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The decoration of the room consisted of battle scenes by Joseph Parrocel with the "Battle of Arbela" being displayed over the mantelpiece (Piganiol, 118-119). After the death of the queen and the dauphine, the room served for those occasions during which Louis XIV dined alone in public. For the grand couvert, a table with a single armchair was dressed before the fireplace. The wall opposite the fireplace originally contained a tribune for musicians, but this was suppressed in the 18th century (Félibien, 338; Verlet, 210).
The end of one the more scandalous events in Versailles history during the Sun King's reign transpired in this room. In 1691, the fringe from the portieres in the salon de Mars and part of the embroidered bed cover in from the bed in the salon de Mercure were stolen. Toward the service of dessert, a bundle was thrown through one of the windows facing the cour de marbre and landed on the king's table. Louis XIV's only comment, "I think that those are my fringes". (Verlet, 162). |
