PALACES OF FRANCE

Waikato Independent, Volume XXXI, Issue 2781, 28 November 1931, Page 2 (Supplement)

PALACES OF FRANCE

SAVED FOR POSTERITY. That tremendous diorama of remembered yesterdays, centred upon those two magnificent and so historic palaces of Versailles and Fontainebleau, has now been saved for posterity by the completion of the greatest restoration work of this century in Europe, after six years of continual laboui'. Versailles, after standing for 225 years as a symbol of France’s greatness in architecture, art and wealth, by the year 1924 had fallen into a deplorable state of ruin. So low were the State finances only a very little repair work could be done. In the summer of 1923 a little group of patriotic French people organised a garden party at Versailles to raise funds to pay for the most desperately needed repairs. But this netted only 124,000 francs. One of the distinguished guests was John D. Rockefeller, junior. Versailles to be saved in the nick of time for posterity required immediately large scale operations. Mi’ Rockefeller assumed the burden, not only of Versailles, but also of Fontainebleau and Reims Cathedral, giving a total of 34,400,000 francs to the restoration fund. The restoration of Versailles was begun in January, 1925, and completed August, 1931. In addition to the Donation Rockefeller, the French State contributed a yearly sum, bringing the total outlay to fifty million francs. A NOVEL PROCESS. Restoration work of a highly novel nature, and one not possible until very recently, was that of the aeration of the stone walls at Vei’sailles, and a similar treatment applied to many statues. This remarkable invention is the discovery of a Belgian inventor, who spent half a lifetime experimenting upon what will now aid greatly in saving famous buildings of stone from a peculiar form of decay due to dampness. The invention consists in cutting a triangular aperture into the stone forming the base of a building or statue. In this is inserted a pipe some fifteen inches in length and one and a half inches in diameter at a shapely downward angle. Over the opening a little iron grill work is placed. In this manner dampness is carried off. Thousands of these little apertures now adorn the walls of all the stone buildings at Versailles, as well as the base of some of the statues.

Another discovery of almost equally great importance of recent date which aided materially the restoration of the historic buildings was that by which stone and marble can be cleaned of the corroding dirt of years, while at the same time retaining that peculiar patina which comes to marble through the passing of many years. This was of particularly great importance at Versailles, where the marble columns and facings of the Great and Little Trianon Palaces are of the finest and most delicately hued marble. All the statues, the pillars and facings of the two Trianons, and the pillars of the great circular Music Room, wei’e treated with the new discovery known as ’’Roxor” process. This consists of first covering the whole surface of the stone, or other hard surface to be treated, with a solution very much like soft soap in appearance. After this has been left to stand for a short time a powerful jet of steam is poured upon the surface, which is generated by a portable engine. Quickly the stone or marble assumes its original tint.

Over the beautiful Chapel a particularly fine piece of work was done. Water was seeping in. As the ceiling was covered with very fine paintings by Coypel and La Fosse, its saving was absolutely necessary. The beams were encased in ironwork, which was lengthened to carry them to the columns of the wall, thus taking the weight of the threatened place. A light double ceiling of hollow bricks was then curved over the original. In this way the delicate paintings are securely protected. THE QUEEN’S THEATRE.

Of all the restoration work at Versailles that which will appeal most deeply to the sentiments of the majority is the perfect restoring of Marie Antoinette’s theatre, one of the most beautiful little auditoriums in the world, a place pregnant' with all those associations by which the queen sought for brief whiles to get away from being a Royalty. Since the age of ten, when she had appeared in a court ballet at Schoenbrunn at the marriage of Joseph 11., she had loved all things pertaining to the stage. So in the autumn of 1779 she planned a theatre, one that remains to-day a marvel of compactness and

perfection of stage mechanism. It was opened in May, 1780, with a five play, “Castor and Pollux.” Due to > the opposition of a great part of the ' court, Marie Antoinette admitted only a very few people of the Royal circle; but in orffer that the players should have the necessary stimulation of an audience, the ladies in waiting, officers of the garde du corps, and hunters of the King occupied the places in the balcony. The King sat in a special chair in the centre of the auditorium close to the stage. A century passed. Dusty and odorous from untenanted years, its existence unknown to millions of visitors, for it was closed to the public, the theatre lay half hidden among the trees. The square front and narrow entrance is unpretentious, giving no idea of the perfection that lies within.

When the Rockefeller restoration began, the roof of the theatre was-' almost in a state of collapse, the walls were eaten with dampness, the floor of the stage and auditorium were gone, the wallpaper destroyed. But other parts of the building were in an almost perfect state of preservation. The theatre will be open to the public in 1932; also it is intended to present plays from time to time. The stage has a somewhat greater depth than the auditorium, and \is 70 feet from the basement to the fl'y-loft. Almost equallying the theatre in interest is the hamlet of Marie Antoinette. All of the half dozen houses which formed her original country ; village have had new thatched roofs, and the walls repaired. Thus, without any loss of character the place is saved for posterity.

FONTAINEBLEAU. Weighed with 800 years of bygone vivid history is the grey stone Palace of Fontainebleau, the oldest furnished one in France to-day. Though begun in 1137, it was not until the time of Francis 1, in 1515, that the palace took rank among the most remarkable in Europe. Here Diana de Poitiers had her sway, and her monogram was entwined with that of Henri 11. Here Gabrielle d’Estree shared honours with the Queen of Henri IV. Here Francis I. built up a library of 36,000 volumes. Here Catherine de Medici plotted against the Hugenots. Here Louis XIII. was born; and Louis XIV. signed the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Here Napoleon signed his abdication. Here, successively apartments were occupied by Marie de Medici, Marie- Therese, Marie Antoinette, Josephine, Marie Louise, Marie Amelie, and Empress Eugenie—seven queens—five of them named Marie. To tell the story of its restoration is largely to repeat that done at Versailles. The principal work was the roofs and chimneys, all of which were in a terrible state, so that on several occasions the magnificent apartments were flooded, and the valuable library. built up by Francis I. and that of Napoleon, were endangered.

Thus bravely renewed against the y elements and corroding time these an- ' cient palaces rear newly fortified fronts and roofs to last for many ages, and stand as reminders of a past that continues to excite the interest both of layman and historian.