page_title: Palace of Queluz
section_title: The King's Bedroom
hierarchical_section_title: Palace of Queluz / Interior / Private apartments / The King's Bedroom
caption_attribution_description: Português: Sala das Merendas do Palácio Real de Queluz
context_page_description: The Palace of Queluz is an 18th-century palace located at Queluz, a city of the Sintra Municipality, in the Lisbon District, on the Portuguese Riviera. One of the last great Rococo buildings to be designed in Europe, the palace was conceived as a summer retreat for Dom Pedro of Braganza, later to become husband and then king consort to his own niece, Queen Maria I. It served as a discreet place of incarceration for Queen Maria as her descent into madness continued in the years following Dom Pedro's death in 1786. Following the destruction by fire of the Ajuda Palace in 1794, Queluz Palace became the official residence of the Portuguese prince regent John VI, and his family and remained so until the royal family fled to the Portuguese colony of Brazil in 1807 following the French invasion of Portugal.
  Work on the palace began in 1747 under Portuguese architect Mateus Vicente de Oliveira. Despite being far smaller, the palace is often referred to as the Portuguese Versailles. From 1826, the palace slowly fell from favour with the Portuguese sovereigns. In 1908, it became the property of the state.
context_section_description: The King's Bedroom (illustrated below) has been described as one of the most "fantastic" rooms in the palace. Although actually square, it gives the illusion of being completely circular, with a domed ceiling supported by columns of mirrored glass. Between the columns are cartouches depicting scenes from the tales of Don Quixote. Peter the IV died in this room in 1834, same room where he was born in  1798. The room contains a large bust of the King showing his "pendulous jowls and unattractive face".
caption: The Sala das Merendas
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