Gardens of Versailles

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Bird’s-eye view of the gardens of Versailles, 19th century
Statistical Information on the gardens of Versailles
Size:	800 ha.
Number of trees:	200,000
Flowers planted annually:	210,000
Number of fountains:	50
Number of jets of water:	620
Surface area of the Grand Canal:	23 ha.
Perimeter of the Grand Canal:	5.57 km
Amount of piping to feed the fountains:	35 km.
Amount of water consumed by the fountains during the Grandes Eaux:	3,600 m3
Source: Official site of the Chateau de Versailles: Versailles Info

Complementing and evolving with the chateau are the gardens of Versailles. During the Ancien Régime, the domain of Versailles was arranged as the Grand Parc – the vast forested area that surrounded that chateau and the village of Versailles – and the Petit Parc – the walled area that was developed for the formal gardens of the chateau. Our discussion will focus on the Petit Parc and the evolutions of the gardens contained therein.

Contents 1 Introduction 1.1 Louis XIII 1.2 Louis XIV: 1st building campaign 1.3 Louis XIV: 2nd building campaign 1.3.1 Grotte de Thétys 1.3.2 Bassin de Latone 1.3.3 Bassin d’Apollon 1.3.4 Grand Canal 1.3.5 Parterre d’Eau 1.3.6 Perfection of the Bosquets 1.3.7 Bassin des Sapins; Pièce d’Eau des Suisses 1.4 Louis XIV: 3rd building campaign 1.4.1 Bosquets of the 3rd building campaign 1.5 Louis XIV: 4th building campaign 1.6 Louis XV 1.7 Louis XVI 1.8 Revolution 1.9 Napoléon I 1.10 Restoration 1.11 The July Monarchy; The Second Empire 1.12 Pierre de Nolhac 2 Bosquets and the Case of the ‘Apollo Perigrinator’ 2.1 Case of the ‘Apollo Perigrinator’ 2.2 Deux Bosquets 2.3 Labyrinthe 2.4 Bosquet de l’Etoile 2.5 Bosquet du Marais 2.6 Île du roi; Miroir d’Eau 2.7 Salle des Festins (Salle du Conseil) – Bosquet de l’Obélisque 2.8 Bosquet du Théâtre d’Eau 2.9 Bosquet des Trois Fontines (Berceau d’Eau) 2.10 Bosquet de l’Arc de Triomphe 2.11 Bosquet de l’Encélade 2.12 Bosquet des Sources; La Colonnade 2.13 Galerie des Antiques 2.14 Salle de Bal 3 Replantations of the Garden 4 The Problem of Water 5 Sources 6 Notes

[edit] Introduction

This discussion will address the history and evolution of the gardens starting with Louis XIII and ending with the present day. The historical discussion is followed by information on the bosquets, replantations, and water supply problems.^[1]

[edit] Louis XIII

With Louis XIII’s final purchase of lands from the Gondi family and his assumption of the seigneurial role of Versailles in the 1630s, formal gardens were laid out west of the chateau. Records indicate that late in the decade Mollet & Masson designed the gardens, which probably remained intact until the expansion ordered under Louis XIV in the 1660s. This early layout, which has survived in the so-called Du Bus plan of c.1662, established the structure on which the gardens of Louis XIV were based, especially the clear definition of the main east-west and north-south axes that anchors the garden’s layout.

In 1661, after the disgrace of the finance minister, Nicolas Fouquet, who embezzled crown funds in order to build his home at Vaux-le-Vicomte, Louis XIV turned his attentions to Versailles. With the aid of Fouquet’s architect – Louis Le Vau – painter – Charles Le Brun – and landscape architect – André Le Nôtre, Louis began an embellishment and expansion program at Versailles that would occupy his time and worries for the remainder of his reign.

From this point forward, the expansion of the gardens of Versailles followed the expansions of the chateau. Accordingly, the building campaigns of Louis XIV apply to the gardens as well.

[edit] Louis XIV: 1st building campaign

1662 witnessed minor modification to the chateau; however, greater attention was given to developing the gardens. Existing bosquets and parterres were expanded and new ones created. Most significant among the creations at this time were the Orangerie and the Grotte de Thétys.

The Orangerie, which was designed by Louis Le Vau, was located south of the chateau, a situation that took advantage of the natural slope of the hill. The Orangerie provided a protected area in which orange trees were kept during the winter months.

The Grotte de Thétys, which was located to the north of the chateau, formed part of the iconography of the chateau and of the gardens that aligned Louis XIV with solar imagery. The grotto would be completed during the second building campaign.

By 1664, the gardens had evolved to the point that Louis XIV inaugurated the gardens with the fête galante called "Les Plaisirs de l’Île Enchantée". The event, which officially was to celebrate his mother, Anne d’Autriche, and his consort Marie-Thérèse but in reality celebrated Louise de La Vallière, Louis’ mistress, was held in May of that year. Guests were regaled with fabulous entertainments in the gardens over a period of one week. As a result of this fête – particularly the lack of housing for guests (most of the guests at the fête had to sleep in their carriages), Louis realized the shortcomings of Versailles and began to expand the chateau and the gardens once again.

[edit] Louis XIV: 2nd building campaign

Between 1664 and 1668, a furry of activity was evidenced in the gardens – especially with regard to fountains and new bosquets; it was during this time that the imagery of the gardens consciously exploited Apollo and solar imagery as metaphors for Louis XIV. Louis LeVau’s enveloppe of the Louis XIII’s chateau provided a means by which, though the decoration of the garden facade, imagery in the decors of the grands appartements of the king and queen formed a symbiosis with the imagery of the gardens.

