Versailles

In this opulently illustrated volume, the eminent French architectural historian Jean–Marie Pérouse de Montclos traces the transformation of Louis XIII's modest hunting lodge into the fabulous château we know today as the extravagant height of the French monarchy. Robert Polidori's sublime photographs show Versailles' architecture, interiors, and gardens, from sweeping aerial views, to grandiose views of the elaborately decorated palace ceilings, to intimate photographs of the paintings and s…