The cabinet contained a lit de repos, four fauteuils and four folding-stools, all upholstered in red velvet ornamented with gold braid and gold fringe. The window curtains were of white damask, trimmed with gold fringe. In this room were also two bureaux of marquetry, and a small walnut table, 27 inches long by 17 wide, standing on four turned pillars. The cover for this was green serge bordered with an aurora-coloured braid.
Having seen the apartments of the Duke of Orleans at Versailles, let us look at those of the Duchess there in the same year (1708). The antechamber was rich with a “set of tapestry hangings,”—gilt leather on a white background; and here were also represented festoons of fruits and garlands of flowers in red, green and gold. It was, moreover, enriched with figures of Bacchus, women, children, harpies and gold birds.
The entire room was hung with this (18⅓ ells being required to cover the walls, and 3½ ells were required for the space above the mantel). The furniture included an eight-leaved screen 7 feet high, two forms covered with red flowered moquette, a folding-stool with painted red frame and covered with red linen, and a couch.
The chamber was furnished with a bed, four fauteuils, four chairs with backs, six folding-seats, twelve tabourets, a bureau-table, two tables and a screen. The bed was superb. It was 6 feet wide, 6 feet, 9 inches long and 11 feet high. It was mi-party (i. e., divided half and half), of red damask and gold moiré, lined with white moiré and trimmed on the seams and all around the base and top of both valances and curtains with gold braid and gold fringe. The three outside top valances, three lower valances, two bonnes grâces, two cantonnières and four curtains were of the red and gold moiré; the headboard, four interior valances, courtepointe and sheaths of the bed-posts were of silver moiré; the four pommes of red damask and gold moiré carried bunches of white feathers with aigrettes. The fauteuils, chairs and folding-seats were of gilded wood, covered with gold moiré, trimmed with a band of crimson damask, edged with gold braid and gold fringe. The frames of the tabourets were painted red; the covers were red velvet, trimmed with red silk braid. There were two covers for the walnut bureau-table: one of red damask and gold moiré, trimmed with gold braid and fringe; the other of red leather, lined with taffeta and trimmed with a gold braid and gold fringe. The frame of the screen was gilded wood. It was covered with red damask, ornamented with narrow gold braid. The windows were draped in white damask, trimmed with gold fringe. Each curtain was 4⅓ ells long and contained six lengths of material. The cord for the chandelier was of gold and silver and red silk.
The cabine, or little chamber, had similar curtains at the windows. Four fauteuils, four chairs with backs and ten folding-stools were covered with green velvet, trimmed with gold braid and fringe, the frames being painted green, picked out with gold. There was also a small folding-stool, the frame of which was painted red, and the seat of red velvet trimmed with gold and silver fringe. In this room stood a walnut commode, a card-table and a large marquetry cabinet.
The prevalence of the fashionable hue of aurora is to be noted at Val. The Salon was hung in Venetian brocatelle, aurora-coloured background with trailing branches of blue. The space over the chimney-piece was also adorned with this rich textile, although the spaces over the four doors were covered with aurora taffeta. The nine tabourets in this room were upholstered with the rich Venetian brocatelle and trimmed with a silk fringe of aurora and blue. The frames were painted blue picked out with gold. The stools had also coverings of aurora taffeta.
The King’s Chamber was furnished in aurora and white damask, containing the bed and customary seats. The portières were lined with aurora taffeta and trimmed with a braid and fringe of gold and silver.
The King’s Cabinet contained a lit de repos, six folding-stools, and two square pillows. These were covered to match the draperies in a rich damask of aurora-coloured flowers on a blue background. The lit de repos was somewhat unusual, as over it hung a kind of pavilion. The mattresses, bolsters and pillows were upholstered with the damask just described, but the pavilion was hung with a striped material of aurora, white, blue and black arranged in three little curtains looped over a large curtain which fell to the floor, but which was looped back. The drapery was trimmed with a braid and fringe of gold and silver.
The Passage was draped in a blue silk damask with white woollen flowers trimmed with a blue silk Flanders brocatelle with aurora and white flowers.
In the Guard-room, the hangings were of red Flanders brocatelle with woollen flowers of aurora and white, the borders of the hangings being green brocaded with branches of aurora and white. There were six forms in this room, covered with moquette of various colours edged with braid and fastened to the frames with gold-headed nails.