The great hall of the Chateau, the scene of the gorgeous feasts of
the Intendant, was brilliantly illuminated with silver lamps,
glowing like globes of sunlight as they hung from the lofty ceiling,
upon which was painted a fresco of the apotheosis of Louis XIV.,
where the Grand Monarque was surrounded by a cloud of Condes,
Orleanois, and Bourbons, of near and more remote consanguinity. At
the head of the room hung a full-length portrait of Marquise de
Pompadour, the mistress of Louis XV., and the friend and patroness
of the Intendant Bigot; her bold, voluptuous beauty seemed well
fitted to be the presiding genius of his house. The walls bore many
other paintings of artistic and historic value. The King and Queen;
the dark-eyed Montespan; the crafty Maintenon; and the pensive
beauty of Louise de la Valliere, the only mistress of Louis XIV. who
loved him for his own sake, and whose portrait, copied from this
picture, may still be seen in the chapel of the Ursulines of Quebec,
where the fair Louise is represented as St. Thais kneeling at prayer
among the nuns.
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