With this new phase of construction, the gardens assumed the topographical and iconological design vocabulary that would remain in force until the 18th century. As André Félibien noted in his description of Versailles, solar and apollonian themes predominated with projects constructed at this time.^[2]

Three additions formed the topological and symbolic nexus of the gardens, the completion of the Grotte de Thétys, the Bassin de Latone, and the Bassin d’Apollon.

[edit] Grotte de Thétys

Started in 1664 and finished in 1670 with the installation of the statuary by the Marsy brothers, the grotto formed an important symbolic and technical component to the gardens.

Symbolically, the Grotte de Thétys related to the myth of Apollo, as according to the Greeks, this is where Apollo rested after driving his chariot to light the sky. The grotto was a freestanding structure located just north of the chateau. The interior, which was decorated with shell-work to represent a sea cave, contained the statue group by the Marsy brothers depicting the sun god attended by nereids (central grouping) and his horses being groomed by attendants of Thetis (the two accompanying statue groups). Originally, these statues were set in three individual niches in the grotto and were surrounded by various fountains and water features.

Technically, the Grotte de Thétys played a critical role in the hydraulic system that supplied water to the garden. The roof of the grotto supported a reservoir that stored water pumped from the Clagny pond and which fed the fountains lower in the garden via gravity.

[edit] Bassin de Latone

Located on the east-west axis just west and below the Parterre d’Eau, is the Bassin de Latone. Designed by André LeNôtre, sculpted by Gaspard and Balthazar Marsy, and constructed between 1668-1670, the fountain depicted an episode from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Latona and her children, Apollo and Diana, being tormented with mud slung by Lycian peasants, who refused to let her and her children drink from their pond, appealed to Zeus who responded by turning the Lycians into frogs. This episode from mythology was chosen as an allegory to the revolts of the Fronde, which occurred during the minority of Louis XIV. The link between Ovid’s story and French history is emphasized by the reference to “mud slinging” in a political context. The revolts of the Fronde – the word fronde also means slingshot – have been regarded as the origin of the use of the term “mud slinging” in a political context.^[3]

[edit] Bassin d’Apollon

Further along the east-west axis is the Bassin d’Apollon – the Apollo Fountain. Occupying the site of Rondeau/Bassin des Cygnes of Louis XIIII, the Apollo Fountain, which was constructed 1668-1671, depicts the sun god driving his chariot to light the sky. The fountain forms a focal point in the garden and serves as a transitional element between the gardens of the Petit Parc and the Grand Canal.

[edit] Grand Canal

With a length of 1,500 meters and a width of 62 meters, the Grand Canal, which was built between 1668-1671, physically and visually prolongs the east-west axis to the walls of the Grand Parc. During the Ancien Régime, the Grand Canal served as a venue for boating parties. In 1674, as a result of a series of diplomatic arrangements that benefited Louis XIV, the king ordered the construction of Petite Venise – Little Venice. Located at the junction of the Grand Canal and the junction of the northern transversal branch, Little Venice housed the caravels and yachts that were received from The Netherlands and the gondolas and gondoliers received as gifts from the Doge of Venice, hence the name.

Above the beyond the decorative and festive aspects of this garden feature, the Grand Canal also served a practical role. Situated at a low point in the gardens, the Grand Canal collected water as it drained from the fountains in the garden above. Water from the Grand Canal was pumped back to the reservoir on the roof of the Grotte de Thétys via a network of windmill-powered and horse-powered pumps.

[edit] Parterre d’Eau

Situated above the Latona Fountain is the terrace of the chateau, known as the Parterre d’Eau.^[4] Forming a transitional element from the chateau to the gardens below and placed on the north-south axis of the gardens, the Parterre d’Eau provided a venue in which the imagery and symbolism of the decors of the grands appartements synthesized with the iconography of the gardens.^[5]

In 1664, Louis XIV commissioned a series of statues intended to decorate the water feature of the Parterre d’Eau. The Grande Commande, as the commission is known, comprised 24 statues of the classic quaternities and 4 additional statues depicting abductions from the classic past. Designed by Charles LeBrun and executed by the foremost sculptors of the day, the Grande Commande consisted of:

• The Four Elements: Earth, Air, Water, Fire

• The Four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter

• The Four Parts of the World: Europe, Africa, Asia, America

• The Four Humors of Man: Melancholic, Choleric, Phlegmatic, Sanguine

• The Four Forms of Poetry: Epic, Pastoral, Lyric, Satirical

• The Four Parts of the Day: Daybreak, Noon, Evening, Night

• The Four Abductions:^[6]

Persephone by Pluto

Cybele by Saturn

Orethyia by Boreas

Coronis by Neptune

[edit] Perfection of the Bosquets

One of the distinguishing features of the gardens during the 2nd building campaign was the proliferation of bosquets. Expanding the layout established during the 1st building campaign, LeNôtre added or expanded on no fewer that ten bosquets. The chronology is as follows:

• 1670
  • Bosquet du Marais

• 1671
  • Bosquet du Théâtre d’Eau
  • Île du Roi & Miroir d’Eau
  • Salle des Festins or Salle du Conseil
  • Bosquet des Trois Fontaines

• 1672
  • Labyrinthe
  • Bosquet de l’Arc de Triomphe

• 1675
  • Bosquet de Renommée (also called Bosquet des Dômes)
  • Bosquet de l’Encélade

• 1678
  • Bosquet des Sources

In addition to the expansion of existing bosquets and the construction of new ones, there were two additional projects that defined this era, the Bassin des Sapins and the Pièce d’Eau des Suisses.

