Le Grand Dauphin (1661-1711) fils de roi, père de roi et jamais roi
This exhibition will shed light on a little-known figure in French history because he did not reign: Louis, son of Louis XIV, born in 1661 and called Monseigneur during his lifetime, then Grand Dauphin at his death in 1711.
This exhibition will shed light on a little-known figure in French history because he never reigned: Louis, son of Louis XIV, born in 1661 and called Monseigneur during his lifetime, then Grand Dauphin on his death in 1711. The exhibition will show what it meant to be dauphin of France under the Ancien Régime, and present the heir to the throne in three major stages, illustrating Saint-Simon's famous summary of the prince's life: “Son of king, father of king, and never king”. The education and training of the heir to the throne will be covered, as well as his residences and the fabulous collections he surrounded himself with, thanks in particular to spectacular loans from the Prado Museum in Madrid. The Grand Dauphin occupies an important place in the Bourbon dynasty. Heir to the throne, grandfather of Louis XV and great-great-grandfather of Louis XVI, Louis XVIII and Charles X, he is also the father of Philippe V, the first sovereign of the Bourbon branch of Spain, who still reigns today. Nearly 250 works, some never seen before, from French and international public and private collections, illustrating all artistic disciplines (paintings, sculptures, objets d'art, manuscripts and graphic works, etc.) will tell the story of this prince whom Louis XIV had imagined as his worthy heir.
General information
Openings
From 14/10/2025 to 15/02/2026 between 9 am and 6.30 pm.
Closed on Monday.
Fares
Full price: 21 €, Reduced price: 13 €.
Free entry for children under 18, press, Job-seeker, teachers, the students, Students under 26, tour guides holding a professional card, people with reduced mobility, disabled people, disabled people and accompanying persons.