1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:04,040 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:12,800 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radios How Stuff Works. Hello, and welcome 3 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:16,919 Speaker 1: to the podcast. I'm Holly Fry and I'm Tracy V. Wilson. Uh. 4 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:19,319 Speaker 1: This is the second part of a two parter on 5 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:24,079 Speaker 1: Andre Lenore, who is France's famous gardener. We discussed for 6 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 1: the first episode how that term doesn't really encompass all 7 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:30,320 Speaker 1: that he was or did, but it is usually how 8 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:33,680 Speaker 1: he has defined historically. And on the last episode we 9 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:37,080 Speaker 1: talked about Andre Lenotre's early life and how with one 10 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 1: high profile project he went from being a well respected 11 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: royal gardener and controller to being tapped by King Louis 12 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 1: the fourteenth for a project that was going to be 13 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 1: epic in scale, and so here in part two, we're 14 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:51,040 Speaker 1: going to pick up with that project, how it played out, 15 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:52,600 Speaker 1: and then take you right on through the end of 16 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:55,800 Speaker 1: Lenotre's life and also how his work is seen today. 17 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 1: You're not gonna be completely lost if you pixings up 18 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:00,360 Speaker 1: here and you didn't listen to part one, but you're 19 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 1: gonna miss out on a really juicy story about how 20 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 1: that big project that kind of made him famous. UH 21 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 1: contributed to a member of the royal court being imprisoned 22 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:14,679 Speaker 1: for life, not because Andre's designed it, but because it 23 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:17,360 Speaker 1: was lavish and beautiful. It's a juicy story. Go back 24 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 1: and listen. So we're gonna pick up right where we 25 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 1: left off. So we ended the last episode with the 26 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 1: king tasking Andre lenotre with designing the gardens of Versailles. 27 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:31,920 Speaker 1: When Louis fourt decided that he wanted to renovate the 28 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:36,039 Speaker 1: chateau and have landscaped crowns there, it was initially because 29 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:38,720 Speaker 1: he just loved the hunting lodge and he liked life 30 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: in the country. He preferred it to Paris, where he 31 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 1: was always being watched, and it gave him a getaway 32 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 1: where he could arrange romantic liaisons. But by the mid 33 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: sixteen seventies, the king had decided to move the royal 34 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:55,720 Speaker 1: court from Paris to the redesigned Versailles. And while Andre 35 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:58,440 Speaker 1: Lenot had been a royal gardener, as we said before, 36 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 1: this project heading up the garden plans of Versailles was 37 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: very different because it was a true collaboration with the 38 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:09,920 Speaker 1: monarch and Louis the fourteen had opinions about plants and gardens, 39 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:13,960 Speaker 1: as he was an avid gardener, himself, but Lenopla was 40 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:17,680 Speaker 1: really the perfect creative match for the king. Where Louis 41 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 1: could be mercurial and impulsive, Lenore was relaxed and steadfast, 42 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: and the two very different personalities managed to achieve a 43 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 1: balanced sort of harmony as they plotted out and executed 44 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:33,760 Speaker 1: this massive project. It really helped that Lenota was truly 45 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:36,679 Speaker 1: a royalist, that he was very devoted to Louis the fourteenth, 46 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:39,360 Speaker 1: and the young king in turn, who was in his 47 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 1: twenties at this point, seemed to really enjoy the company 48 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:44,800 Speaker 1: of the older Lenore, who did not seem to be 49 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 1: scheming in his relationship with the monarch in any way. 50 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:52,240 Speaker 1: Lenore also had to work with Lebron and Leveaux, as 51 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: he had at void of Acomte, and he had to 52 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 1: juggle the personalities of these two men plus the king 53 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: throughout the project. Leva died in sixteen seventy and his 54 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 1: assistant Friendsois Doorbet finished the work. Later, work on both 55 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: the chateau and the gardens was commissioned by Jules Hardoin Montsart. 56 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: Lenotre didn't seem to let constantly changing targets bother or 57 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: unsettle him, and through it all, he wasn't just working 58 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 1: with the King and his design collaborators. He was managing 59 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:23,640 Speaker 1: thousands of people in order to fulfill the desires of 60 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:27,360 Speaker 1: the Crown at a magnitude that was beyond anything any 61 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:29,840 Speaker 1: of them had ever worked on before. So if you 62 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:32,519 Speaker 1: visit their side today, which we have been lucky enough 63 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 1: to do, it is all paved and landscaped and manicured, 64 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:39,760 Speaker 1: and it is absolutely breathtaking. But that location, as has 65 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 1: come up on the show before, was a hunting lodge 66 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 1: before Louis four decided to redo it and eventually make 67 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: it into a palace, and it was out in the country. 