[edit] Bassin des Sapins; Pièce d’Eau des Suisses

In 1676, the Bassin des Sapins, which was located north of the chateau below the Parterre du Nord and the Allée des Marmousets^[7] was designed to form a topological pendant along the north-south axis with the Pièce d’Eau des Suisses located at the base of the Satory hill south of the chateau. Later modifications in the garden would transform this fountain into the Bassin de Neptune.

Excavated in 1678, the Pièce d’Eau des Suisses – named for the Swiss Guard who constructed the lake – occupied an area of marshes and ponds, some of which had been used to supply water for the fountains in the garden. This water feature, with a surface area of more than 15 hectares, is the second largest – after the Grand Canal – at Versailles.

[edit] Louis XIV: 3rd building campaign

No sooner had the dust settled from the building and expansion of the chateau and gardens from the 2nd building campaign than Louis XIV ordered further expansion of both. While the 2nd building campaign can be characterized by a proliferation of new bosquets, the 3rd building campaign was distinguished by a stylistic change from the natural esthetic of André LeNôtre to the architectonic style of Jules Hardouin-Mansart.

The topological changes that occurred at this time were:

• 1680
  • Tapis Vert – This expanse of lawn that stretched between the Latona Fountain and the Apollo Fountain achieved its final size and definition at this time under the direction of André LeNôtre.

• 1684
  • The Parterre d’Eau – Under the direction of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the Parterre d’Eau was remodeled. The statues of the Grande Commande were relocated to other parts of the garden. Two twin octagonal basins were constructed and decorated with bronze statues representing the rivers of France.

• • Orangerie – South of the Parterre d’Eau, the Orangerie of Louis LeVau was destroyed to accommodate a lager structure, designed by Hardouin-Mansart.^[8] In addition to the Orangerie, the Escalier des Cent Marches, which facilitated access to the gardens from the south and the Pièce d’Eau des Suisses, and the Parterre du Midi were also constructed at this time, giving the gardens just south of the chateau their present configuration and decoration.
    

    

    The Orangerie in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles with the Pièce d’Eau des Suisses in the background

• • In this year, the Grotte de Thétys was destroyed in anticipation of the construction of the Aile des Nobles – the north wing of the chateau.

• 1685-86
  • The north wing of the chateau was constructed and the Parterre du Nord was remodeled to respond to the new architecture of this part of the chateau. To compensate for the loss of the reservoir on top of the Grotte de Thétys and to meet the increased demand for water, Jules Hardouin-Mansart designed new and larger reservoirs situated due north of the Aile des Nobles.

• 1686-87
  • The Bassin de Latone, under the direction of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, was remodeled. It is his work that we see today at Versailles.

[edit] Bosquets of the 3rd building campaign

During the 3rd building campaign, three bosquets of import were designed or modified.

• 1680
  • The Galerie des Antiques was designed on the site of the earlier and short-lived Galerie d’Eau (1678). This bosquet was conceived as an open-air gallery in which antique statues and copies acquired by the Académie de France in Rome were displayed.

• 1681-83
  • The Salle de Bal was a secluded bosquet in which a cascade – the only one surviving at Versailles – formed the backdrop for this bosquet that was use for dancing.

• 1684-85
  • The Colonnade of Jules Hardouin-Mansart was built on the site of LeNôtre’s Bosquet des Sources. This circular peristyle formed from 32 arches with 28 fountains was the most architectural expression of Hardouin-Mansart in the gardens of Versailles.

[edit] Louis XIV: 4th building campaign

Shortly after the Treaty of Rijswijk had been promulgated in 1697 ending the War of the League of Augsburg, Louis XIV and France were embroiled in yet another war. The War of the Spanish Succession effectively removed Louis XIV’s attention from Versailles; it would not be until 1704 that any significant modifications in the gardens would be made. Between 1704 and 1709, bosquets were modified – some quite drastically with new names suggesting the new austerity that characterized the latter years of Louis XIV’s reign.

On 1 September 1715, Louis XIV died at Versailles and was succeeded by his 5-year old great-grandson Louis XV. Once the Sun King’s body had been removed for burial at St. Denis, Louis XV, under the care of the Regent, Philippe II d’Orléans, and the court withdrew to Vincennes and the chateau of Versailles entered an era of uncertainty.

[edit] Louis XV

In 1722, Louis XV and the court returned to Versailles. Seeming to heed his great-grandfather’s admonition not to engage in costly building campaigns, Louis XV did not undertake the building campaigns at Versailles that Louis XIV had. The only significant construction in the chateau consisted of the Salon d’Hercule (1736), l’Opéra, as well as the redecoration of the Petits Appartements du Roi. The gardens’ only noteworthy addition was the completion of the Bassin de Neptune with the addition of statues (1738-1741).

Rather than expend resources on modifying the gardens at Versailles, Louis XV – an avid botanist – directed his efforts at Trianon. In the area now occupied by the Hameau de la reine, Louis XV constructed and maintained les jardins botaniques – the botanical gardens. In 1750, the year in which les jardins botaniques were constructed, the Jardinier-Fleuriste, Claude Richard (1705-1784), assumed administration of the botanical gardens.

