Introduction
Now it is time to dive into a piece of architecture from the Baroque era. The piece of architecture that I have found is the Palace of Versailles which is located in Versailles, France. According to the Palace of Versailles museum website, “The history of the Palace of Versailles starts in the 17th century. It was first a hunting lodge, then a seat of power, and finally, from the 19th century onwards, a museum. Composed of the Palace, the gardens, the Park, the Trianon estate and several buildings in town, today the Estate of Versailles spreads over more than 800 hectares” (The Estate). The Palace of Versailles is a piece of incredible architecture that would probably take me 10-plus pages to fully discuss. For this blog, I will be focusing on the Palace’s Orangery Garden.
Photo from twoinfrance.com
According to the museum’s website, “The Orangery parterre covers no less than three hectares. During the reign of Louis XIV it was adorned with several sculptures which are now kept in the Musée du Louvre. It consists of four grass sections and a circular pool. In summer there are 1055 containers with orange trees, palm trees, oleander, pomegranate trees and Eugenia bushes that are kept inside the building during winter” (The Estate). The Orangery Garden was designed by the architect named Jules Hardouin-Mansart between 1684 and 1686 (The Versailles Orangery). The Orangery would be a sight to see from up in the Palace, I cannot imagine the amount of care and attention to detail it must take to keep it looking this good.
Art Elements
Two art elements in the Orangery that are very apparent are the use of space and lines. The Orangery is very large, and the space is used very well, the influence of royalty is very apparent. Not just anyone would have this garden. In this space, every tree, bush, shrub, and even the grass is trimmed and placed strategically to give us this impressive view. It is hard to miss the use of lines in the Orangery Garden, there are a lot of long, straight lines, or rows of trees in a specific, repeating pattern. Take a look at the patterns used for the grass sections inside the trees, they are incredibly designed and must take a lot of time to maintain.
My Opinions
The Orangery Garden at the Palace of Versailles is of course, incredible. I cannot imagine being able to sit in the Palace and admire that view, I also cannot imagine being part of the team having to maintain it. Overall, I am very impressed with the Orangery, and it is very cool to be able to see this type of landscape art that was designed so long ago and that it is still beautifully maintained today.
Works Cited
“The Estate.” Palace of Versailles, 30 Nov. 2023, en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/estate.
Ricki. “The Versailles Gardens.” Two In France, 26 Dec. 2022, twoinfrance.com/places/versailles gardens/#!jig[1]/FL/16455209466.
“The Versailles Orangery.” Orangeries UK, 9 Nov. 2020, www.orangeries-uk.co.uk/the-largest-orangery-in-europe.html.
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