68 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: So what Lenotto was faced with was turning a whole 69 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 1: lot of swampy, muddy ground. It is something worthy of 70 00:03:54,400 --> 00:04:00,120 Speaker 1: French royalty, no small task. The diarist Louis d'arrouva, the 71 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:03,520 Speaker 1: Duke de Saint Simol, wrote of the Versailles site that 72 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 1: it was quote the saddest and most barren of places, 73 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 1: with no view, no wood, no water, and no earth, 74 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 1: for it is all shifting sand and marsh, and the 75 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:18,640 Speaker 1: air consequently is bad. And apart from that, it was 76 00:04:18,720 --> 00:04:21,200 Speaker 1: a lot of land like that. By the time Louis 77 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:25,600 Speaker 1: the fourteenth finished acquiring parcels of adjacent land to expand 78 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:29,919 Speaker 1: the existing site. There was about fifteen thousand acres or 79 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:34,640 Speaker 1: six thousand hectars. Lenotre spent thirty years working on Versailles, 80 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:39,159 Speaker 1: turning it from that marshy expanse to a place of 81 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: just unparalleled splendor. I feel compelled to point out that 82 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:46,000 Speaker 1: a lot of people will say Saint Simon in his 83 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:50,240 Speaker 1: writing was a little bit um of a drama lama 84 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:52,880 Speaker 1: and could exaggerate things, so it may or may not 85 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:55,279 Speaker 1: have been quite as bad as he described it. But 86 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 1: everyone agreed pretty universally that it was a weird place 87 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:01,080 Speaker 1: for the king. I want to put a lot of 88 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:05,400 Speaker 1: effort in and that splendor that was created came at 89 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 1: a very significant cost, partially because of that weird land, 90 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:11,479 Speaker 1: and that cost was both in money and in men. 91 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:15,120 Speaker 1: It was estimated that the cost of just leveling and 92 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 1: excavating the land and preparing the clay basins for water 93 00:05:18,880 --> 00:05:21,840 Speaker 1: tallied up to more than six million livre, and a 94 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:24,440 Speaker 1: lot of men also died over the course of construction, 95 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:27,600 Speaker 1: with the numbers of people injured on the job totaling 96 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:31,400 Speaker 1: in the thousands. The primary causes for these deaths and 97 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:34,919 Speaker 1: injuries were landslips while digging out the various water features, 98 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:38,240 Speaker 1: and malaria because that marshy ground is a perfect place 99 00:05:38,279 --> 00:05:41,839 Speaker 1: for mosquitoes to be very very happy. A similar human 100 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:44,920 Speaker 1: cost had taken place during the construction at Vodeviculte, where 101 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:48,080 Speaker 1: serious injuries and mortalities were so common that a new 102 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:51,080 Speaker 1: hospital had to be established to handle them all. I 103 00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 1: read one story, but I didn't read any verification on 104 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:56,760 Speaker 1: it because I didn't particularly chase after it that at 105 00:05:56,960 --> 00:06:01,200 Speaker 1: Versailles they were basically letting people kind of like fall. 106 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:03,640 Speaker 1: They would move the bodies, but they wouldn't permanently move 107 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:06,240 Speaker 1: them off the site until nighttime because they didn't want 108 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:10,400 Speaker 1: to like be carding dead bodies through the workers and 109 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:14,560 Speaker 1: demoralize them as they were digging. Just terrible. There are 110 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: a lot of discussions to be had about the moral 111 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:19,920 Speaker 1: implications of of spending so much money on something like this. 112 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:22,480 Speaker 1: We're not digging super deep into them, but I want 113 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:25,919 Speaker 1: to mention that, like, there is human costs when you 114 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 1: are indulging in something at this level. And this work 115 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 1: was all done by hand. It was largely staffed by 116 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:35,360 Speaker 1: soldiers who were doing this work in between military engagements. 117 00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:39,520 Speaker 1: The initial plan for organizing all of us at Versailles 118 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:42,719 Speaker 1: was to lay the landscaping elements out along a long 119 00:06:42,839 --> 00:06:47,440 Speaker 1: axis with cross axes creating partitions within that, and the 120 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:50,520 Speaker 1: symmetry there was used to great effect. There was a 121 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:53,560 Speaker 1: rudimentary version of the east to west access already in 122 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:56,880 Speaker 1: place on the site when Lenore arrived at Versailles, and 123 00:06:56,920 --> 00:07:00,120 Speaker 1: he fortified and extended it, including adding the gray and 124 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:02,680 Speaker 1: canal and creating what came to be known as the 125 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:07,039 Speaker 1: Grand Perspective. This east west alignment of the whole thing 126 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:10,800 Speaker 1: ensured that the movement of the sun over the gardens 127 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:13,560 Speaker 1: and the property would make it the perfect place for 128 00:07:13,600 --> 00:07:16,600 Speaker 1: the sun king, because the sun rose on one side, 129 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:19,640 Speaker 1: crossed the long length of the property and then had 130 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:22,440 Speaker 1: a beautiful sunset on the horizon on the other side. 131 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:24,920 Speaker 1: And looking out from the windows in the Hall of 132 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:28,200 Speaker 1: Mirrors offers a full view of the Grand Perspective, or 133 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:31,640 Speaker 1: in French the GM perspective, leading the eye down the 134 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 1: elongated Great Lawn as it meets a rounded fountain that 135 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:37,560 Speaker 1: sits between the lawn and the canal, and then extending 136 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 1: the eye line down the canal again sort of to infinity. 137 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 1: Having seen that perspective, it is a little bit like 138 00:07:44,080 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 1: your brain can't process how far it goes on. Uh. 139 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:51,520 Speaker 1: Lenola also added a north south access, which eventually included 140 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:54,520 Speaker 1: a number of prominent spaces in the design, including the 141 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:58,960 Speaker 1: water walk, the Neptune Fountain, and the orangerie. There are 142 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:03,200 Speaker 1: very few survive having documents that feature Lenotre's garden designs, 143 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:06,200 Speaker 1: and most of those are sort of dutally rough sketches 144 00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:08,800 Speaker 1: that suggests that he was working out concepts with pen 145 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:11,920 Speaker 1: and paper. We also don't have any clear notes on 146 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:15,480 Speaker 1: how he worked or executed his design, so how things 147 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:20,520 Speaker 1: transitioned from design idea to finished formal garden have to 148 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: be pieced together through the writings of other people, and 149 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:27,320 Speaker 1: even then there are very few specifics to Lenotre, although 150 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:31,120 Speaker 1: the