In 1761, Louis XV commissioned Ange-Jacques Gabriel to build the Petit Trianon as a residence that would allow him to spend more time near the jardins botaniques. It was at the Petit Trianon that Louis XV fell ill with smallpox. On 10 May 1774, Louis XV died at Versailles and the chateau and the gardens entered a new era of change.^[9]

[edit] Louis XVI

Upon Louis XVI’s ascension to the throne, the gardens of the Versailles underwent a transformation that recalled the 4th building campaign of Louis XIV. Engendered by a change in outlook as advocated by Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the Philosophes, the winter of 1774-1775 witnessed a complete replanting of the gardens. Trees and shrubbery dating from the reign of Louis XIV were felled or uprooted with the intent of transforming the jardins français of LeNôtre and Hardouin-Mansart into an English-style garden.

The attempt to convert LeNôtre’s masterpiece into an English-style garden failed to achieve its desired goal. Owing largely to the topology of the land, the English esthetic was abandoned and the gardens replanted in the French style. However, with an eye on economy, Louis XVI ordered the palissades – the labor-intensive clipped hedging that formed walls in the bosquets – to be replaced with rows of lime trees or chestnut trees. Additionally, a number of the bosquets dating from the time of the Sun King were extensively modified or destroyed. The most significant contribution to the gardens during the reign of Louis XVI was the Grotte des Baines d’Apollon. The rockwork grotto set in an English style bosquet was the masterpiece of Hubert Robert in which the statues from the Grotte de Thétys were placed.

With the departure of the royal family from Versailles on 6 October 1789, the fate of the chateau and the gardens was far from certain.

[edit] Revolution

In 1792, under order from the National Convention, some of the trees in gardens were felled, while parts of the Grand Parc were parceled and dispersed. Sensing the potential threat to Versailles, Louis Claude Marie Richard (1754-1821) – director of the jardins botaniques and grandson of Claude Richard – lobbied the government to save Versailles. He succeeded in preventing further dispersing of the Grand Parc and threats to destroy the Petit Parc were abolished by suggesting that the parterres could be used to plant vegetable gardens and that orchards could occupy the open areas of the garden. Fortunately, these plans were never put into action; however, the gardens were opened to the public – it was not uncommon to see people washing their laundry in the fountains and spreading it on the shrubbery to dry.

[edit] Napoléon I

The Napoleonic era by and large ignored Versailles. In the chateau, a suite of rooms was arranged for the use of the empress Marie-Louise; but the gardens were left unchanged, save for the disastrous felling trees in the Bosquet de l’Arc de Triomphe and the Bosquet des Trois Fontines. Massive soil erosion necessitated planting of new trees.

[edit] Restoration

With the restoration of the Bourbons in 1814, the gardens of Versailles witnessed the first modifications since the Revolution. In 1817, Louis XVIII ordered the conversion of the Île du roi and the Miroir d’Eau into an English-styled garden – the Jardin du roi.

[edit] The July Monarchy; The Second Empire

While much of the chateau’s interior was irreparably altered to accommodate the Museum to all the Glories of France (inaugurated by Louis-Philippe, 10 May 1837), the gardens, by contrast, remained untouched. With the exception of the state visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1855, at which time the gardens were a setting for a gala fete that recalled the fetes of Louis XIV, Napoléon III ignored the chateau, preferring instead the chateau of Compiègne.

[edit] Pierre de Nolhac

With the arrival of Pierre de Nolhac as director of the museum, a new era of historical research began at Versailles. Nolhac, an ardent archivist and scholar, began to piece together the history of Versailles, and subsequently established the criteria for restoration of the chateau and preservation of the gardens, which are on-going to this day.

[edit] Bosquets and the Case of the ‘Apollo Perigrinator’

The study of the bosquets of Versailles is challenging owing to the many modifications made to the gardens between the 17th and the 19th centuries.^[10] The Case of the ‘Apollo Perigrinator’ demonstrated how radically some of the bosquets were altered.^[11]

[edit] Case of the ‘Apollo Perigrinator’

In 1664, on the north side of the chateau, the Grotte de Thétys was constructed as a technical and symbolic component to the garden. Technically, the grotto with its reservoir supplied part of the water used by the fountains in the gardens; symbolically, the grotto, linked the Apollo myth with Louis XIV. The focal point of the grotto was the statue grouping Apollo and his horses by the Marsy brothers, which was installed in 1672. When the grotto was destroyed in 1684 to make room for the Aile des Nobles, the statues were relocated to the Bosquet de la Renommée (also called Bosquet des Dômes).

Built in 1675, Bosquet de la Renommée featured a fountain statue of Fame – hence the name of the bosquet. With the relocation of the statues from the grotto in 1684, the bosquet was remodeled to accommodate the statues and the Fame fountain was removed. At this time the bosquet was rechristened Bosquet des Bains d’Apollon.

As part of the reorganization of the garden that was ordered by Louis XIV in the early part of the 18th century, the Apollo grouping was moved once again. The Bosquet du Marais, located near the Latona Fountain, was destroyed and was replaced by the new Bosquet des Bains d’Apollon. The statues were installed on marble plinths from which water issued; and each statue grouping was protected by an intricately carved and gilded baldachin. The old Bosquet des Bains d’Apollon was renamed Bosquet des Dômes due to two domed pavilions build in the bosquet.

