Château de Versailles: our photos

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