High Artistry A Journey through Château de Versailles Limited Edition 18

Versailles and King Louis XIV – inextricably linked to this day. The king’s taste for the magnificent manifests itself not only in the sheer scale of the palace and its glorious gardens but, above all, in the 2300 rooms of the royal residence. The elaborate furnishings and decorations, made from the finest materials, are the epitome of regal style and splendour. The Palace of Versailles is more than a building; it is a complete work of baroque art in which architecture, garden design and arts and crafts harmonise to perfection. Louis XIV dreamed of transforming his father’s former hunting lodge into both a monumental residence and the focus of political power and cultural activity in France. With the A Journey through Château de Versailles Collection, Montblanc takes a tour through this baroque masterpiece in celebration of the Versailles World Heritage Site. The Limited Edition 18 highlights the elaborate works in marble throughout the palace and is skilfully crafted using this rare stone. Under Louis XIV, this precious rock became synonymous with baroque splendour. Only the finest quality marble from the Pyrenees, the Languedoc, Provence and Rance – carved to perfection – could satisfy the exacting demands of the Sun King. The giant blocks of solid marble, often transported under the most arduous conditions to the royal workshop, were hewn and polished to embellish the entire palace complex, including the magnificent Hercules Room, the Grand Trianon, the Hall of Mirrors, the State apartments and the royal gardens. The Palace of Versailles became an ode to the beauty of marble. As a way of showcasing its various types, the royal marble masons crafted so-called ‘marmothèque’ tables, which featured elaborate polychrome mosaics made up of varied specimens arranged side by side. Inspired by these precious and rare items of furniture, the Limited Edition 18 is clad in a unique mosaic of inlays representing the broad range of marble found in the palace. The frames made from solid Au 750 gold and adorned with diamonds make for an aesthetically pleasing contrast. It is even possible to identify the individual types of marble by means of inset code numbers. Indicating their origin on the Versailles estate, its furnishings bear the letters ‘VV’ – as does the hand-crafted, solid Au 750 gold nib of the writing instrument. It is further adorned with an engraving of precisely this mark, together with the royal crown. A recurring decoration in the palace is the majestic double L monogram composed of two intertwined mirrored letters – Louis XIV’s personal seal, which the king used exclusively for his private correspondence. This ‘Chiffre du Roi’, the cypher of King Louis XIV, symbolises like nothing else the blossoming of baroque style and the luxury inherent in French court culture of the day. The seal also features in this edition: the solid Au 750 gold cone, artfully adorned with a band of diamonds, takes the form of a seal stamp and, as such, can also be used to seal private correspondence. The royal seal was not the only notable characteristic of the king’s correspondence. Since secrecy was a central element of power at court, the Sun King used special encryption systems of letters and numbers known as the ‘Grand Chiffre’ and ‘Petit Chiffre’. They preserved the confidentiality of his military and diplomatic communications and simultaneously conjured up an aura of exclusivity and mystery. The Limited Edition 18 has a similar air of mystery: it contains its own ‘secret message’. Beneath the Montblanc emblem – composed of diamonds set in pavé and surrounded by marble – the cap top contains a hidden compartment, which opens to reveal the code numbers 070 and 479. These stand for no less than the king himself: “Sa Majesté Le Roy” (His Majesty the King).