The Music Room: From Melody to Billiards

This room has changed purpose several times over the centuries. In the 17th century, under Louis XIV, it was a space for enjoying music. Hidden doors set high in the walls once led to the musicians who had climbed the narrow stairway from the secret door in the Round Drawing Room; unseen, they played from above, their music drifting across the ceiling to fill the whole room.

As time passed, royal tastes changed. By the 19th century, under Louis-Philippe, billiards had become the most fashionable pastime, and this room — large and high-ceilinged — proved perfectly suited to a long billiard table. A state-of-the-art table was brought in, and the click of billiard balls replaced the sound of music. The room stands today as a telling symbol of how leisure at court evolved over time.