Les Miroirs de la Galerie des Glaces | English Subtitles
Oct 14, 2023
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We are in the Galerie des Glaces,
originally called Grande Galerie.
It owes its name to the 357 mirrors
placed in 17 arcades
opposite the 17 windows.
Inside each of the arcades
are 21 mirrors.
They come from the manufacture of Saint-Gobain,
formerly Manufacture des Glaces,
created by patent letter,
that is, by royal decision, in 1665.
It then has the monopoly of manufacturing glasses.
But how were mirrors made?
It was a real technical feat for the time.
The process consisted of applying
a decoction of tin and mercury
mixed hot on a glass plate.
The tin sticks to the surface of the glass
while the mercury flows
and leaves a silver layer
called etamate.
It is a very toxic process
because of the mercury vapors
that has poisoned many workers.
The manufacture of these mirrors
has been competing with that of the Republic of Venice,
which has been using this technique
since the 15th century.
For Louis XIV, these mirrors
show his prestige
and the greatness of French know-how.
So here we have a set
unique in the world by the number of mirrors.
At sunset,
the light enters through the large windows
and illuminates the star
of the vault painted by Charles Le Brun,
giving it a golden brightness.
The Court of France can admire it
and be dazzled
by its own reflections.