FRENCH FURNISHINGS FOR FORMAL GARDENS 



famous garden of the- Luxembourg is still recom- 

 mended to visitors and tourists a,s one of the best 

 samples of this form of garden harmony, although 

 only a small portion of the original grounds now 

 remains of the once extensive estate. The garden of 

 the Luxembourg (which was laid out by Jacques De- 

 brosse for Marie de Medici between 1615 and 1620), 

 like the still more famous Le Notre gardens of a later 

 period, possessed the fascination of mystery in addi- 

 tion to- their harmonious treatment. 



Various forms of garden architecture were then 

 introduced among the French which had become in- 

 dispensable in garden building among their southern 

 neighbors in sunny Italy. Du Cerceau, in writing of 

 the French gardens of this period, says: "Every- 

 where were great divisions, with avenues of high 

 trees, fences of hazel, and hedges of hawthorn. 

 Long, trellised arbors, opening out at intervals into 

 shady summer-houses, ideally arranged for scenes of 

 gallantry, surrounded the open central space, or 

 divided it into several individual gardens. Marble 

 basins with spouting water-jets and cascades, gliding 

 from artificial rocks, made up the principal remain- 

 ing features of the rather chilling and over-sym- 

 metrical decoration of the gardens in which every- 

 thing seemed obedient to a single demand coolness, 

 shade, mystery." 



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