During the reign of Louis XVI, the Bosquet des Bains d’Apollon was replaced by the Grotte des Bains d’Apollon. Hubert Robert designed an artificial grotto in which the Marsy statues were placed among pools and cascading water. The bosquet was further embellished with verdant English-styled landscaping. It is with Robert’s masterpiece that the ‘Apollo Perigrinator’ has come to rest and which one sees today at Versailles.

[edit] Deux Bosquets

• 1663
  • Located north and south of the east-west axis, these two bosquets were originally laid out as a series of paths around four salles de verdure and which converged on a central salle that contained a fountain.

• 1682
  • The southern bosquet becomes the Bosquet de la Girandole, thus named due to the spoke-like arrangement of the central fountain.

• 1696
  • The northern bosquet becomes the Bosquet du Dauphin due to the central dolphin fountain.

• 1775
  • The two bosquets were destroyed and replanted with lime trees. At this time, they were rechristened the Quinconce du Nord and the Quinconce du Midi.

[edit] Labyrinthe

• 1665
  • In this year, André LeNôtre laid out a maze of unadorned paths south of the Latona Fountain near the Orangerie.^[12]

• 1672-1677
  • Charles Perrault – author of the Mother Goose stories – advised Louis XIV to remodel the Labyrinth in a way to serve the Dauphin’s education.^[13] Accordingly, the new Labyrinthe featured 39 fountains depicting stories from Aesop’s Fables. The fountains were accompanied by a plaque on which the fable was printed; from these plaques, Louis XIV’s son learned to read. Once completed in 1677 the Labyrinthe contained 39 fountains with 333 painted metal animal sculptures.

• 1778
  • Citing repair and maintenance costs, Louis XVI ordered the Labyrinthe to be destroyed. In its place an arboretum of exotic trees was planted as an English-styled garden. Rechristened Bosquet de la Reine, it would be in this part of the garden that an episode of the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, which compromised Marie-Antoinette, transpired in 1785.

[edit] Bosquet de l’Etoile

• 1666
  • Originally designed by André LeNôtre as a salle de verdure, the bosquet contained a path encircling a central pentagonal area.

• 1671
  • A more elaborate path system was developed to enhance the central water feature, which necessitated a name change to the Bosquet de la Montagne d’Eau.
• 1704
  • The Bosquet de la Montagne d’Eau was remodeled and rechristened Bosquet de l’Etoile.

[edit] Bosquet du Marais

• 1670
  • Originally, the bosquet contained a central rectangular pool surrounded by a turf border. Edging the pool were metal reeds that concealed numerous jets for water; a swan that had water jetting from its beak occupied each corner. The center of the pool featured an iron tree with painted tin leaves that sprouted water from its branches. Because of this tree, the bosquet was also known as the Bosquet du Chêne Vert.

• 1705
  • The fountain was destroyed and the bosquet remodeled as the Bosquet des Bains d’Apollon.

• 1774
  • Hubert Robert remodeled the bosquet, which was renamed the Grotte des Bains d’Apollon.

[edit] Île du roi; Miroir d’Eau

• 1671
  • Originally designed as two separate water features, the larger – Île du roi – contained an island that formed the focal point of a system of elaborate fountains. The Île du roi was separated from the Miroir d’Eau by a causeway that featured 24 water jets.

• 1684
  • The island was removed and the total number of water jets in this bosquet was significantly reduced.

• 1704
  • The causeway was remodeled and most of the water jets were removed.

• 1817
  • Both the Île du roi and the Miroir d’Eau were completely remodeled as an English-style garden. At this time the bosquet was rechristened Jardin du roi.

[edit] Salle des Festins (Salle du Conseil) – Bosquet de l’Obélisque

• 1671
  • LeNôtre conceived a quatrefoil island surrounded by a channel that contained 50 water jets. Each lobe of the island contained simple fountain; and access was obtained by two swing bridges. Beyond the channel and placed at the cardinal points were four additional fountains.

• 1706
  • Under the direction of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the bosquet was completely remodeled. The central island was replaced by a large basin raised on five steps, which was surrounded by a canal. The central fountain contained 230 jets that, when in play, formed an obelisk – hence the new name Bosquet de l’Obélisque.

[edit] Bosquet du Théâtre d’Eau

• 1671-1674
  • The central feature of this bosquet was an auditorium/theater sided by three tiers of turf seating that faced a stage decorated with four fountains alternating with 3 radiating cascades.

• 1680-1715
  • During these years there was much rearranging of the statues that decorated the bosquet. In 1709, the bosquet was rearranged with the addition of the Fontaine de l’Île aux Enfants.

• 1774-1775
  • As part of the replantation of the gardens ordered by Louis XVI, the Bosquet du Théâtre d’Eau was destroyed and replaced with the unadorned Bosquet du Rond-Vert.

[edit] Bosquet des Trois Fontines (Berceau d’Eau)

• 1677-1678
  • Situated to the west of the Allée des Marmousets and replacing the short-lived Berceau d’Eau (1671; a long and narrow bosquet that featured a water arbor made by numerous jets of water), the enlarged bosquet was transformed by LeNôtre into a series of three linked rooms. Each room contained a number of fountains that played with special effects. The fountains survived the modifications that Louis XIV ordered for other fountains in the gardens in the early 18th century and were subsequently spared during the 1774-1775 replantation of the gardens. In 1830 the bosquet was replanted at which time the fountains were suppressed.

• 2004
  • Due to storm damage in the park in 1990 and then again in 1999, the Bosquet des Trois Fontaines was restored and reinaugurated on 12 June 2004.

