Palace of Versailles · 70/78

Paris · Palace & Rooms

The Bedroom

Palace of Versailles · Paris, France

Palace of Versailles
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This bedroom reflects Marie Antoinette's personal taste in every detail. Look closely at the furniture and you'll spot motifs of wheat ears, pinecones, and unnamed wildflowers — the same style seen earlier in the queen's dinnerware. Weary of the formality of the main palace at Versailles, she sought out the simplicity of a country garden here instead.

The bed's notably short length isn't only because Marie Antoinette stood just 5 feet 1 inch tall; it also reflects how people slept at the time, reclining at an angle rather than lying flat. Lying fully flat was associated with the dead.

Through the window beside the bed, a white domed structure is visible — the Temple of Love, one of Marie Antoinette's favorite retreats.

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Photographs via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain).

Photos © TourLive, the company behind MuseCat.