best practices written out by men such as Desaier 151 00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:34,880 Speaker 1: darjan Via in his early eighteenth century book Latiori a 152 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:40,120 Speaker 1: la practic Jardinage are undoubtedly heavily influenced by Lenotre's work. 153 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:45,800 Speaker 1: There are some people that will say that we don't 154 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:49,240 Speaker 1: have surviving designs of Lenota because he didn't actually ever 155 00:08:49,320 --> 00:08:53,600 Speaker 1: write out any designs. That seems unlikely. I think most 156 00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:57,640 Speaker 1: historians will say that that doesn't really make any sense um, 157 00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:01,200 Speaker 1: because the stuff he was doing was so careful and 158 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:05,319 Speaker 1: mathematical that even if he were a genius that could 159 00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:06,920 Speaker 1: see it that way, you would have needed to have 160 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:11,679 Speaker 1: plans to direct the actual construction and layout and uh 161 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:16,640 Speaker 1: excavation that had to happen. And the team that Louis 162 00:09:16,679 --> 00:09:19,560 Speaker 1: the fourteenth had assembled was quickly tasked with things like 163 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:22,640 Speaker 1: creating that orangerie for the orange trees that he had 164 00:09:22,679 --> 00:09:26,199 Speaker 1: taken from vaule Vicomte uh and creating a menagerie space 165 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:28,200 Speaker 1: for what some would consider the first zoo in the 166 00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:31,160 Speaker 1: Western world. For anybody that has maybe seen pictures of 167 00:09:31,280 --> 00:09:34,760 Speaker 1: Version doesn't know, there's a famous section that you often 168 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:38,160 Speaker 1: see because it's very striking, which has these little partires 169 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:41,240 Speaker 1: of low boxwood hedges that are cut into curly Q shapes. 170 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:44,600 Speaker 1: That is the orangerie. If you look closely, there are 171 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:47,560 Speaker 1: pathways through it, and there's a circular center part to it, 172 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:52,000 Speaker 1: and orange trees are arranged in planters all around those walkways. 173 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:53,760 Speaker 1: So that is that is what we're talking about when 174 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:57,560 Speaker 1: we say the Orangerie. Yeah, let them take the orange 175 00:09:57,559 --> 00:10:01,720 Speaker 1: trees inside when the weather was not going to be 176 00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:05,079 Speaker 1: conducive to their being there. They do not love a winter. 177 00:10:05,520 --> 00:10:10,760 Speaker 1: They a French winter is too cold for uh citrus normally. Yeah, 178 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:13,320 Speaker 1: I don't know why. It wasn't until we were in 179 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:18,080 Speaker 1: Paris and someone explained that to me that I was like, oh, right, 180 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:22,600 Speaker 1: of course. Obviously, in just a moment, we will talk 181 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:26,440 Speaker 1: about how Lenore tackled this immense task to turn swamp 182 00:10:26,520 --> 00:10:29,559 Speaker 1: into a royal garden, but will pause first for a 183 00:10:29,640 --> 00:10:41,840 Speaker 1: quick sponsor break. As we said before, set to partition 184 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:44,960 Speaker 1: the land out in that access based grid for the 185 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:48,680 Speaker 1: various elements of design that he wanted to include. Low 186 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:52,440 Speaker 1: parterres were designed to sit nearest the chateau on three sides, 187 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:55,000 Speaker 1: so that the open sight lines of that lower level 188 00:10:55,360 --> 00:10:58,760 Speaker 1: could be maintained the north partire, the South partire, and 189 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:02,840 Speaker 1: the water partre. As the gardens extended farther back from 190 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:07,240 Speaker 1: the chateau, they were then laden with all manner of surprises. 191 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:11,439 Speaker 1: The paths that crossed the Grand perspective lead visitors into 192 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:15,200 Speaker 1: the groves of Versailles, each of which is unique. Lenotre 193 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:19,240 Speaker 1: created fifteen of them. Initially, some were modified and others 194 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:23,720 Speaker 1: were added by later designers. These groves featured fountains and 195 00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:28,600 Speaker 1: sculptures that were designed by Lebron, each having its own identity. 196 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:31,960 Speaker 1: These groves included the Ancient Gallery that was an outdoor 197 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:35,280 Speaker 1: exhibition of sculptures, the Grove of Domes, which includes a 198 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:38,800 Speaker 1: hexagonal pool in the center, the Grove of three Fountains, 199 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:41,480 Speaker 1: which is credited as being the King's idea, and a 200 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:44,280 Speaker 1: marsh grove which featured plants that were sculpted out of 201 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:47,920 Speaker 1: metal all around its central fountain. There was also a 202 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:51,080 Speaker 1: ballroom grove which was a tiered amphitheater, which was the 203 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: last grove that lenotre created that was completed in six 204 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:58,840 Speaker 1: Having walked around some of these wonderful, surprising little spaces 205 00:11:58,840 --> 00:12:03,120 Speaker 1: in Versailles, they're delightful and you wonder how like these 206 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:08,319 Speaker 1: very complicated structures are existing seemingly tucked into like little 207 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:14,800 Speaker 1: private areas. But they are so um It's not like 208 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:18,080 Speaker 1: you find a little open space with benches. I mean, 209 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:21,840 Speaker 1: they're like little rooms. They're not little either, but compared 210 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:23,600 Speaker 1: to the rest of the grounds that you're on, they're 211 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:26,679 Speaker 1: like their own. It's like walking into like themed rooms 212 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:31,000 Speaker 1: in a really like um creatively designed house or something. 213 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:36,200 Speaker 1: It's amazing. Yeah. Yeah. In sixteen sixty five, Linota started 214 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:39,800 Speaker 1: plans for a labyrinth for one of the groves at Versailles. 