High Stakes & Heavy Wigs: The Dangerous Art of the Versailles Bow

In the glittering courts of Louis XIV and Louis XV, a simple greeting was anything but simple. Court etiquette transformed the bow and curtsy into a complex social science governed by strict variables like social status, gender, and even the time of day.

Navigating these rituals was a physical feat. Women had to perform deep curtsies while balancing massive 1.5-meter pannier skirts, often dodging lapdogs and expensive decor. For men, the danger lay in their elaborate powdered wigs; a bow that was slightly too vigorous could result in the ultimate social death—the wig sliding off. To survive the "Versailles weapon," courtiers spent hours mastering the subtle nuances of an incline, as a perfectly timed pause could signal anything from absolute loyalty to a calculated insult. In this world, your posture didn't just show manners; it determined your survival in the royal hierarchy.