The gardens of Versailles are perhaps the most famous in the world.
Seemingly open to the horizon, their scale is monumental. Their grand
east-west axis celebrates the Sun King, even as they offer an expression
of the scientific spirit of the age in their geometrical layout and
exploitation of the optical properties of reflecting water. The original
park design, realized by André Le Nôtre, a few advisers, and Louis XIV
himself--author of The Way to Present the Gardens of
Versailles--remains largely intact. Yet Louis XV made his own original
contribution to the gardens at the Trianon, where later still Richard
Mique and Hubert Robert designed the English garden and the delightful
village beloved by Marie Antoinette.
Michel Baridon traces the history of the gardens from their inception
through three centuries of their history. He stresses the cultural
importance of the landscape, provides a chronology to show the stages of
its growth, and discusses the contemporary challenges posed by its
conservation and historical interpretation. Beautifully illustrated with
archival images and commissioned photographs, A History of the Gardens
of Versailles provides visitors and enthusiasts with a guide to these
legendary grounds.