Baroque royal and aristocratic design gave visual expression to the principles of absolute rule. During the Baroque era, France and England each endured civil wars that pitted the nobility against the throne. When absolute monarchical rule was reestablished after these uprisings, many royal architectural commissions reflected a programmatic emphasis on strict hierarchies with the King at the top.
Within the Baroque palace, the enfilade [pronounced EN-fuh-LAHD or EN-fuh-LAYD] emphasized the careful and unyielding organization of the interior and, by extension, the state. This was in some ways totally symbolic — the straight line suggesting order, the endless sightlines underlining the luxury of the space and the King's vast resources. But in other ways it was utterly literal. Each room was successively more exclusive, with access limited more and more according to your rank within the court.
Part of this was simply practical: the first room in the enfilade was an entry hall and the last would be the state bedroom, so it naturally became more intimate as you progressed. But even details like whether you were guided through by a servant or by your host, where you were met (at the door or in the middle of the room), and other minutiae, were carefully considered and noticed.
A palace might have several enfilades: one for the king's apartment, one for the queen's apartment, and one for the state rooms, for example. Private homes in the Baroque era might also include an enfiladed suite, if it were a home that a monarch might visit (like Ham House and Blenheim, images 3 & 4 above).
Today, enfilades are occasionally included in contemporary houses because they offer a nice sense of flow through the space (image 5). They also allow for lovely connections or juxtapositions between the decoration of different rooms. And perhaps there's still a vestigial sense of honor in making a stately progress through an enfilade.
What do you think, elegantly grand or over-the-top?
Images: 1. Versailles photographed by Robert Polidori for the book Parcours Museologique Revisite, via Habitually Chic; 2. Tsarskoye Selo via Cote de Texas; 3. Ham House, photo by John Hammond for the National Trust; 4. Plan of Blenheim Palace via artmumble; 5. Parisian apartment designed by Chahan Minassian in French Architectural Digest, via Habitually Chic.
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Love this series! Thanks!
I remember watching 'The Duchess' and noticing that you could see all the way down a series of rooms, and having no idea why that would be... Thanks for clearing it up for me! ^_^
Love this! What a fascinating architectural history.
Fascinating...I had no idea there was an actual vocabulary word for this! The symbolism totally makes sense too.
Can't wait to bust this word out at the next opportune moment!
I don't know if I would like all of my rooms connected like that (unless they were THOSE rooms!), but it does make for a stunning photo.
Some of the rooms in our house have that kind of pass through effect, and I always find it difficult to arrange furniture while maintaining easy access to each room.
Thanks for another great post. I always learn something.
Coincidentally, I just started reading the memoir of Consuelo Vanderbilt. She was first wife of the 9th Duke of Marlborough. Her family's money helped save Blenheim.
Nice post, I didn't know the history of the enfilade. I love it, it gives a bigger perspective of the place, makes it feel grand.
It's actually very common in French haussmannian apartments like in the last picture (BTW, it's absolutely not contemporary).
Nowadays, the rooms in enfilade with a view of the street are the living room, the dining room, the study, or even the kitchen. People usually prefer the smaller and more private rooms that have a view of the courtyard and with no enfilade for the bedrooms and bathrooms.
I lived in Buenos Aires for several years and many of the old houses were just like this.... all the rooms in a row, looking out to a patio. The last room though, was always the kitchen.
Just looked up the etymology of this word and it means something like, "to thread a needle." Interesting! It seems an enfilade is also a military tactic.
Very enlightening -- and it also provides a new perspective on the classic shotgun apartment. If you want to class up the place, just call it an "enfilade" and pretend you're Louis XIV.
Another amazing feature about these rooms at Versailles is the wallpaper. This enfilade is a set of ten rooms. Each room has the exact same velvet wallpaper. However, the wallpaper was made in ten different colours, one for each room. Grandiose!
Don't forget the practical, intentional benefit, also demonstrated in the New World's ever-so-elegant "shotgun" row houses: Ventilation. He may have been the Sun King, but XIV didn't have A/C.
It would take quite some time to get used to living in a space like that, especially if the bedroom was part of the enfilade.
But very fascinating article, thank you!
I love these posts! Thank you!