The King had a whole room for his clocks – and another for his dogs
Not content with just his State Apartments, King Louis XIV also ordered the construction of a whole suite of other rooms for his personal use. Opening onto both the Marble Courtyard and the Royal Courtyard, these were some of the most finely-decorated rooms in the whole of the palace. They were also a telling sign of just how much wealth the monarch had, and just how happy he was to lavish it on decadent flights of fancy, even when millions of his people were living in abject poverty.
As well as his bedchamber, the King’s private suites included a dressing room and a private kitchen. He also had a billiard room built, compete with exquisitely-carved wooden panelling on the walls. But Louis XIV’s demands here were modest when compared to those of his successor. King Louis XV had many passions, including hunting and timepieces. He devoted one room to his vast clock collection. He even had the French Royal Academy of Science establish the ‘French Meridian’ in that very room, with the centrepiece clock used to set the official time for the whole of the kingdom.
The Dog’s Room was, as the name implied. Reserved for the royal hounds. Louis XV had his predecessor’s games room turned into a bedroom for his dogs, with proper beds installed and dog-themed artwork added for decorations. The King also had a Post-Hunt Dining Room built within his private suite. Getting invited to join Louis XV for dinner and post-dinner games after a successful hunt was one of the greatest honours anyone could wish for while visiting Versailles.