In tracing the evolution of the Louvre from fortress to palace and of Versailles from hunting domain to dynastic capital, Dr Tadgell’s detailed architectural analysis of many projects – external and internal, realised and unrealised – is set in the context of the development of the medieval monarchy towards absolutism, of the development of the medieval château towards precedents for the seat of absolutism, and of the effect of the French monarchy’s financial incontinence on the realisation of royal building ambitions.

In particular, Tadgell challenges received opinion on the introduction of Hispano-Burgundian court etiquette to French palace design, relates the court front of Lescot’s Renaissance Louvre to the iconography of apotheosis, revises the current ordering of François Mansart’s designs for the Louvre and reassesses the subsequent contribution of Claude Perrault to the completion of the east front in respect for the opinion of 17th and 18th century commentators. After surveying the various phases of work for Louis XIV at Versailles, he traces the evolution of Ange-Jacques Gabriel’s grand projet for rebuilding the town side of the palace for Louis XV, noting the influence of Bernini on the definitive phase, and he masters the intricacies of the incessant changes to the royal apartments which inhibited rebuilding.

Finally, the book looks at the influence of the great French palaces on those seeking to emulate their ambition, from Stockholm in the late-17th century to the deliriously opulent late-19th century palace of Ludwig II of Bavaria at Herrenchiemsee. A wealth of illustrative material and supporting documents bring this comprehensive and authoritative text to life.