Carp in the Grand Canal
2004 © Maxim Tabachnik
Temple of LoveGardens of VersaillesLouis XV in the Salon de MercureApotheosis of HerculesThe Pilgrims at EmmausCandelabras, Hall of MirrorsWar RoomFountain of AmphitritePetting Goats at the Hameau de la ReineMax with Gary at Court of HonourColumn of the Temple of GloryMarie Antoinette’s BedMax at the Orangerie TerraceMarble CourtyardThe Orangerie and Swiss LakeMarlborough Tower and DairyRustic RetreatRiver God with ChildMom at the Hall of MirrorsParterre de l’OrangerieKing’s State BedThe Meal at the House of SimonAstronomical ClockQueen’s Bedchamber Canopy and AlcoveRoom of MarsAlley of the MusesStatue of Louis XIVCottage in Marie Antoinette’s HamletGalerie des BataillesLuis and JJ at the Cour d’HonneurLouis XIV on HorsebackLouis XIV as Roman EmperorParterre of the OrangeryMax, Luis, and JJ at Latona FountainApollo in His ChariotLuis and JJ in the Allée des Deux-TrianonsMercury Presenting the Arts to ApolloQueens of France in the Grand CouvertCarp in the Grand Canal

Carp in the Grand Canal

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A school of carp drifts beneath the murky surface of the Grand Canal at Versailles (17th c.), a vast ornamental waterway central to the palace gardens. Stocked under Louis XIV for symbolic and aesthetic purposes, the canal reflected both royal control over nature and the grandeur of the Sun King’s reign.