Mercury Salon

It looks like a bedroom but it was only ceremonial; the king never slept here, instead performing “getting up” and “going to bed” rituals. It was also used for card or board games on some evenings; you got a lot of social prestige points by being invited to one of these parties, and even more if you got to sit at the king’s table.

The paintings are from Louis XIV’s time, but the bed only dates back to the 1830’s, when King Louis-Philippe turned Versailles into a museum.