FRENCH GARDENS: LATER 17TH AND i8th CENTURIES 141 



The chateau of Sceaux, about four miles from Paris, on the road to 

 Orleans, was bought by Colbert in 1670. Le Notre was employed to lay 

 out the gardens, whilst Le Brun and Claude Perrault were engaged upon the 

 alterations to the building (illus., p. 140). Colbert, possibly warned by the 

 sad fate of Fouquet, decided to exercise a greater economy, and instead of 

 entirely rebuilding the old chateau contented himself with remodelling. 

 Le Notre, wishing to retain as much of the existing garden as possible, con- 

 fined his alteration to the creation of two main axial lines; one formed 

 the approach by a double avenue and passed through the chateau to the 

 parterres beyond, the other, at right angles, took the form of a canal 1,000 



THE PARTERRE DU TIBRE AT FONTAINEBLEAU (PRESENT DAy). 



yards in length. The illustration (p. 140) shows the garden front with the par- 

 terre de broderie as planned by Le Notre. Colbert died in 1684 and Sceaux 

 passed to his eldest son, the Marquis de Seignelay, who entertained here upon 

 a lavish scale. The Mercure Galant, describing a fete at Sceaux in 1685 in 

 honour of Louis XIV and Madame de Maintenon, relates how the royal 

 party after reposing an hour in the Pavilion de I'Aurore, proceeded through 

 the Salle des Marroniers to a little wood fait en labyrinth e and sparkling with 

 fountains. From here they passed to the alUe d'eau, a shady spot with ter- 

 races ranged on both sides, and a water jet between each — the water flowed 

 through tiny channels to four large shells. High treillage covered with 