[edit] Bosquet de l’Arc de Triomphe

• 1672
  • Originally, this bosquet was conceived as a simple pavillon d’eau – a round open expanse with a square fountain in the center.

• 1676
  • The bosquet, located to the east of the Allée des Marmousets and forming the pendant to the Bosquet des Trois Fontaines, was enlarged an redecorated along political lines that alluded to French military victories over Spain and Austria, at which time the triumphal arch was added – hence the name. As with the Bosquet des Trois Fontaines, this bosquet survived the modifications of the 18th century, but was replanted in 1830 at which time the fountains were removed. This bosquet is in the process of being restored.

[edit] Bosquet de l’Encélade

• 1675
  • Evolving at the same time as the Bosquet de la Renommée (see: Case of the ‘Apollo Perigrinator’ above), this fountians depicts Encelades, a fallen Titan who was condemned to live below Mt. Etna, being consumed by volcanic lava. In 1678, an octagonal ring of turf and eight rocaille fountains surrounding the central fountain were added. These additions were removed in 1708.^[14]

[edit] Bosquet des Sources; La Colonnade

• 1678
  • Designed as a simple unadorned salle de verdure, LeNôtre enhanced and incorporated an existing stream to create a bosquet that featured rivulets that twisted among nine islets.

• 1684
  • In this year, Jules Hardouin-Mansart completely redesigned the bosquet by constructing a circular arched double peristyle. The Colonnade, as it was renamed, originally featured 32 arches and 31 fountains – a single jet of water splashed into a basin center under the arch. In 1704, three additional entrances to the Colonnade were added, which reduced the number of fountains from 31 to 28. The statue that currently occupies the center of the Colonnade – the Abduction of Persephone – (from the Grande Commande of 1664) was set in place in 1696.

[edit] Galerie des Antiques

• 1680
  • Occupying the site of the Galerie d’Eau (1678), the Galerie des Antiques was designed to house the collection of antique statues and copes of antique statues acquired by the Académie de France in Rome. Surrounding a central area paved with colored stone, a channel was decorated with 20 statues on plinths each separated by three jets of water. The galerie was completely remodeled in 1704 when the statues were transferred to Marly and the bosquet was replanted with chestnut tree – hence the current name: Salle des Marronniers.

[edit] Salle de Bal

• 1681-1683
  • Located west of the Parterre du Midi and south of the Latona Fountain, this bosquet features a semi-circular cascade that forms the backdrop for this salle de verdure. Interspersed with gilt lead torchères, which supported candelabra, the Salle de Bal was inaugurated in 1683 by Louis XIV’s son, the Grand Dauphin, with a dance party. The Salle de Bal was remodeled in 1707 when the central island was removed and an additional entrance was added.

[edit] Replantations of the Garden

Common to any long-lived garden is replantation, and Versailles is no exception. In their history, the gardens of Versailles have undergone no less than five major replantations, which have been executed for practical and esthetic reasons.

1774-1775

• During the winter of 1774-1775, Louis XVI ordered the replanting of the gardens on the grounds that many of the tress were diseased or over-grown and needed to be replaced. Also, as the formality of the 17th century garden had fallen out of fashion, this replantation sought to establish a new informality in the gardens – that would also be less expensive to maintain – of Versailles. This, however, was not achieved as the topology of the gardens favored the jardins français over an English-style garden.

1860-1883

• In 1860, much of the old growth from Louis XVI's replanting was removed and replaced. Then, in 1870, a violent storm struck the area damaging and uprooting scores of trees. Owing to the Franco-Prussian War and the Commune de Paris, which toppled Napoléon III, replantation of the garden did not get underway until 1883.

1990-1999

• The most recent replantations of the gardens were precipitated by two storms that battered Versailles in 1990 and then again in 1999. The storm damage at Versailles and Trianon amounted to the loss of thousands of trees – the worse such damage in the history of Versailles. The replantations have allowed museum and governmental authorities to restore and rebuild some of the bosquets abandoned during the reign of Louis XVI, such as the Bosquet des Trois Fontaines (restored in 2004).

Owing to the natural cycle of replantations that has occurred at Versailles, it is safe to state that no trees dating from the time of Louis XIV are to be found in the gardens.

[edit] The Problem of Water

The marvel of the gardens of Versailles – then as now – is the fountains. Yet, the very element that animates the gardens – water – has proven to be the affliction of the gardens since the time of Louis XIV.

The gardens of Louis XIII required water, but local ponds provided an adequate supply. However, once Louis XIV began expanding the gardens with more and more fountains, supplying the gardens with water became a critical challenge.

To meet the needs of the early expansions of the gardens under Louis XIV, water was pumped to gardens from ponds near the chateau, with the Clagny pond serving as the principal source.^[15] Water from the pond was pumped to the reservoir on top of the Grotte de Thétys, which fed the fountains in the garden by means of gravitational hydraulics. Other sources included a series of reservoirs located on the Satory Plateau south of the chateau.

By 1664, increased demand for water necessitated additional sources. In this year, Louis LeVau designed the Pompe, a water tower built north of the chateau. The Pompe drew water from the Clagny pond using a system of windmills and horsepower to a cistern housed in the Pompe’s building. The capacity of the Pompe – 600 m³ of water per day – alleviated some of the water shortages in the garden.

With the completion of the Grand Canal in 1671, which served as drainage for the fountains of the garden, water, via a system of windmills, was pumped back to the reservoir on top of the Grotte de Thétys. While this system solved some of the water supply problems, there was never enough water to keep all of the fountains running in the garden in full-play all of the time.

