#LeNôtre transformed the country. Discover the enormity of his work

Louis XIV and his Court Hunting
at the Château of Meudon,
by Adam Frans Van der Meulen

For Louvois, Le Nôtre designed the gardens of the Château of Meudon, near Versailles,starting in 1679, creating fountains, groves and parterres. Louis XIV wrote Manière de montrer Meudon (How to show Meudon) based on the text he wrote for Versailles: "One must arrive from the Avenue, then go through the superb Terrace to enter the Courtyard, where one must descend from the carriage." 17th century, Palace of Versailles.

A territory for the art
of Le Nôtre
ROOM N°3

Under the Ancien Régime, gardens and parks were part of the institutional and economic framework of manorial estates. A palace was linked to this territory which provided it with income, prestige and power. The garden and the park are distinct but complementary entities which are physically separate but visually linked. The dividing elements – terraces, transversal canals, railings or sunken fences – do not break up the view. In some cases – such as Versailles – Le Nôtre made plans and has the work carried out even before all the pieces of land in the parks had been purchased.

Crédits

© RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles) / Christian Jean

1 Le Nôtre: the art collector 2 Training, career,
honours and achievements 3 A territory
for the art of Le Nôtre 4 LE NÔTRE
at work 5 AXES
AND VIEWPOINTS 6 Open spaces 7 Enclosed spaces 8 Heritage and modernity
of le Nôtre

A territory for the art of Le Nôtre

Louis XIV and his Court Hunting
at the Château of Meudon,
by Adam Frans Van der Meulen
For Louvois, Le Nôtre designed the gardens of the Château of Meudon, near Versailles,starting in 1679, creating fountains, groves and parterres. Louis XIV wrote Manière de montrer Meudon (How to show Meudon) based on the text he wrote for Versailles: "One must arrive from the Avenue, then go through the superb Terrace to enter the Courtyard, where one must descend from the carriage." 17th century, Palace of Versailles.

ROOM N°3

Under the Ancien Régime, gardens and parks were part of the institutional and economic framework of manorial estates. A palace was linked to this territory which provided it with income, prestige and power. The garden and the park are distinct but complementary entities which are physically separate but visually linked. The dividing elements – terraces, transversal canals, railings or sunken fences – do not break up the view. In some cases – such as Versailles – Le Nôtre made plans and has the work carried out even before all the pieces of land in the parks had been purchased.