Lecture-The French Garden at its Zenith, The Sun King and Le Notre: Radiant and Radiating-Caroline Holmes

On Line talk

The innovative perfection of architecture and landscaping epitomized by Andre Le Notre, Louis Le Vau and Charles Le Brun at Vaux le Vicomte ruined Nicolas Fouquet but inspired his master, Louis XIV. The hunting lodge at Versailles was transformed into a triumph of space – avenues, parterres, fountains, sculptures – where the radiant vistas radiated. The Sun King’s supreme taste extended into the Potager du Roi where de la Quintinie turned raising fruit and vegetables into an art form. Versailles’ vast landscape both dominated and powerfully drew the French into its thrall – no wonder it represents France’s ‘heroic period’.

Photograph: “Louis XIV devant le grotte de Téthys” “https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Louis_XIV_devant_le_grotte_de_T%C3%A9thys.jpg

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