Monsieur Le Nôtre

Versailles was essentially a gilded trap. To distract and thereby defang the nobles who could have mounted a rebellion against him, Louis XIV invited them to Versailles to marvel at its grandeur and fritter their time away being constantly entertained. Versailles, however, like mighty Rome, did not spring up in a day, it and its gardens were a result of years of toil. And a man who perhaps knew most about the pressures of maintaining the glittering image of Versailles was its gardener Andre Le Nôtre. 

Before taking the project at Versailles on, Le Nôtre had already shown the breadth of his talent in the gardens of Vaux-le-Vicomte the home of politician Nicolas Fouquet. When Fouquet fell from grace perhaps due to Louis’ jealousy, Le Nôtre immediately moved on and started work on Versailles in 1661. 

Using the expert draughtsmanship he learned under the painter Simon Vouet, and his engineering expertise Le Nôtre transformed the gardens into his signature combination of geometrically perfect parterres, cosy groves, stunning water features, and topiary creations. Though the most impressive thing about Le Nôtre is not his skill but his knack for diplomacy. This is a man that realised the grandest vision in less than favourable conditions and still stopped to make friends along the way.