104 



GARDEN CRAFT IN EUROPE 



Les trois /ow/^/w^j' (illus. opposite), so called from three basins arranged on 

 different levels ; the lowest was octagonal with sixteen jets of water, some 

 forming huge arches, others rising as single jets. 



The next work to be undertaken was the cutting of the grand canal, 

 which was devised in order to enlarge the view, and at the same time to 

 drain the marsh)^ area of the low-lying ground. When seen from the upper 

 terrace it is difficult to realize that this canal is more than a mile long, and 

 one can only grasp its extent from seeing a plan of the grounds. It is pro- 

 bable that Le Notre felt this himself, for he afterwards broke up its straight 

 length by cutting two arms which branch off about the middle as transepts, 

 one leading to the Trianon and the other to the Menagerie. 



There is an authentic list of no less than ninety-five sculptors, including 

 all the famous men of the day, who were employed to carry out the decorative 

 works in the gardens of Versailles. This band of artists was presided over 

 by the genius of Le Brun, who bestowed the greatest pains upon every 

 detail, and " little by little, grove by grove, fountain by fountain, the magic 

 of this most beautiful spot in the world was born." Models were first 

 made in plaster, then put into position, coloured to represent bronze or 

 marble and left for the decision of the King as to the nature of the final 

 material. Among the earliest works of sculpture are the two charming 

 groups of children riding on sphinxes which now overlook the parterre des 

 fleurs. They were modelled in 1660 by Jacques Sarrazin, the earliest sculptor 

 employed at Versailles. When first set up they were gilt, but this was after- 

 wards removed in order to make them more in harmony with the bronzes 

 that surround the two large ponds. 



About 1669 that part of the gardens which descends to the bassin 

 du Dragon was rearranged, and this important work involved a whole 

 series of magnificent fountains, the pyramid by Girardon and the charming 

 series of fourteen fountains known as the Allee d'eau. The Alice d'eau was 

 quite a new form of water decoration devised by Claude Perrault, and as first 

 designed consisted of fourteen small fountains (illus., p. 109) ranged upon both 

 sides of the grass allee ; each fountain was of gilt metal and consisted of beauti- 

 fully modelled groups of children supporting a dish of fruit and flowers. 

 The famous fountain of the Pyramid adorns the entrance to the Allee d^eau 

 from the Parterre du Nord ; it is one of the most original and beautiful 

 fountains in the gardens, and was carried out by Frangois Girardon. M. 