215 00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:42,559 Speaker 1: That was a feature that was popular on France estates 216 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:45,760 Speaker 1: at the time. That labyrinth wasn't completed until the mid 217 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:49,280 Speaker 1: sixteen seventies, in part because the King, on the advice 218 00:12:49,320 --> 00:12:52,600 Speaker 1: of writer Charles Perrault, asked for a redesign. In sixteen 219 00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:56,360 Speaker 1: sixty nine. Perot was the author credited with the first 220 00:12:56,440 --> 00:13:00,000 Speaker 1: published Mother Goose. Stories that have become such classics include 221 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:04,480 Speaker 1: Being Cinderella, Little Red, Riding Hood, and Sleeping Beauty. Lenotre 222 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:09,040 Speaker 1: redrafted the labyrinths to include several dozen fountains to represent 223 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:14,000 Speaker 1: the story of Esop's fables. That's included carefully designed statuary 224 00:13:14,040 --> 00:13:16,960 Speaker 1: and a whole lot of plumbing. The labyrinth and several 225 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:21,200 Speaker 1: other groves were later replaced and a redesigned by Jules 226 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:25,280 Speaker 1: hardom Montsart when he was tasked with updating the grounds. Yeah, 227 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:29,319 Speaker 1: the labyrinth was was taken away, which is a pity. Um. 228 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:31,640 Speaker 1: As with his other work that we've talked about, Leno 229 00:13:32,040 --> 00:13:36,120 Speaker 1: once again used visual trickery and interest points all over Versailles. 230 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:39,600 Speaker 1: He made rectangles that would look like squares from certain angles, 231 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:43,320 Speaker 1: or he created parterres of swirled boxwoods, kind of like 232 00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:46,320 Speaker 1: we talked about in the Orangerie, that were trained and 233 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:49,280 Speaker 1: cut into shapes that resembled the scrolls that were found 234 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:53,680 Speaker 1: on carpets, tapestries, and clothing embellishments. While Versailles was a 235 00:13:53,760 --> 00:13:57,280 Speaker 1: career defining accomplishment, Lenore went on to do a whole 236 00:13:57,280 --> 00:14:00,040 Speaker 1: lot of other work after it was finished. As for 237 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:02,720 Speaker 1: Louis the fourteenth, he continued to make changes to the 238 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:06,600 Speaker 1: ground as his desires and whims shifted right up until 239 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:09,960 Speaker 1: his death. But the gardens of Versailles today are still 240 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:12,760 Speaker 1: very much governed by the designs that were developed and 241 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:16,480 Speaker 1: executed by Lenore. They didn't, of course, stay that way 242 00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:20,040 Speaker 1: from his time up until now. They have at various 243 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:23,440 Speaker 1: points been replaced, like we said, fallen into disrepair, etcetera. 244 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:25,960 Speaker 1: But several of the groves and other features have been 245 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:28,160 Speaker 1: restored in recent years to how they looked in le 246 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:31,680 Speaker 1: Nutless time. But there is an interesting difference. In his 247 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:34,680 Speaker 1: book The Sun King's Garden, author Ian Thompson, who is 248 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:38,560 Speaker 1: a PhD in landscape architecture notes a key difference between 249 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:42,040 Speaker 1: the restored Versailles gardens of today versus what they looked 250 00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:45,840 Speaker 1: like when Le Nutla was in charge. Based on eighteenth 251 00:14:45,880 --> 00:14:48,920 Speaker 1: century engravings of the space, it appears that things were 252 00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:53,320 Speaker 1: a lot more angular and sharply maintained in the eighteenth century, 253 00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:56,400 Speaker 1: where quote, the hedges are so immaculately clipped that they 254 00:14:56,440 --> 00:15:00,760 Speaker 1: look like walls. All of the fountains involved in Versailles 255 00:15:00,920 --> 00:15:04,200 Speaker 1: created a need for a lot of water, and that 256 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:07,400 Speaker 1: was a need that was just impossible to meet. Fountains 257 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:10,000 Speaker 1: would have to be turned on as the king approached 258 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:12,720 Speaker 1: and then turn off once he was a distance away. 259 00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:17,359 Speaker 1: A monstrous two hundred twenty one pump device with twenty 260 00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:21,240 Speaker 1: massive water wheels was developed in the sixteen eighties. That 261 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:23,960 Speaker 1: was called the Machine to Marley, and it was meant 262 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:26,720 Speaker 1: to bring water in from the sin but it created 263 00:15:26,920 --> 00:15:29,960 Speaker 1: way more problems than it was worth, and it also 264 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:33,200 Speaker 1: never really fulfilled its mission of bringing in enough water 265 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:37,760 Speaker 1: to keep more than two thousand fountains going at Versailles. Yeah, 266 00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:39,680 Speaker 1: that is another thing that I would love to make 267 00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:41,920 Speaker 1: into an episode of its own at some point in time, 268 00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:46,880 Speaker 1: because just the drawings of it are bad breaking and 269 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:49,400 Speaker 1: there is a lot of tragedy associated with it as well. 270 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:51,760 Speaker 1: When I got to this, as I was reading through 271 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:54,360 Speaker 1: this this earlier this morning, I was like, I want 272 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:58,520 Speaker 1: to know more about this machine. Yeah, it's um, it's 273 00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:01,440 Speaker 1: a thing, and I do want to talk about it 274 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:04,080 Speaker 1: at some point in the future. Uh. Taking on a 275 00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:07,840 Speaker 1: project like Versailles surely occupied a great deal of Andre 276 00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:11,880 Speaker 1: Lenotola's time, but he still did not work exclusively at 277 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:15,560 Speaker 1: the new palace location, and he continued to accept other contracts. 278 00:16:16,360 --> 00:16:19,320 Speaker 1: This was a very shrewd thing to do, because his 279 00:16:19,360 --> 00:16:23,080 Speaker 1: close association with the king and the universal recognition of 280 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:25,560 Speaker 1: the genius of the vaux Le Vicomte gardens meant that 281 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:28,800 Speaker 1: he was in very high demand among the nobility of France, 282 00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:32,920 Speaker 1: and he could command very lucrative commissions. The Notes started 283 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:36,040 Speaker 1: another challenging project at just about the same time that 284 00:16:36,080 --> 00:16:38,960 Speaker 1: he started work on Versailles. That was the gardens of 285 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:43,120 Speaker 1: the Prince of Conde Louis, the Second Debble. Those gardens 286 00:16:43,160 --> 00:16:46,800 Speaker 1: at the Chateau de Chaunty posed their own unique problems, 287 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:50,040 Speaker 1: most notably the fact that while Conde wanted the symmetrical, 288 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:54,280 Speaker 1: manicured look that Lenore was becoming famous for the chateau 289 00:16:54,320 --> 00:16:58,800 Speaker 1: itself had a really strangely shaped, asymmetrical moat that did 290 00:16:58,840 --> 00:17:03,680 Speaker 1: not naturally lend itself to Lenotre's design aesthetic. To add 291 00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:06,520 Speaker 1: to that dilemma, the Prince of Conde was not willing 292 00:17:06,600 --> 00:17:08,800 Speaker 1: to knock down any of the old buildings on the 293 00:17:08,840 --> 00:17:13,160 Speaker 1: property and service to this new design layout. Still, Leno 294 00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:15,960 Speaker 