Royal Palaces [antikvár]

The complex universe of the great historical residences of the world can be approached in many different ways. It is possible to study them front the point of view of the structures creating their graceful forms, or of the design of the architectural decoration adorning their fabric; the furnishings embellishing their salons and galleries may be appreciated; the collections of ait that often make the historic residences into picture galleries and museums may be admired; their history may be studied through a series of events that took place hundreds of years ago although, by some mysterious spell, these events are still alive and real within the walls of castles and palaces or on the trim walks of the ancient parks and gardens with their elegant symmetry. But there is another way of looking at these residences built by a whole host of architects, artists and craftsmen, furnished and decorated as splendid expressions of the taste of different periods and countries. In fact, because they were destined to be the residences of princes and lords, places for pleasure and recreation, and visible symbols of the power and importance of those who built them or lived in them, they represent, above all, the most direct and immediate expression of the personality and psychology of their owners. With regard to Versailles, the statesman andwriter the Due de Saint-Simon wrote in his Memoiresthm the frequent banquets and the promenades at Versailles with close friends, were the means that the king used to distinguish or mortify people, choosing those who were to participate on each occasion, in order to make sure that each of them was attentive and constant in pleasing him, (The king at the time was Louis XIII: Versailles was still a small castle on the site of which Louis XIV was later to build his splendid palace.)Thusand, in this case, the testimony of the writer is invaluablethe residence was only one of the elements serving to make the courtiers aware of the importance of being pleasing to the sovereign. The latter would then show his appreciation with an invitation to one of the many banquets taking place at Versailles or with another request to accompany him to that residence. And, during the Sun King's reign, at Versailles everything was aimed at making the power and prestige of the monarch clearly visibleand, in many ways, tangible. Hence power was expressed by the splendid salons and imposing hall of mirrors, the pictures, tapestries and sculptures, and the gardens, fountains and other water features. Another example of this tendency is illustrated by the numerous castles built by Louis II of Bavaria, which expressed the tragic king'sirresistible yearning in their stylethe boldness of some of the architectural elements, such as the numerous spires and pinnacles, the upward thrust of the buildings in a desperate attempt to stretch out toward the unreachable. He yearned for a remote world, one that was no longer human or earthly but existed only in his terribly disturbed imagination. And who would deny that the gloomy and imposing royal palace and monastery of the Escorial was a close reflection of the tormented mind of Philip II, who was dramatically torn between the ascetic rigor of his religious faith and his ambition to rule the entire continent of Europe?Furthermore, in the massive yet elegant structure of the Red Fort in India one cannot fail to see the most direct and coherent expression of the desire of Akbar the Great and Shah Jahanthe enlightened Mogul emperors who ruled India in the 16th and 17th centuriestodisplay their power and invincibility before both their enemies and their loyal subjects. Thus they created an architectural complex combining robust walls and deep moatswhich if required for defense could be filled with the waters of the River Jamunawith the exuberant beauty of pavilions and gardens intended for the use of the powerful and wise sovereigns.Naturally, it would be easy to get carried away with these examples. The Royal Palace at Caserta in Italy was built for the Bourbon King Charles III, who, in the mid 18th century commissioned the architect Luigi Vanvitelli (and after the latter's death, his son Carlo) to design and construct a building emulating the splendor of Versailles. And, in effect, the Bourbon palace is