Carp in the Grand Canal
2004 © Maxim Tabachnik
The Apotheosis of HerculesMercury Presenting the Arts to ApolloQueens of France in the Grand CouvertKing’s State RoomGrand Canal and Latona BasinCarp 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.