Views of the Gardens at Marly: Louis XIV : Royal Gardener
by Gérard Mabille
Category: Architecture

Kingdom of water, renowned for its art of topiary, Marly was designed for and by Louis XIV as a refreshing diversion from the stifling atmosphere of Versailles. It was probably his favorite pavilion. This book reveals the watercolors which were commissioned by the King to keep memory of the gardens in Marly and includes all the cabinets, fountains, cascades and games which were designed by Louis himself in close collaboration with the young J.H. Mansart. It also includes precise descriptions of the sculptures, the greenery, and the pools which gave Marly its unique airy feeling. All the watercolors reproduced in this book are kept at The Archives Nationales in Paris and have never been published previously as a whole. They probably represent the most complete and outstanding testimonial of Louis XIV's taste.