Images © Science Museum Group

Exhibitions

Hattie Lloyd 05/02/25


Versailles: Science and Splendour

Think of the Palace of Versailles, and you’ll probably think of three things.

The bombastically opulent interiors. The dramatic deposition of the monarchy during the French Revolution. And an absolutely world-class hydraulic plumbing system in the gardens.

It’s that plumbing system – alongside major advances in horticulture, zoology, women’s health, inoculation, chemistry and astronomy – that forms the possibly surprising basis for the latest exhibition at the Science Museum.

Versailles: Science and Splendour takes a look at the palace as an unlikely hub for bustling scientific activity; a place where the country’s leading scholars – and those from much further afield – would gather under royal patronage. Granted almost bottomless funds, cutting-edge equipment and new, dedicated places to carry out their work, they made staggering scientific breakthroughs which in turn boosted the monarchy’s prestige and gave France even greater powers on the global stage.

stuffed rhino at the versailles exhibition

As befits an exhibition exploring Enlightenment thinking, the show is neatly categorised into different scientific fields, from the precise astronomical observations made using expensive new instruments, to the medical experiments that treated the royals themselves as guinea pigs (Louis XVI had the entire family vaccinated against smallpox, while Louis XIV underwent radical surgery for an anal fistula, which promptly became all the rage in Paris). All told, an impressive 120+ objects (mostly from Versailles, and many on display here in the UK for the first time) illustrate the point, including Louis XV’s stuffed pet rhinoceros and ‘the world’s most famous watch’ – a high-tech, jewel-studded, glass-faced pocket watch designed for Marie Antoinette which was so elaborate, it was only finished after her execution.

marie Antoinette's watch

Given that all this scientific advancement was essentially the result of three kings’ rampant demands for pineapples out of season and a frankly unreasonable number of fountain displays, the museum does an impressive job of teasing out potentially overlooked contributions. As part of Versailles’ growing culture of rationality and exploration, it seems that women were given a surprising amount of freedom and encouragement. Louis XV’s daughters were educated in maths and science – Madame Sophie had her own personal telescope. Then there’s the work of Madame du Coudray, daughter to a family of doctors, who must have saved countless lives thanks to the written and practical training she gave to over 5,000 midwives, with help from the hand-stitched models of babies in the womb which are on display here.

As topics go, it’s a fairly niche direction for the Science Museum – but if you have even a passing interest in science, history, or just taking a look at a massive rhinoceros, you’re in for a treat.

 

NOTE: Versailles: Science and Splendour runs at the Science Museum until 21st April 2025. Tickets cost £12 (free for 11 and under) – you can book on the Science Museum website.

Versailles: Science and Splendour | The Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2DD


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Versailles: Science and Splendour


Science Museum, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, SW7 2DD