View of a Palace

An intriguing painting, this work has variously been suggested be of French, Dutch, Flemish or German origin. Until recently the painting was thought to be the work of the Flemish artist, Adam Frans Van der Meulen (1632-1690). However, recent research from France has suggested that the painting might belong to the school of Pierre Patel, a French landscape artist of the 17th century. This theory is supported by the fact that Patel is known to have painted a view of the palace of Versailles during the same period. The identity of the building in the background of our painting is itself under debate - it is certainly in the style of Versailles, Louis XIV's sumptuous residency. However, this can be misleading as smaller versions of the French monarch's palace were being built all over Europe by those who wished to emulate his power and prestige. It has been recently suggested that the building depicted here has some similarities to the Menagerie at Versailles, built by Le Van. The presence of the gazelles in the foreground and a group of characters in court dress on the right could confirm this hypothesis.