Paris - A Parterre Garden - Versailles

Plate CXV – A Parterre Garden…

Back at the palace, and turning only slightly to the right of the spot where I had taken that earlier view of the Grand Canal (over the Bassin de Latone) is this example of one of two mirrored parterre gardens surrounding yet another smaller bassin and fountain.

A popular decorative element of many late nineteenth and early twentieth century European city homes was the use of landscape murals, featuring idealised pastoral or country scenes, often with brilliantly executed trompe l’œil effects, and just as often conjured up only in the imagination of the artist. If I were to ever indulge in such a decorating device myself this scene would surely provide a realistic inspiration. I was once again reminded how difficult it is in Versailles, as in the city of Paris itself, not to go completely shutter crazy with a camera in one’s hands. This scene, especially the foliage colours, reminds me (as do many other views in the Versailles’ gardens) of the magnificent scenic tapestries woven by the works of the Gobelins and especially the Aubusson factories featuring realistically wooded backgrounds. Examples of these are to be found in some of the Loire valley châteaux.

Paris - Grand Gardens and Canal - Versailles

 

Plate CXII -The Grand Gardens and Canal…

While visiting the palace and some of the surrounding attractions it had already been intermittently raining. Nothing too dramatic, but by my judgement of the sky it would be safe to begin a walk around the five and a half kilometer perimeter of the Grand Canal, with possibly a few diversions along the way.

From this position in front of the Bassin de Latone one gets a beautiful view of the canal beyond the ‘tapis vert’ that lends scale and perspective to the view. The fountain dating from 1670 depicts a scene from classical Greek literature, where Latona and her children are being tormented by mud slung at them by Lycian peasants. An obvious parallel is drawn between this event and the revolts of the Fronde in the time of Louis XIV. Mud slinging continues to be a popular political pastime!!

The Grand Canal once served as a venue for royal boating events. At some 1500 metres in length and over 60 metres wide it extends the east to west axis view of the park. At the junction of the north to west canal transverse lies an area known as Little Venice, used originally to house gondolas (and their gondoliers) a gift of the Doge of Venice.  The canal collected waters from the myriad fountains of the park, which was then recirculated using a system of windmills and pumps. The supply of water to the spectacular fountains, best seen during an event known as the Grand Eaux is a marvel of water engineering and a continuing challenge to this day.

I was no more than a kilometre into my walk around the canal when the most almighty storm broke loose. I seemed to have been alone in my foolishness of taking a stroll in the mid afternoon of this day. I knew that severe storms in 1990 had most recently destroyed and battered many of the ancient trees of the gardens. From the experience I had this day I can fully understand the nature of what was to prove an even worse catastrophe in 1999 when reportedly thousands of trees, some dating back to Napoleonic and supposedly Louis XVI times were destroyed. It was the worst such storm damage in the history of the Versailles gardens necessitating the fifth recorded re-plantation of the trees.

Contemplating this, and still wondering what the car hire company made of the sight of the saturated being who returned their slightly damp (interior) vehicle, I guess I was just lucky ……