While it was possible to keep the fountains in view from the chateau running, those concealed in the bosquets and in the farther reaches of the garden were run on an as-needed basis. In 1672, Jean-Baptiste Colbert devised a system by which the fountaineers in the garden would signal each other with whistles upon the approach of the king indicating that their fountain needed to be turned on. Once the king passed a fountain in play, it would be turned off and the fountaineer would signal that the next fountain could be turned on.

In 1674, the Pompe was enlarged – hence referred to as the Grande Pompe. Pumping capacity was increased via increased horsepower and the number of pistons used for lifting the water. These improvements increased the water capacity to nearly 3,000 m³ of water per day; however, the increased capacity of the Grande Pompe often left the Clagny pond dry.

The increasing demand for water and the stress placed on existing systems of water supply necessitated newer measures to increase the water supplied to Versailles. Between 1668-1674 a project was undertaken to divert the water of the Bièvre river to Versailles. By damming the river and a pumping system of five windmills, water was brought to the reservoirs located on the Satory Plateau. This system brought an additional 72,000 m³ of water to the gardens.

Despite the augmentation of water from the Bièvre, the gardens needed still more water, which necessitated more projects. In 1681, one of the most ambitious water projects conceived during the reign of Louis XIV was undertaken. Owing to the proximity of the Seine to Versailles, a project was proposed to raise the water from the river to be delivered to Versailles. Seizing upon the success of a system devised in 1680 that raised water from the Seine to the gardens of Saint-Germain, construction of the Machine de Marly began the following year.

The Machine de Marly was designed to lift water from the Seine in three stages to the Louveciennes aqueduct some 100 meters above the level of the river. A series of huge waterwheels was constructed in the river, which raised the water via a system of 64 pumps to a reservoir 48 meters above the river. From this first reservoir, water was raised an additional 56 meters to a second reservoir by a system of 79 pumps. Finally, 78 additional pumps raised the water to the aqueduct, which carried the water to Versailles and Marly.

In 1685, the Machine de Marly came into full operation. However, owing to leakage in the conduits and breakdowns of the mechanism, the machine was only able to deliver 3,200 m³ of water per day – approximately one-half the expected output.^[16] The machine was a must-see for visitors to France. Despite the fact that the gardens consumed more water per day than the entire city of Paris, the Machine de Marly remained in operation until 1817.

During Louis XIV’s reign, water supply systems represented one-third of the building costs of Versailles. Even with the additional output from the Machine de Marly, fountains in the garden could only be run à l’ordinaire – which is to say at half-pressure. With this measure of economy, fountains still consumed 12,800 m³ of water per day, far above the capacity of the existing supplies. In the case of the Grandes Eaux – when all the fountains played to their maximum – more than 10,000 m³ of water was needed for one afternoon’s display. Accordingly, the Grandes Eaux were reserved for special occasions such as the Siamese Embassy of 1685-1686.^[17] One final attempt to solve water shortage problems was undertaken in 1685.

In this year it was proposed to divert the water of the Eure river, located 160 km. south of Versailles and at a level 26 m. above the garden reservoirs. The project called not only for digging a canal and construction of an aqueduct, it also necessitated the construction of shipping channels and locks to supply the workers on the main canal. Between 9,000-10,000 troops were pressed in service in 1685; the next year, more than 20,000 soldiers were engaged in construction. Between 1686 and 1689, when the War of the League of Augsburg began, one-tenth of France’s military was at work on the Eure project. With the outbreak of the war, the project was abandoned, never to be completed. Had the Eure project been completed, some 50,000 m³ of water would have been sent to Versailles – more than enough to solve the water problem of the gardens.

Today, the museum of Versailles is still faced with water problems. During the Grandes Eaux, water is circulated by means of modern pumps from the Grand Canal to the reservoirs. Replenishment of the water lost due to evaporation comes from rainwater, which is collected in cisterns that are located throughout the gardens and diverted to the reservoirs and the Grand Canal. Assiduous husbanding of this resource by museum officials prevents tapping into the supply of potable water of the city of Versailles.^[18]

[edit] Sources

The following are sources that have contributed to the above article. It is not an exhaustive list, yet it represents the most readily available imprints:

