No One Man Should Have All That Power

                The French baroque period was entirely about showing wealth, power, and a French identity. Taking the gardens of Versailles as the epitome of the French baroque period gardens, these three aspects can be seen throughout the history and layout of the garden. King Louis XIV had this palace and garden build up from a humble hunting lodge to the world’s most iconic baroque garden to show that he was the one true and divine ruler of France.

                The gardens at Versailles were, in a large part, constructed to show off King Louis XIV’s vast wealth. During a French time of prosperity, he was able to spend millions to build and maintain his garden. 

(http://www.marlymachine.org/meng1a.jpg) 

The Machine de Marly is an enormous example of his wealth. This machine was essentially a very large water pump that was constructed and used for the sole purpose of supplying millions of liters of water to King Louis XIV’s fountains at Versailles. The amount of engineering, construction, and planning that went into this device was a marvel. Anyone who walked around the gardens would be able to see how much water is being pushed through every day, and could tell that large sums of money were being spent on it. The machine itself also plays a part in displaying how massive of an operation it was to run the gardens, and how much power it took a King to organize it.

                The gardens at Versailles were also constructed to demonstrate power. This is shown through the immense size of the gardens that were typical in the baroque period. (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/1920s_Leconte_Map_of_Paris_w-Monuments_and_Map_of_Versailles_-_Geographicus_-_ParisVersailles-leconte-1920s_-_2.jpg) 

The gardens stretched on for miles and were designed to look as if they went on even further. Looking out from the palace was supposed to give the feeling of looking out to the horizon, filled with only the garden. If a patron were to walk the grounds, they would be able to tell that the owner was powerful. The gardens were so large that you could get lost in them, while still discovering new features with every turn. The size of the garden was directly proportional to the owner’s power in the baroque period.

                Finally, the French baroque period was meant to show a nationalistic identity. It was supposed to show the world the pure, unadulterated French attitude. One feature, in particular, showed French influence and that was the parterre de broderie. This intricate groundwork of trimmed hedges shaped like waving scrolls or other ornamental art pieces was intrinsically French. With features in the garden like the Parterre du Midi (shown below) and the Parterre de Nord, the gardens at Versailles displayed a very French atmosphere. 

(http://www.routard.com/images_contenu/communaute/Photos/publi/027/pt26687.jpg) 

The grounds were filled with parterre de broderie and were meant to show that King Louis XIV was looking out, not only for himself, but for France.

              The gardens of Versailles were a very important part of King Louis XIV’s rule. With them in hand, King Louis was able to show his guests and fellow noblemen that he was, indeed, the most wealthy, powerful, and influential king at the time. He believed in France as a nation and was able to lead through his own divine right.