1: took the job, and he turned his skill at making 295 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:18,919 Speaker 1: order out of chaos to it. He couldn't make the 296 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:22,840 Speaker 1: chateau a central point on an access that bisected the land, 297 00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:25,480 Speaker 1: as was normally what he would do, because the house 298 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:27,919 Speaker 1: was also offset from the center of the property and 299 00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:31,400 Speaker 1: the house itself was not symmetrical. It was kind of like, 300 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:33,720 Speaker 1: here are a bunch of ingredients that do not make 301 00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:35,680 Speaker 1: any sense for a cake. Please make a cake out 302 00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:38,520 Speaker 1: of them. And he was like, okay. Uh So the 303 00:17:38,560 --> 00:17:41,639 Speaker 1: main access avenue of the design actually runs parallel to 304 00:17:41,680 --> 00:17:44,080 Speaker 1: the front of the chateau, So for a visitor that's 305 00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:46,520 Speaker 1: approaching the main gate, which sits at the center of 306 00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:49,119 Speaker 1: the layout, the chateau is in the distance and to 307 00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:52,520 Speaker 1: the left, and the grand gardens, which are situated beyond 308 00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:55,320 Speaker 1: the chateau can't really be seen until you've reached the 309 00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:58,000 Speaker 1: grand terrace due to the main entry path being a 310 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:01,359 Speaker 1: slight uphill incline, and the once a visitor reaches the 311 00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:05,240 Speaker 1: central terrace, the large water feature and grand gardens emerge. 312 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:08,160 Speaker 1: It's kind of like a visual surprise as you get 313 00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:11,399 Speaker 1: to that apex and they stretch out across the property. 314 00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:14,800 Speaker 1: And for all the challenges that Lenotre faced at Schantay, 315 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:18,840 Speaker 1: the property had one resource that made the engineering aspect 316 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:21,760 Speaker 1: of it easier than other projects. It had a close 317 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:24,840 Speaker 1: proximity to the River Nonette, which was a tributary of 318 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:28,600 Speaker 1: the Wise, meaning that water was always plentiful. So despite 319 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:31,480 Speaker 1: the challenges, Lenotre, who worked on the gardens there for 320 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:34,280 Speaker 1: two decades, spoke of it late in his life as 321 00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:37,920 Speaker 1: an example of a great French formal garden. In sixteen 322 00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:41,600 Speaker 1: sixty four, the King and Colbert agreed that Lenore should 323 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:45,040 Speaker 1: redesign the Tuilerie gardens, and he changed them from the 324 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:47,439 Speaker 1: designs that had been in place since Catherine de Medici 325 00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:50,800 Speaker 1: had commissioned the gardens to the popular formal French garden 326 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:53,800 Speaker 1: of which he was the master. He expanded the garden 327 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:56,840 Speaker 1: by lengthening its access to the west, creating the line 328 00:18:56,880 --> 00:18:59,800 Speaker 1: of what would eventually evolve to the chansa lise. This 329 00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:03,560 Speaker 1: if you are Intoli today, there are some modern editions, 330 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:06,720 Speaker 1: like their modern play areas and cafes, but the layout 331 00:19:06,800 --> 00:19:11,120 Speaker 1: is still exactly what Lenota set up. In sixteen seventy, 332 00:19:11,359 --> 00:19:14,160 Speaker 1: Jean Baptiste Colbert, who is the same person who had 333 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:18,879 Speaker 1: schemed to have Nicola Fouquet arrested, hired Lenotre to design 334 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:22,080 Speaker 1: a park to surround his new home at Chateau to So, 335 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:26,000 Speaker 1: several miles outside of Paris. There was no accident that 336 00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:29,280 Speaker 1: he had waited nine years after the vote of a 337 00:19:29,359 --> 00:19:33,520 Speaker 1: compe scandal to have his own chateau made over. Colbert, 338 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:35,720 Speaker 1: like a lot of people in the nobility, didn't want 339 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:40,119 Speaker 1: to similarly be associated with this conspicuous opulence or to 340 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:43,760 Speaker 1: look suspicious with their spending in the wake of Fouquets 341 00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:47,560 Speaker 1: fall from grace. Yeah, he basically just like waited it 342 00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:49,399 Speaker 1: out until he felt like it was safe because he 343 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:54,720 Speaker 1: also wanted a beautiful chateau with grounds designed by Lenotla. 344 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:58,080 Speaker 1: And even though he hired Lenotla, Colbert was still very 345 00:19:58,160 --> 00:20:02,199 Speaker 1: very careful not to go too far with his chateaus grounds. 346 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:05,639 Speaker 1: Uh to us it would seem like extremely extravagant and lavish, 347 00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:08,280 Speaker 1: but at the time he had dialed it back. Lenottla 348 00:20:08,359 --> 00:20:12,800 Speaker 1: did design a spectacular eighteen basin cascade feature for so 349 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:15,840 Speaker 1: as well as the most powerful fountain effect known to 350 00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:18,800 Speaker 1: France at the time. That shot watered twenty five ft 351 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:20,880 Speaker 1: into the air. That's a little less than eight meters. 352 00:20:21,359 --> 00:20:25,040 Speaker 1: The Notre's work in redefining the tulry and sculpting the 353 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:28,320 Speaker 1: grounds of Versailles made him even more of a darling 354 00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:31,360 Speaker 1: with the upper class, and that extended outside of France. 355 00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:34,560 Speaker 1: Everyone wanted him to turn his skill at creating grand 356 00:20:34,760 --> 00:20:38,760 Speaker 1: vistas to their own properties. While work at Versailles was ongoing, 357 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:41,840 Speaker 1: he traveled outside of France and lent his expertise and 358 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:45,480 Speaker 1: artistry to other landscapes. He traveled to London in the 359 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:48,320 Speaker 1: early sixteen sixties at the behest of Charles the Second 360 00:20:48,359 --> 00:20:51,040 Speaker 1: to design Greenwich Park, and he took on projects in 361 00:20:51,119 --> 00:20:54,520 Speaker 1: Italy and Germany as well as all over France. Yeah, 362 00:20:54,560 --> 00:20:57,000 Speaker 1: he was so busy. It's one of those things where 363 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:01,120 Speaker 1: I mean, we work on law to different stuff here, 364 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:04,080 Speaker 1: but I can't imagine the scale of things he was 365 00:21:04,119 --> 00:21:07,080 Speaker 1: working on, and he would just be juggling like tons 366 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:10,240 Speaker 1: of these contracts at a time. Uh. Next up, we 367 00:21:10,280 --> 00:21:13,000 Speaker 1: are going to cover the last segment of Lenotre's life 368 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:15,080 