LONDON.- Today, Versailles: Science and Splendour opened at the Science Museum exploring how the French monarchy harnessed scientific knowledge as a tool of power. As the seat of royal power in 17th- and 18th-century France, Versailles was renowned for its opulent palace and gardens, but it was also a cradle of scientific spirit. Developed with support from our expert advisor, the Palace of Versailles, the exhibition reveals the meeting of art and science in the court and showcases more than 120 fascinating objects, from the extravagant to the everyday, many of which have never been displayed in the UK before.

The exhibition explores how the monarchs Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI encouraged scientific pursuit and readily drew on technological advances of their times. It shows how scientific knowledge was used to enhance France's prestige and extend its influence. Significant figures highlighted include the pioneering midwife Madame du Coudray who trained thousands of midwives in rural France and Emilie du Châtelet, the eminent physicist and mathematician whose handwritten and annotated translation of Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica can be seen on display.

The spectacular objects on display include the world’s most famous watch, Breguet’s No. 160 ‘Marie Antoinette’, which is on loan from the L. A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art and on public display for the first time in the UK. In 1783, one of the greatest watchmakers of all time, Abraham-Louis Breguet was given an unlimited budget to craft an exceptional timepiece for Queen Marie Antoinette. Crafted over four decades from the finest materials including sapphires, platinum and gold, it exceeded all other watches of its time in beauty and complexity and became Breguet’s masterpiece.

Sir Ian Blatchford, Director and Chief Executive of the Science Museum Group, said: ‘Royal ambition, scientific knowledge and ideals of beauty culminated at Versailles in spectacular demonstrations and brilliant innovations from the brightest minds of the time, and we are thrilled to introduce our visitors to these fascinating stories through the stunning objects on display. I have no doubt our visitors will be dazzled by the remarkable Marie Antoinette watch, which exemplifies the creative collision of scientific interest and royal opulence that was at the heart of Versailles’ splendour.’

Glyn Morgan, Curatorial Lead for Exhibitions at the Science Museum, said: ‘Versailles: Science and Splendour reveals stories of the individuals and innovations which played a key role in enhancing France’s prestige and extending its influence. The exhibition highlights how science flourished at Versailles, from the kings’ personal interest in luxurious scientific instruments and spectacular demonstrations, to its strategic role beyond the palace through newly founded institutions and scientific expeditions.’

Christophe Leribault, President of the Palace of Versailles, said: ‘The Sciences and Curiosities at the Court of Versailles exhibition, held in 2010 at the Palace of Versailles, made a lasting impression. It unveiled a lesser-known aspect of life at the former royal residence: the interest in sciences and the spirit of curiosity and innovation that animated the sovereigns and the entire court. Through this revisited version of the exhibition, we take pride in the fact that our collections and expertise can now cross the Channel to meet visitors at the Science Museum, inspiring them to visit or revisit the Palace of Versailles.’

HARNESSING SCIENCE

Versailles: Science and Splendour takes visitors on a 120-year journey through the evolution of science at Versailles, from the creation of the Academy of Sciences by Louis XIV in 1666, to Louis XV’s passion for exquisite scientific instruments, and Louis XVI’s ordering of the La Pérouse expedition to the Pacific in 1785.

Measuring time and space was one of the key tasks of the Academy of Sciences, reflecting the challenges of the time in Europe. Members of the Academy mapped the Earth and the skies as visitors can observe in a 1679 map of the Moon by Cassini, the precision of which remained unrivalled for over 200 years. The promotion of France’s power through scientific developments also served political purposes, with exquisite instruments given as diplomatic gifts across the world.

The exhibition also gives visitors the opportunity to see the magnificent gardens of Versailles in a new light. Recruited by Louis XIV, Academicians and experts used mathematics and engineering to transform the site into a statement of power and prestige. Of particular importance for Louis XIV was the creation of spectacular fountains and water features in the grounds, which required hydraulic engineering projects of unprecedented scale. A painting of the monumental Marly Machine, which supplied Versailles’ fountains with water from the river Seine, impresses upon visitors the magnitude of Louis XIV’s grand ambitions.

