Table of Contents

Introduction
PART I. THE STATE, THE KING, AND THE GARDENS
1. The Monarchy and the Gardens Before the Reign of Louis XIV
2. The Nature and Splendor of the Monarch
3. A New Image of Good Government
PART II. THE EMPIRE OF GEOMETRY
4. Versailles and the Academies
5. The Astronomers in the Garden: Measuring Nature
6. Engineers and Gardeners: The Remodeling of the Gardeners
7. Hydraulics and Physics: Water and Air
8. The World of Plants and the Silent Progress of the Life Sciences
PART III. AN OPEN-AIR PALACE: GARDENS AND THE ARTS
9. Gardens and Culture at Court
10. Le Nôtre: An Independent Genius
11. Le Nôtre's Aesthetic
PART IV. THE GARDENS OF VERSAILLES FROM LOUIS XV TO THE PRESENT DAY
12. Louis XV
13. Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette
14. From the Ancien Régime to the Present Day
15. History, Gardens, and Landscape
Maps
Chronology
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments

Promotional Information

Michel Baridon traces the history of the most famous gardens in the world from their inception through the three centuries of eventful history that they have witnessed.

About the Author

Michel Baridon is Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Burgundy. Adrienne Mason is Director of Inter-Faculty Programs in Humanities at the University of West England, Bristol.

Reviews

"This work treats its subject from an original angle, recalling that the gardens were conceived according to the will of Louis XIV and reflect the politics set in motion by Colbert, which profoundly altered the structure of French society."--L'Express "Known the world over, the gardens of Versailles are often visited hurriedly by crowds of tourists... In contrast, this book examines the political and cultural intrigues during the era of the gardens' creation. To achieve his masterpiece, Louis XIV mobilized the seventeenth century's artistic and scientific elite. This work enables us to discover this universe."--Jardins