The Rotonde du Glacier

This is the "Rotonde du Glacier." A rotunda is a hall or building beneath a round roof, and in the past visitors came here to enjoy light refreshments. (Here "glacier" means a seller of ice cream and cold drinks, not a glacier.) Tapestries on the facing wall depict those refreshments. A tapestry is a wall hanging in which threads of different colors are woven together to form a picture. Here, the tapestries show women holding treats such as peaches and tea, as well as women hunting and fishing.

On the ceiling is a painting by the French artist Georges Jules Victor Clairin depicting a Bacchanal, the festival of Bacchus. Bacchus is the god of wine, and the festival was one where people worshipped him, drinking wine, dancing and singing together. In the painting, angels with tambourines play instruments and dance.

Both the tapestries and the ceiling painting fit the room's role as a place where visitors enjoyed refreshments and drinks.