UNDERSTANDING NATURE

Versailles became a centre for the scientific study of plants and animals from around the world through France’s activities abroad. The exhibition displays this growing interest in zoology and the kings’ luxurious taste, which pushed for inventive botanic engineering to allow exotic fruits, like pineapples, to grow at Versailles. No mere still-life, a ‘portrait’ of a pineapple commissioned from royal painter Jean-Baptiste Oudry celebrates the botanic feat of growing this king of fruit in the king’s potager. The painting, travelling to the UK for the first time, was later hung in Marie Antoinette’s private chambers.

Visitors can also learn the surprising story of Louis XV’s rhinoceros, on display in the UK for the very first time. Gifted by a French governor in India, this rhinoceros was perhaps the Versailles menagerie’s most pampered and famous resident. Acquired by the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris during the Revolution, it was dissected after its death in 1793, and has been displayed there for over two hundred years.

The exhibition also features the medical advances supported by the kings. The royal family made precious contributions to these developments by submitting their own bodies to procedures. On display is a scalpel designed specifically to operate on the Sun King (Louis XIV), and the exhibition also covers the inoculation against smallpox which Louis XVI and his family underwent as soon as he ascended the throne.

Louis XV supported the training of midwives across France to reduce infant mortality and grow a populous and strong kingdom. Born outside the nobility, to a family of doctors, Madame du Coudray rose to prominence through her pioneering practical training of midwives. She employed sophisticated life-sized mannequins to demonstrate the mechanics of birth – part of the only surviving mannequin is showcased in the exhibition. Madame du Coudray ultimately trained over 5,000 women, as well as physicians, across France.

EMBRACING KNOWLEDGE

Scientific culture became widespread and fashionable at the courts of Louis XV and Louis XVI, with members of the royal family and of the aristocracy educated in physics, mathematics and chemistry. Examples of Louis XV’s magnificent collection of instruments are on display. Visitors can see a sophisticated and rare optical microscope made by the king's brilliant engineer, Claude-Siméon Passemant, which is also a work of art with its gilt bronze rococo stand by the Caffieri sculptors.

Jean-Antoine Nollet, tutor of physics and natural history to the royal children during Louis XV's reign, demonstrated principles of physics in sensational presentations at court. His air pump, used to ‘make the invisible visible’, is on display in the exhibition.

From the heart of government at Versailles, science was used strategically to assert imperial power on the world stage. The exhibition highlights technological developments in warfare and defence engineering, as well as the 1785 expedition of La Pérouse. Commissioned by Louis XVI, the expedition had a dual aim. It sought to establish trade connections around the Pacific as well as furthering scientific knowledge: mapping coastlines uncharted by Europeans and collecting scientific data.

The exhibition also examines the surprising role of science in Versailles’ taste for spectacle in the final section of the exhibition. Versailles provided an influential platform for scientific figures to present their work, as well as for the kings to display their power through extraordinary demonstrations, such as the flight of Etienne Montgolfier’s hot-air balloon at Versailles in 1783. One of the most complex pieces of engineering of its time, the Pendule de la Création du Monde, presented to Louis XV in 1754, is also on display. This exquisite astronomical clock exemplifies the intersection of scientific interest and royal opulence, boasting Versailles’ splendour through mechanical wonder.

Versailles: Science and Splendour is open at the Science Museum until Monday 21 April 2025. The exhibition is generously supported by BNP Paribas (Associate Sponsor), Sir Sydney Lipworth KC and Lady Lipworth CBE, and The Michael Marks Charitable Trust.

The exhibition is accompanied by a new book, Versailles: Science and Splendour, edited by curator Anna Ferrari. Published by Scala, the book delves further into the surprising stories of science at the royal French court. The book is available from the Science Museum shop and website.