The Venus Salon

At the center of the ceiling fresco is Venus, goddess of beauty and love. Both this room and the Abundance Salon we just passed through were spaces for light refreshments, but with a difference: the Abundance Salon was where the king showed off his wealth and treasures over a drink, while the Venus Salon set the stage for a proper party — enjoying fine food amid royal elegance.

Inside stands a full-length statue of Louis XIV dressed as an ancient Roman soldier, one hand gripping a club pressed against an enemy's back, the other holding a helmet and a shield decorated with the head of Medusa, evoking Minerva, goddess of wisdom and warfare. The statue hints at Louis XIV's ambition to wield absolute power like Rome once did and to stand at the center of Europe.

Beside the door leading to the next room is a painting whose columns are rendered to match the real columns right next to it, creating the illusion of further space extending into the picture. This technique, known as trompe-l'œil, tricks the eye into perceiving space that isn't really there, making the room feel larger. Today, mirrors are the usual trick for making a room look bigger, but mirrors were so precious at the time that this painted illusion served the same purpose instead.