AUTHOR UNKNOWN, French
   Israël Silvestre the Younger (engraver)
   French, 1621-91
Les plaisirs de l'ile enchantée, (Paris, 1673 [1674])
Printed book

The Plaisirs de l’ile enchantée, recorded in the book on the left, was a three-day festival set in the gardens of Versailles. Louis XIV took a lead role in the production, which featured a play-within-the-play written by Molière. The pastoral tone of the production, in a garden setting, blurred the distinction between reality and the play, engaging audience and actors within a single, idealized garden world.