The Stables Viewed from the Château at Versailles
by MARTIN, Jean-Baptiste, Oil on canvas, 260 x 184 cm
In 1679-82 a great fan-shaped square, the Place d’Armes, was built in front of the Château at Versailles. Two remarkable edifices were set between the three imposing, straight avenues fanning out from the centre: the Grand Stables to the north (for saddle horses) and the Lesser Stables to the south (for draft horses).