worked on the vault above the Stairway of the Ambassadors and in the
Hall of Mirrors. To imitate Italian works of art was at that time the
avowed ideal of French decorators. At Rome the King's purse paid the
expenses of a group of young artists who were allotted the task of
copying designs that were later evolved at Versailles. To some was
assigned the copying of ornaments made of metal, mosaic and inlay.
Others specialized on bronze and wood-carving designs. There were
painters who made only sketches of battle scenes and sieges. There
were sculptors on the King's staff of copyists, and goldsmiths, and
enamel workers. Flemish, Dutch, French, but principally Italian,
craftsmen were recruited from the art centers of Europe, "for the glory
of the King." At the Gobelin Tapestry Factory--a royal
establishment--the workers were directed by Charles Lebrun, who for
many years had been head of the "Royal Manufactory of Crown Furniture."

It was in the year 1677 that Louis XIV formally proclaimed Versailles
his residence and the seat of Government. It was for the purpose of
providing quarters for the Court and its attendants that Mansard was
commanded to enlarge the château. Versailles now became, in truth, the
temple of royalty. The newly appointed architect gave to the chateau
its final aspect; the stamp of his genius rests upon the exterior
design and interior embellishment of the most remarkable dwelling in
the history of French architecture.

[Illustration: Versailles]

When the Court came to live at Versailles in May, 1682, Mansard and his
builders were still feverishly occupied in the work of construction and
reconstruction. The year 1684 saw the end of the ornamentation of the
interior in the completion of the Hall of Mirrors. Mansard's style is