Speaker 1: and his enduring influence, but we're going to take a 369 00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:25,480 Speaker 1: quick sponsor break before we do that. In sixteen seventy five, 370 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:29,480 Speaker 1: King Louis the fourteenth made Andre Lenore a noble, and 371 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:31,840 Speaker 1: when the king asked the master gardener what he would 372 00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:34,720 Speaker 1: like to have included on his coat of arms, Lenotrea 373 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:38,480 Speaker 1: replied that he wanted three snails ahead of cabbage and 374 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:41,040 Speaker 1: a spade to represent the thing that had brought him 375 00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:44,560 Speaker 1: such favor from the king. I find this so charming 376 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:49,080 Speaker 1: it is, and you can see um images of what 377 00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:52,920 Speaker 1: are probably the coat of arms designed for him. There's 378 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:55,600 Speaker 1: some question marks about whether those are the actual ones 379 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:59,960 Speaker 1: or uh, something that someone else just drew up by 380 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:02,760 Speaker 1: sat on this story, but they are very, very charming, 381 00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:06,280 Speaker 1: and there are three snails in lieu of a spade 382 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:08,960 Speaker 1: directly represented. There's like a chevron that kind of is 383 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:11,919 Speaker 1: intended to represent the tip of an appointed spade, but 384 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:14,119 Speaker 1: there is a head of cabbage in the top and 385 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:18,240 Speaker 1: three snails spaced out beautifully on the rest of the 386 00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:22,159 Speaker 1: the coat. In sixteen seventy nine, Lenotre traveled to Italy, 387 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:25,240 Speaker 1: where he spent the majority of the year visiting gardens 388 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:28,400 Speaker 1: and important people. There, he made an interesting stop along 389 00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:32,479 Speaker 1: the way, diverting his trip to pin Roll in northwestern Italy. 390 00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:36,840 Speaker 1: This was the prison where his former employer, Nicola Fouquet 391 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:38,800 Speaker 1: had been sent to live out his life under lock 392 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:41,760 Speaker 1: and key. So even though he had fallen from his 393 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:45,359 Speaker 1: position within the French court, it seems that Lenotre had 394 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:49,560 Speaker 1: maintained at least some relationship with Fouquet. Yeah, this also 395 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:53,320 Speaker 1: sort of upholds that ongoing image that's always portrayed of 396 00:22:53,359 --> 00:22:57,120 Speaker 1: Lenotre is just being an incredibly nice person, Like, even 397 00:22:57,119 --> 00:22:59,400 Speaker 1: though everyone else kind of turned their back on Fouquet, 398 00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:02,040 Speaker 1: he he didn't think of him as somebody that he 399 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:06,680 Speaker 1: couldn't maintain a relationship with, even though weren't anybody else 400 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:08,840 Speaker 1: who made a visit like that. It probably would have 401 00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:12,119 Speaker 1: made Louis the fourteenth really really angry, but Lenotre was 402 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:16,159 Speaker 1: again so beloved that he was allowed a little more leeway. 403 00:23:16,240 --> 00:23:19,880 Speaker 1: Probably when Lenotre returned from Italy, he went right back 404 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:22,199 Speaker 1: to work at Versailles, and he started construction of that 405 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:26,119 Speaker 1: ballroom groove that we mentioned, uh in sixteen eighty and 406 00:23:26,119 --> 00:23:28,440 Speaker 1: it was completed, as we said, in sixteen eighty five. 407 00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:31,480 Speaker 1: And he continued to work on fine tuning the grounds 408 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:33,800 Speaker 1: with the king for eight more years before he decided 409 00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:37,080 Speaker 1: to retire in sixteen ninety three at the age of eighty. 410 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:41,720 Speaker 1: Lenotre died on September fifteenth, seventeen hundred, at the age 411 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:46,560 Speaker 1: of eighty seven. He had managed, through what the diarist 412 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:50,000 Speaker 1: the Duke de Saint Sement called his quote charming, simplicity 413 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:53,000 Speaker 1: and truthfulness, to avoid any of the kinds of personal 414 00:23:53,119 --> 00:23:57,040 Speaker 1: scandals or court intrigues that were common. He had stayed 415 00:23:57,040 --> 00:23:59,920 Speaker 1: out of that in his lifetime. Lenore stands as a 416 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,359 Speaker 1: unique figure in the world of Louis the fourteenth and 417 00:24:02,359 --> 00:24:05,200 Speaker 1: that he didn't have any interest in taking others down 418 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:08,040 Speaker 1: to try to improve his own footing. He was an 419 00:24:08,119 --> 00:24:12,199 Speaker 1: uncommonly good collaborator and happy to share credit, also willing 420 00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:16,960 Speaker 1: to compromise and hard working. Uh yeah, we um. We 421 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:20,720 Speaker 1: mentioned earlier that Mansart was called in to redo some 422 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:22,840 Speaker 1: of the grounds at Versailles, and that's another one that 423 00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:25,200 Speaker 1: gets told two different ways. Some people will say that 424 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:29,400 Speaker 1: Lenotre and Manzart had a sort of rivalry and that 425 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:31,840 Speaker 1: that was the one person that Lenottla was ever heard 426 00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:36,040 Speaker 1: dissort of criticized. But then there are other suggestions that 427 00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:38,879 Speaker 1: indicate he may have even been the person that recommended 428 00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:41,760 Speaker 1: that Mansart be the person that Louis the fourteenth hired 429 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:45,399 Speaker 1: for those next rounds of of redesigns. So it's a 430 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:48,000 Speaker 1: little unclear, but he didn't seem to ever get involved 431 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:53,720 Speaker 1: in like the gossip or mess of of all of things. Uh. 432 00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:56,600 Speaker 1: Three hundred years after under Lenot's death, in the year 433 00:24:56,640 --> 00:25:00,560 Speaker 1: two thousand, a group of experts in French history to 434 00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:03,399 Speaker 1: compare notes on their knowledge of the landscape artist who 435 00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:06,879 Speaker 1: had so significantly shaped the French garden aesthetic, and they 436 00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:09,119 Speaker 1: published a French language book about the man and his 437 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:15,080 Speaker 1: work titled Lena inconnu ilost, which translates to an illustrious stranger. 