1676
Engraving, 308 x 427 mm
Musée National du Château, Versailles
The courtyards of châteaux were often employed as open-air theaters in the 17th century. Louis XIII's Versailles was used as the setting for a famous torch-lit performance of Alceste, an opera by Quinault. Le Pautre's engraving shows a performance given in 1674 in the Cour de Marbre of Versailles.
