Hercules Room facts for kids
The Hercules Room is a special and grand room in the famous Palace of Versailles in France. It's also known as the Hercules Drawing Room or Hercules Salon. This room was built where a chapel used to be. King Louis XIV wanted this room to proudly display a very large painting by the artist Paolo Veronese. The architect Robert de Cotte started building it in 1710, and it was finished in 1736. Over the years, many important and fancy events have happened in the Hercules Room.
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Discovering the Hercules Room
The Hercules Room is a very important part of the Palace of Versailles in France. It was the last of the grand "State Rooms" to be built in the palace. This large room is on the ground floor of the palace. It is about 18 meters (59 feet) long, 14 meters (46 feet) wide, and 45 meters (148 feet) high.
Before this room was built, a chapel stood in its place. The Hercules Room connects the royal chapel and the North Wing of the palace to the King's main living area.
The architect Robert de Cotte began working on the room in 1710. But the project stopped in 1715 when King Louis XIV died. Work started again in 1724. King Louis XV hired new people to finish the room. These included architect Jacques Gabriel, marble worker Claude-Félix Tarlé, and sculptors Jacques Verberckt and François-Antoine Vassé. The room's style is similar to the famous Hall of Mirrors.
Famous Paintings by Veronese
King Louis XIV wanted the Hercules Room to be a special place for a huge painting. This painting is by Paolo Veronese and is called Meal at the House of Simon the Pharisee.
Veronese painted this picture in 1570 for a dining hall in Venice. In 1664, the leader of Venice gave it to King Louis XIV. He hoped the king would help him in a war against the Turks. Another painting by Veronese, Eliezer and Rebecca, hangs above the fireplace. It is on the wall opposite Simon.
The Simon painting is very big. It measures about 4.5 meters (15 feet) tall and 9.7 meters (32 feet) wide. This painting was once shown in the Apollo Gallery of the Louvre Museum. It was moved to the Hercules Room in 1730. Then, in 1832, it was sent back to the Louvre. In 1961, Simon returned to the Hercules Room. The painting was cleaned and fixed up in 1994.
The Amazing Ceiling Painting
The Hercules Room was finished in 1736. Its most famous feature is the painted ceiling called Apotheosis of Hercules. This amazing painting was created by François Lemoyne. The painting is so important that it gave the room its name!
The King was very happy with the ceiling. He made Lemoyne his "First Painter." Sadly, Lemoyne died soon after getting this honor.
The curved part of the ceiling, called the coving, has pictures of four important virtues: Justice, Fortitude (strength), Constancy (steadiness), and Courage. Little Cupids separate these virtues. They point to the Labors of Hercules, which were his famous challenges.
In the middle of the ceiling, Hercules arrives in his chariot on Mount Olympus, the home of the gods. Jupiter offers his daughter Hebe to Hercules in marriage. Mars and Vulcan watch as bad demons and vices fall. Apollo sits on the steps of the Temple of Memory.
The Apotheosis is the largest ceiling painting on canvas in Europe. It covers 480 square meters (5,167 square feet)! It shows about 140 figures, including many gods and goddesses from Olympus. They are all gathered to welcome Hercules. He became a god after completing his difficult labors. This painting was also seen as a way to praise the French King.
Grand Events in the Hercules Room
Many important and fancy events have taken place in the Hercules Room:
- A grand ball was held by King Louis XV in 1739. This was for the wedding of his oldest daughter, Elisabeth, to the Prince of Spain.
- A State Dinner for the wedding of the Duc de Chartes happened in 1769.
- Another State Dinner was held in 1782 to celebrate the birth of the Dauphin (the King's son).
- Ambassadors from Tippo Sahib, the Sultan of Mysore, were officially received here in 1788.
- The representatives of the Estates General were presented to the King on May 2, 1789.