438 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:19,239 Speaker 1: One of the things that remains certainly to me and 439 00:25:19,280 --> 00:25:21,719 Speaker 1: I would think to others completely sort of brain bending, 440 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:25,240 Speaker 1: is that Andre Lena was always designing with the thought 441 00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:27,760 Speaker 1: of what the gardens would look like from above, primarily 442 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:31,440 Speaker 1: from terraces or windows of the chateaus that his design surrounded. 443 00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:34,720 Speaker 1: He even at one point kind of commented about making 444 00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:38,159 Speaker 1: parterres that were beautiful when seen from the windows, that 445 00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:39,800 Speaker 1: it was kind of sad that the only people that 446 00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:42,159 Speaker 1: would ever really see what he was doing were like 447 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:44,480 Speaker 1: the Nanni's because the top floors tended to be where 448 00:25:44,520 --> 00:25:48,480 Speaker 1: the children's rooms were. Um But even today, what's really 449 00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:50,760 Speaker 1: cool is that when you see full aerial views of 450 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:54,720 Speaker 1: his work, it is breathtaking. And he was drafting these 451 00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:57,240 Speaker 1: gardens more than a hundred years before the first hot 452 00:25:57,240 --> 00:26:00,119 Speaker 1: air balloon was even invented, so he didn't really have 453 00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:02,720 Speaker 1: a sense that we would ever get these beautiful views. 454 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:05,760 Speaker 1: So while some higher ground vantage points during his lifetime 455 00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:08,600 Speaker 1: offered a sense of what he had accomplished, kind of 456 00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:11,560 Speaker 1: like the Nasca lines, the true extent of his achievement, 457 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:14,119 Speaker 1: I think couldn't be seen until much later, when we 458 00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:17,800 Speaker 1: had the technology to fly. It's also interesting to consider 459 00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:21,200 Speaker 1: that while the style of landscape that Lenore became famous 460 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:23,760 Speaker 1: for is considered very much to be a matter of 461 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:28,320 Speaker 1: taming nature and making things look precisely designed and curated, 462 00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:30,600 Speaker 1: he always started by looking at the land and seeing 463 00:26:30,680 --> 00:26:33,800 Speaker 1: what it offered. He wasn't so much taming nature as 464 00:26:33,840 --> 00:26:36,320 Speaker 1: figuring out how to work with it challenges at all 465 00:26:36,720 --> 00:26:39,600 Speaker 1: and coming out with something that looked almost unreal and 466 00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:43,480 Speaker 1: its exacting geometric layouts. And that's something I feel like 467 00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:47,200 Speaker 1: we should say that all landscape architects are taught to do. 468 00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:50,440 Speaker 1: But I think because when you look at Lenotre's work, 469 00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:54,080 Speaker 1: it doesn't. It looks a little removed from nature because 470 00:26:54,119 --> 00:26:57,080 Speaker 1: it is so pristine and manicured. But really he was. 471 00:26:57,359 --> 00:26:59,360 Speaker 1: He was doing exactly what you're supposed to do, which 472 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:02,360 Speaker 1: is looking at like different elevations of any given property 473 00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:05,160 Speaker 1: and figuring out how he could use those to cut 474 00:27:05,160 --> 00:27:08,199 Speaker 1: out terraces in the right places and develop something that 475 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:12,360 Speaker 1: was not necessarily going to look natural, but worked with 476 00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:15,840 Speaker 1: some of the natural topography he was given. And we 477 00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:19,840 Speaker 1: have mentioned numerous cases where the gardens and landscapes designed 478 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:22,760 Speaker 1: by Lena can still be seen today, and while some 479 00:27:22,840 --> 00:27:26,520 Speaker 1: have been fairly consistently maintained, others have gone through cycles 480 00:27:26,520 --> 00:27:29,199 Speaker 1: where they have fallen into disrepair or been allowed to 481 00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:33,240 Speaker 1: grow over and have subsequently been restored and revitalized. And 482 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:35,920 Speaker 1: the bones that he laid out initially for those those 483 00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:39,720 Speaker 1: strong axes of paths and canals and roadways around which 484 00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:43,600 Speaker 1: his symmetrical geometric designs spread out are readily apparent when 485 00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:46,520 Speaker 1: you look at those gardens today. His work continues to 486 00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:51,479 Speaker 1: influence creators today, and you've undoubtedly seen places shaped by 487 00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:56,440 Speaker 1: Lenore's ingenuity and manipulating space to try to create impactful illusions. 488 00:27:57,040 --> 00:28:00,359 Speaker 1: When Pierre Chaos Lafonque worked on the landscape designed for 489 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:04,040 Speaker 1: the US Capital, he turned to Versailles for inspiration, and 490 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:08,240 Speaker 1: when architect Peter Walker designed the ultramodern square shaped fountains 491 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:11,119 Speaker 1: at the Ground Zero Memorial in New York City, he 492 00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:14,040 Speaker 1: referred to Lenore's use of space to guide him. In 493 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:18,359 Speaker 1: Alan Rickman may He rest in Peace directed a film 494 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:21,320 Speaker 1: titled A Little Chaos, which is a fictionalized account of 495 00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:23,919 Speaker 1: Lenotre's life. It is very fun, but I want to 496 00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:26,119 Speaker 1: make clear to anybody that goes to it looking for 497 00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:30,439 Speaker 1: an interesting look at Lenotla that it is very fictionalized. 498 00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:34,160 Speaker 1: It revolves the story around an assistant that Lenotre never 499 00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:37,880 Speaker 1: had and a resulting romance between Lenotla and this made 500 00:28:37,920 --> 00:28:40,920 Speaker 1: up woman. We don't know all that many details of 501 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:44,360 Speaker 1: Lenotre's personal life that is why that that French book 502 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:46,840 Speaker 1: was titled An Illustrious Stranger. There are a lot of 503 00:28:46,880 --> 00:28:49,080 Speaker 1: question marks about about his day to day life, but 504 00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:51,040 Speaker 1: it seemed more because he was kind of humble and 505 00:28:51,080 --> 00:28:54,080 Speaker 1: didn't think he needed to record his everything. There is 506 00:28:54,080 --> 00:28:56,880 Speaker 1: nothing to ever indicate that he had any kind of affair, 507 00:28:57,840 --> 00:29:02,480 Speaker 1: so that is very much uh speculative and uh fiction, 508 00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:05,760 Speaker 1: but also very fun um. You can see lots of 509 00:29:05,760 --> 00:29:09,240 Speaker 1: pretty things who I literally could watch just like flyovers 510 00:29:09,240 --> 00:29:12,600 Speaker 1: of his gardens four hours and did while working on 511 00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:15,920 Speaker 1: this episode. It was one of those things where I'd 512 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:17,280 Speaker 1: be like, oh, I just want to go look at 513 00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:20,160 