page_title: Palace of Versailles
section_title: Ambassador's Staircase
hierarchical_section_title: Palace of Versailles / Royal Apartments / Ambassador's Staircase
caption_attribution_description: English: Model of the Escalier des Ambassadeurs (Staircase of the Ambassadors) in the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France Français&#160;: Maquette de l'Escalier des Ambassadeurs du Château de Versailles à Versailles en France
context_page_description: The Palace of Versailles was the principal royal residence of France from 1682, under Louis XIV, until the start of the French Revolution in 1789, under Louis XVI. It is located in the department of Yvelines, in the region of Île-de-France, about 20 kilometres southwest of the centre of Paris.
  A simple hunting lodging and later a small château with a moat occupied the site until 1661, when the first work expanding the château into a palace was carried out for Louis XIV. In 1682, when the palace had become large enough, the king moved the entire royal court and the French government to Versailles. Some of the palace furniture at this time was constructed of solid silver, but in 1689 much of it was melted down to pay for the cost of war. Subsequent rulers mostly carried out interior remodeling, to meet the demands of changing taste, although Louis XV did install an opera house at the north end of the north wing for the wedding of the Dauphin and Marie Antoinette in 1770. The palace has also been a site of historical importance.
context_section_description: Before entering the King's State Apartments, one had to climb the Ambassadors Staircase - a suitable entrance as its magnificence matched the grandness of the apartments. The Ambassadors Staircase (Escalier des Ambassadeurs) was built in 1674 but was finished in 1680. Although it was designed by architect Louis Le Vau, the staircase was built by François d’Orbay and was primarily painted by Charles Le Brun. Destroyed in 1752, the staircase was the entrance to the King’s Apartments and was the official grand entrance into the Chateau, specifically intended to astonish and impress foreign dignitaries.  At the time of its creation, Versailles was transitioning to reflect governmental power and authority instead of a private home for the crown. The staircases’ primal function and the details it encompasses reinforces this progression at Versailles. 
  The staircase incorporates allegories of the Four Parts of the World on the vault and representation of crowds of foreign visitors on the walls. The staircase was lit from above with a skylight – a fairly advanced quality for seventeenth century architecture and is thought to have played a symbolic role in the connection with the scenes of the kings heroism depicted by Le Brun. Additionally, it is known to include Thalia (the muse of Comedy), Melpomene, Calliope, and Apollo (Louis XIV’s emblem) and the twelve months of the year. References to the greater world, such as the depiction of the twelve months of the year and the four parts of the world, circle back to Louis XIV’s mentality of Versailles symbolizing supreme and divine power which in turn, reflects Louis XIV’s desired depiction of his reign.
caption: Model of the former Ambassador's Staircase
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