17th - 19th Century European Garden Plans

“Remarks: The yellow lines placed in the forest mark the different types of woods (tree type and level of cultivation). The red line marks the enclosure of the great park of St. Germain.”This large ink and watercolor survey exemplifies the cartographic impulse that underpins the depictions of hunting estates, agricultural domains and garden properties. The artist has given the viewer the most minute details of the Forest Royale de St. Germain en Laye, Louis XIV’s estate east of Paris: we are witness to the variety of woods and plantations that abut the city at left, and that surrounds the castle and garden proper at the lower right. While it is a utilitarian survey, the work nonetheless retains the graphic flourishes—such as elaborate figured cartouches—appropriate to a fine art drawing.