• Anonymous. Description du chasteau de Versailles. (Paris: A. Vilette, 1685).
• Berger, R. W. In the Gardens of the Sun King. (Washington, 1985).
• Berger, Robert W. “Les guides imprimés de Versailles sous Louis XIV et le œuvres d'art allégoriques.“ Colloque de Versailles (1985).
• Berger, Robert W. “A Source for the Latona Group at Versailles.“ Gazette des Beaux-Arts 6 pér., vol. 119 (avril 1992): 145-148.
• Börtz-Laine, Agenta. “Un grand pavillon d'Apollon pour Versailles: les origines du projet de Nicodème Tessin le jeun.“ Colloque de Versailles (1985).
• Bottineau, Yves. “Essais sur le Versailles de Louis XIV I: La distribution du château Versailles, le plan du domaine et de la ville.“ Gazette des Beaux-Arts 6 pér., vol. 112 (septembre 1988): 77-89.
• Dangeau, Philippe de Courcillon, marquis de. Journal. (Paris, 1854-60).
• Félibien, André. Description sommaire du chasteau de Versailles. (Paris, 1674).
• Félibien, Jean-François. Description sommaire de Versailles ancienne et nouvelle. (Paris, 1703).
• Fennebresque, Juste. “Construction projetée sous Louis XIV à Versailles d'un pavillon d'Apollon.“ Revue de l'Histoire de Versailles (1902): 91-100.
• Francastle, Pierre. La Sculpture de Versailles. (Paris: Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, 1970).
• Friedman, Ann. “The evolution of the Parterre d'eau.“ Journal of Garden History vol. 8, no. 1 (January-March 1988): 1-30.
• Friedman, Ann. “Charles Le Brun as Landscape Architect: His Designs for the First Parterre d'eau at Versailles.“ Eighteenth Century Life vol. 17, n.s., 2 (May 1993): 24-35.
• Girard, Jacques. Versailles gardens: sculpture and mythology. Preface by Pierre Lemoine. (New York: Vendôme Press, 1983).
• Hedin, Thomas. “The Parterre d'eau at Versailles: an eighteenth-century recollection.“ Minneapolis Institute of Arts Bulletin 65 (1981-1982): 50-65.
• Hedin, Thomas. “Versailles and the 'Mercure Gallant': The Promenade of the Siamese Ambassadors.“ Gazette des Beaux-Arts 6 pér., vol. 119 (avril 1992): 149-172.
• Hoog, Simone. “Sur la restauration de quelques sculptures du parc du Versailles.“ Monuments historiques de la France 138 (April-May 1985): 50-56.
• Hoog, Simone. Louis XIV: Manière de montrer les jardins de Versailles. (Paris: Éditions de la Réunion des musées nationaux, 1982).
• Lighthart, Edward. “Archétype et symbole dans le style Louis XIV versaillais: réflexions sur l’imago rex et l’imago patriae au début de l’époque moderne.” (Doctoral thesis, 1997)
• Loach, J. “Le labyrinthe et l'esprit du XVIIe.“ Colloque de Versailles (1985).
• Louis XIV. Guide de Versailles. ed. Pierre Jaquillard. (Lyon: Courrier de La Cote, n.d).
• Louis XIV. Mémoires. ed. Charles Dreyss. (Paris: Didier et Cie, 1860).
• Mariage, Thierry. “L'univers de Le Nostre et les origines de l'aménagement du territoire.“ Monuments historiques de la France 143 (février-mars 1986): 8-13.
• Marie, Alfred. Naissance de Versailles. (Paris, 1968).
• Marie, Alfred & Jeanne. Mansart à Versailles. (Paris, 1972).
• Marie, Alfred & Jeanne. Versailles au temps de Louis XIV. (Paris, 1976).
• Marie, Alfred & Jeanne. Versailles au temps de Louis XV. (Paris:, 1984).
• Marquis de Sourches. Mémoires sur le règne de Louis XIV. Ed. Cosnac & Pontel, 13 vol. (Paris, 1882-93).
• Mecure Galant, septembre 1686.
• Monicart, Jean-Baptiste de. Versailles immortalisé. (Paris: E. Ganeau, 1720).
• Nolhac, Pierre de. La création de Versailles. (Versailles, 1901).
• Nolhac, Pierre de. “L'orangerie de Mansart à Versailles.“ Revue de l'Histoire de Versailles (1902): 81-90.
• Nolhac, Pierre de. Les dernières Constructions de Le Vau à Versailles. (Versailles : L. Bernard, 1899).
• Nolhac, Pierre de. Versailles, Résidence de Louis XIV. (Paris, 1925).
• Perrault, Charles. Labyrinthe de Versailles. (Paris, 1669).
• Piganiole de la Force. Nouvelle description des chasteaux et parcs de Versailles et Marly. (Paris, 1701)
• Pinatel, Christine. “Un dessin révèle l'origine d'un marbre antique du parc de Versailles.“ Revue du Louvre 35/1 (1985): 1-8.
• Princesse Palatine, duchess d’Orléans. Lettres de Madame, duchesse d’Orléans. (Paris, 1981).
• Saint-Simon, Louis de Rouvoy, duc de. Memoires. 7 vols. (Paris, 1953-61).
• Scudéry, Madeleine de. La promenade de Versailles. (Paris, 1669).
• Souchal, François. “Les statues aux façades du château de Versailles.“ Gazette des Beaux-Arts 6 pér., vol. 79 (février 1972): 65-110.
• Thompson, Ian. The Sun King’s Garden: Louis XIV, André LeNôtre and the Creation of the Gardens of Versailles. (London, 2006).
• Verlet, Pierre. Le château de Versailles. (Paris: Librairie Arthème Fayard, 1985).
• Verlet, Pierre. Versailles. (Paris: Librairie Arthème Fayard, 1961).
• Waltisperger, Chantal. “La clôture du grand parc de Versailles.“ Revue de l'Art 65 (1984): 14-17.
• Weber, Gerold. “Charles LeBrun: Recueil des divers dessins de fontaines.“ Münchner Jahrbuch der bildenden Kunst (1981): 151-181.
• Weber, Gerold. “Ein Kascadenprojekt für Versailles.“ Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschicte Band 37, Heft 3/4 (1974): 248-268.
• Weber, Gerold. “Réflexions sur la genèse du jardin français classique et de son décor.“ Eighteenth Century Life vol. 17, n.s., 2 (May 1993): 1-23.
• Wiebenson, Dora. “Commentaires anglais du XVIIe siècle sur le parc de Versailles.“ Colloque de Versailles (1985).

[edit] Notes

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