Splendors of Versailles

Rating:
Summary: A DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS! CATALOG of rooms, objets, history....
Review: This is the lavishly produced catalog for the impressive one-time, one-venue 1998 show of the same name at the Mississippi Arts Pavilion, at Jackson. This 225-page 9x12 inch format heavy card-cover tome shows outside and inside views of the major rooms of Versailles, mostly full-page size, then focuses on shots of the 120+ artifacts and installations of this ambitious show.

The Mississippi Commission or International Cultural Exchange did a 1996 one-venue show on Russian Imperial Style that broke U.S. exhibition attendance records -- these people do great work, and this catalog reflects it. Printed on heavy gloss paper in superb color, it includes well-selected paintings, tapestries, porcelains, the king's bedchamber installation, and the controversial 10-ton equestrian statue by Bernini.

This is a superb coffee table book, especially for the remarkably low aftermarket price. I'm not familiar with the other extant Versailles books, but this one looks like a must-add to any Versailles enthusiast's collection. It would be in much more demand -- and fetch higher prices -- if it weren't a show catalog, and hence not as well known as it might be. A royal sleeper!