Speaker 1: Vaude Vicomte, and then like two hours later I'd be like, whoops, 514 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:24,240 Speaker 1: maybe let's look at Versailles. I then three hours later, whoops, whoops, 515 00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:27,600 Speaker 1: I lost half a day. Clearly, I love under Lennotla, 516 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:30,720 Speaker 1: and I understand why France loves and Andre Lenotla. There 517 00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:35,440 Speaker 1: were also in a lot of really fantastic exhibits and 518 00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:39,240 Speaker 1: retrospectives of his work all over France, and a lot 519 00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:42,200 Speaker 1: of write ups about him all over the world. Since 520 00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:44,560 Speaker 1: that was the the and the four hundredth anniversary of 521 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:46,720 Speaker 1: his birth, it's kind of weird because we keep talking 522 00:29:46,720 --> 00:29:49,120 Speaker 1: about him in terms of like three hundred years since 523 00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:51,760 Speaker 1: and four hundred years since, but it was because he 524 00:29:51,840 --> 00:29:54,520 Speaker 1: lived almost ninety years and he worked for sixty of 525 00:29:54,520 --> 00:29:58,600 Speaker 1: those really hard. So so that is why I have 526 00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:02,959 Speaker 1: again listener mail. I'm working through holiday stuff, but this 527 00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:06,440 Speaker 1: first one is very very germane to the topic at hand. 528 00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:09,760 Speaker 1: This from our listener Amy, who went to Paris with us. 529 00:30:11,160 --> 00:30:13,400 Speaker 1: She writes, Dear Holly and Tracy, I wanted to share 530 00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:15,840 Speaker 1: my Christmas card with you both because it is primarily 531 00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:18,440 Speaker 1: photos of the trip to Paris. I'm so happy that 532 00:30:18,480 --> 00:30:20,280 Speaker 1: I was able to take this amazing trip. Thank you 533 00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:22,480 Speaker 1: for the podcast and for being so wonderful and kind. 534 00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:24,800 Speaker 1: Also thank you Holly for taking the photo on the 535 00:30:24,840 --> 00:30:27,840 Speaker 1: bottom right of me in the Versailles Gardens. I hope 536 00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:30,680 Speaker 1: to see you again in Yeah. Amy was with us 537 00:30:30,720 --> 00:30:33,200 Speaker 1: and we were there at Versailles that day, and she 538 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:37,240 Speaker 1: had wandered off by herself and Versailles, as we keep saying, 539 00:30:37,280 --> 00:30:40,280 Speaker 1: it's huge, and so I looked over at one point 540 00:30:40,880 --> 00:30:43,440 Speaker 1: and I just saw her walking around one of the 541 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:46,640 Speaker 1: circular water features and she was the only person visible 542 00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:51,240 Speaker 1: for like a huge expanse, and there were beautiful statues 543 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:52,800 Speaker 1: around her, so I just took a picture and then 544 00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:55,040 Speaker 1: later I told her that I had it, and I 545 00:30:55,080 --> 00:30:56,920 Speaker 1: texted it to her and now it's on her Christmas card. 546 00:30:57,360 --> 00:30:59,240 Speaker 1: She was an absolute delight and went out to eat 547 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:01,280 Speaker 1: with me one night, and we had so much fun 548 00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:03,920 Speaker 1: with everybody that was on that trip. I think about 549 00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:07,560 Speaker 1: it daily. That was one of the best nine days 550 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:10,440 Speaker 1: in my life. Uh. So, thank you, Amy, and thank 551 00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:11,800 Speaker 1: you for coming in that trip, and we hope we 552 00:31:11,840 --> 00:31:14,160 Speaker 1: see you again this year. I have one more card 553 00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:18,960 Speaker 1: to read. This one is from our listener Nicole, who writes, uh, Derek, Tracy, 554 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:20,680 Speaker 1: and Holly. I have listened to the podcast for a 555 00:31:20,720 --> 00:31:22,640 Speaker 1: few years now. It is excellent. Thank you for all 556 00:31:22,640 --> 00:31:24,720 Speaker 1: that you do. I've learned so much and I always 557 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:26,440 Speaker 1: look forward to learning more when I see the new 558 00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:29,360 Speaker 1: episodes drop. I wanted to send this particular card for 559 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:32,080 Speaker 1: a couple of reasons. First, Edward Gorey, it is a 560 00:31:32,120 --> 00:31:35,440 Speaker 1: beautiful Edward Gorey Christmas card. Uh. Second, I got it 561 00:31:35,480 --> 00:31:37,400 Speaker 1: at the Seattle Art Museum when I went to see 562 00:31:37,400 --> 00:31:41,240 Speaker 1: the Flesh and Blood exhibit, which included Artemisia Gentileski's Judas 563 00:31:41,280 --> 00:31:44,320 Speaker 1: Slaying Holoferrenies, and I had not known anything about her 564 00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:46,840 Speaker 1: or her work prior to your podcast episode. It was 565 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:49,320 Speaker 1: amazing to be able to see the actual painting and 566 00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:51,160 Speaker 1: connect it to what I had learned that. It's one 567 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:54,320 Speaker 1: of my favorite things about researching this show is then 568 00:31:54,360 --> 00:31:56,640 Speaker 1: getting to go experience art with a lot more knowledge 569 00:31:56,640 --> 00:31:58,840 Speaker 1: about it. So I'm glad that she had the same experience. 570 00:31:59,400 --> 00:32:01,520 Speaker 1: Uh there's one last bit I'd like to share as well. 571 00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:04,240 Speaker 1: Over the summer, I misheard part of the Packard Versus 572 00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:08,040 Speaker 1: Packard episode. The actual sentence in the show was the 573 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:11,480 Speaker 1: awful List Packard had his wife institutionalized, But what I 574 00:32:11,560 --> 00:32:16,000 Speaker 1: heard was the awfu list Packard, which I think somebody 575 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:18,120 Speaker 1: could make that case she had, she said, I had 576 00:32:18,200 --> 00:32:20,480 Speaker 1: quite a laugh. I hope you do too, Wishing you 577 00:32:20,560 --> 00:32:22,560 Speaker 1: both a lovely holiday season and all the best in 578 00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:25,240 Speaker 1: the new year. Nicole Nicol, thank you so much. That 579 00:32:25,400 --> 00:32:29,080 Speaker 1: is so sweet. I'm so glad that, uh, that art 580 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:31,000 Speaker 1: came alive for you in a new way, and also 581 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:34,640 Speaker 1: that the awful List sounded like the awful List, because 582 00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:38,080 Speaker 1: I think that's a valid interpretation. If you would like 583 00:32:38,160 --> 00:32:40,960 Speaker 1: to write to us, you can do so at History Podcast. 584 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:43,239 Speaker 1: At iHeart radio dot com. You can also find us 585 00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:45,880 Speaker 1: everywhere on social media as Missed in History, and you 586 00:32:45,920 --> 00:32:48,440 Speaker 1: can subscribe to the podcast at Apple podcast, the I 587 00:32:48,520 --> 00:32:56,120 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, or wherever it is you listen Stuffy 588 00:32:56,160 --> 00:32:58,320 Speaker 1: Missed in History Class is a production of I heart 589 00:32:58,400 --> 00:33:01,720 Speaker 1: Radios How Stuff Works. For more podcasts for my heart Radio, 590 00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:05,000 Speaker 1: visit the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 591 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:09,400 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows. H