Georges-Louis le Rouge (1740-1780) was a French engraver and cartographer who had a royal appointment from Louis XV. He is best known for his exquisite engravings of notable 18th century gardens. While the series’ primary focus is French gardens, some Chinese, English, and German gardens are also represented.
Shown here is the plan for the grounds of Château de Marly, which was designed by André le Nôtre (1613-1700) and Michel Le Bouteux III (ca.1648-1694) for Louix XIV. Construction began on Château de Marly in 1678 and was completed in 1698. Marly served as a retreat for the king who was “fatigued with [the] finery and crowds” of court life. Next to Versailles, Marly was the most extravagant building project during Louis XIV’s reign. Over 14,000,000 bulbs were planted during a four-year period. After Louis’ death, the building and grounds fell into ruins and were later demolished.
Louis XIV commissioned a set of watercolors to document all the gardens at Château de Marly. Views of the Gardens at Marly reproduces each image and description contained in the original book of watercolors, which is held by the Archives Nationales in Paris.
The third illustration, from Auguste Alexandre Guillaumot's Château de Marly-le-Roi, depicts the abreuvoir, a horse trough combined with an equine plunge pool. This is one of the only extant structures from the original design of Château de Marly.
- Plate from Jardins à la Mode et Jardins Anglo Chinois (Fashionable Gardens and Anglo-Chinese Gardens) by Georges-Louis le Rouge. Paris: Jardin de Flore, 1978.
- Views of the Gardens at Marly by Emmanuel Ducamp. Paris: Alain de Gourcuff, 1998.
- Plate from Château de Marly-le-Roi: Construit en 1671 et Détruit en 1798, Dessiné; et Gravé; d’Après les Documents Puisás à la Bibliothèque Impériale et aux Archives (Château de Marly-le-Roi: Built in 1671 and Destroyed in 1798, Designs and Engravings Based on the Documents from the Imperial Library and Archives) by Auguste Alexandre Guillaumot. Paris: Leplanquais-Chédeville, ca. late 17th century.