All Topics  
André Le Nôtre

 

   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link






 

André Le Nôtre



 
 
André Le Nôtre (12 March 1613 – 15 September 1700) was a landscape architect
Landscape architect

A landscape architect is a person involved in the planning, design and sometimes oversight of an exterior landscape or space. Their professional practice is known as landscape architecture....
 and the gardener of King Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France

Louis XIV ruled as List of French monarchs and of King of Navarre. He ascended the throne a few months before his fifth birthday, but did not assume actual personal control of the government until the death of his prime minister , the Italians Jules Cardinal Mazarin, in 1661....
 from 1645 to 1700. Most notably, he was responsible for the construction of the park of the Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles

The Palace of Versailles, or simply Versailles, is a royal ch?teau in Versailles, the ?le-de-France region of France. In French language, it is known as the Ch?teau de Versailles....
. His planning
Urban planning

Urban, city, and town planning is the integration of the disciplines of land use planning and transport planning, to explore a very wide range of aspects of the built and social environments of urbanized municipalities and communities....
 was significant as well: at the Tuileries he extended the vista westward, which would later become the avenue of the Champs-Élysées
Champs-Élysées

The Avenue des Champs-?lys?es is the most prestigious Avenue in Paris. With its movie theaters, caf?s, and luxury specialty shops, the Avenue des Champs-?lys?es is one of the most famous streets in the world, and with rents as high as $1.50 million 1000 square feet of space, it remains the most expensive strip of real estate in Europe....
 and comprise the Axe historique
Axe historique

The Axe historique is a line of monuments, buildings and thoroughfares that extends from the centre of Paris, France, to the west. It is also known as the "Voie Triomphale" ....
.


Le Nôtre's other work included the design of many gardens and parks, including those of Chantilly
Chantilly

Chantilly may refer to:*Chantilly, Oise, a French city located in the Oise d?partement in the Picardie r?gion*Ch?teau de Chantilly, a historic ch?teau located in the town of Chantilly, France....
, Chateau Fontainebleau, Racconigi
Racconigi

Racconigi is a town of Piedmont, Italy, in the province of Cuneo, 40 km south of Turin, and 50 km north of Cuneo by rail.The economy is mostly based on agriculture, production of milk and meat, and industrial working of metal sheets....
, Saint-Cloud
Saint-Cloud

Saint-Cloud is a commune in France in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 9.6 kilometres from the Kilometre Zero.Like other communes of the Hauts-de-Seine such as Marnes-la-Coquette, Neuilly-sur-Seine or Vaucresson, Saint-Cloud is one of the wealthiest cities in France ....
, Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye

ame=Saint-Germain-en-Laye|image =|caption=Ch?teau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye in the town centre|map_size=270px|adjustable_map =St-Germain-en-Laye_map.png|...
 and St. James's Park
St. James's Park

St. James's Park is a 58 acre park in City of Westminster, central London, the oldest of the Royal Parks of London. The park lies at the southernmost tip of the St....
.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'André Le Nôtre'
Start a new discussion about 'André Le Nôtre'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


André Le Nôtre (12 March 1613 – 15 September 1700) was a landscape architect
Landscape architect

A landscape architect is a person involved in the planning, design and sometimes oversight of an exterior landscape or space. Their professional practice is known as landscape architecture....
 and the gardener of King Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France

Louis XIV ruled as List of French monarchs and of King of Navarre. He ascended the throne a few months before his fifth birthday, but did not assume actual personal control of the government until the death of his prime minister , the Italians Jules Cardinal Mazarin, in 1661....
 from 1645 to 1700. Most notably, he was responsible for the construction of the park of the Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles

The Palace of Versailles, or simply Versailles, is a royal ch?teau in Versailles, the ?le-de-France region of France. In French language, it is known as the Ch?teau de Versailles....
. His planning
Urban planning

Urban, city, and town planning is the integration of the disciplines of land use planning and transport planning, to explore a very wide range of aspects of the built and social environments of urbanized municipalities and communities....
 was significant as well: at the Tuileries he extended the vista westward, which would later become the avenue of the Champs-Élysées
Champs-Élysées

The Avenue des Champs-?lys?es is the most prestigious Avenue in Paris. With its movie theaters, caf?s, and luxury specialty shops, the Avenue des Champs-?lys?es is one of the most famous streets in the world, and with rents as high as $1.50 million 1000 square feet of space, it remains the most expensive strip of real estate in Europe....
 and comprise the Axe historique
Axe historique

The Axe historique is a line of monuments, buildings and thoroughfares that extends from the centre of Paris, France, to the west. It is also known as the "Voie Triomphale" ....
.


Le Nôtre's other work included the design of many gardens and parks, including those of Chantilly
Chantilly

Chantilly may refer to:*Chantilly, Oise, a French city located in the Oise d?partement in the Picardie r?gion*Ch?teau de Chantilly, a historic ch?teau located in the town of Chantilly, France....
, Chateau Fontainebleau, Racconigi
Racconigi

Racconigi is a town of Piedmont, Italy, in the province of Cuneo, 40 km south of Turin, and 50 km north of Cuneo by rail.The economy is mostly based on agriculture, production of milk and meat, and industrial working of metal sheets....
, Saint-Cloud
Saint-Cloud

Saint-Cloud is a commune in France in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 9.6 kilometres from the Kilometre Zero.Like other communes of the Hauts-de-Seine such as Marnes-la-Coquette, Neuilly-sur-Seine or Vaucresson, Saint-Cloud is one of the wealthiest cities in France ....
, Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye

ame=Saint-Germain-en-Laye|image =|caption=Ch?teau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye in the town centre|map_size=270px|adjustable_map =St-Germain-en-Laye_map.png|...
 and St. James's Park
St. James's Park

St. James's Park is a 58 acre park in City of Westminster, central London, the oldest of the Royal Parks of London. The park lies at the southernmost tip of the St....
. He also collaborated with Louis Le Vau
Louis Le Vau

Louis Le Vau was a French Classical architect who worked for Louis XIV of France. He was born and died in Paris.He was responsible, with Andr? Le N?tre and Charles Le Brun, for the redesign of the ch?teau of Vaux-le-Vicomte....
 and Charles Le Brun
Charles Le Brun

Charles Le Brun was a French Painting and Aesthetics, one of the dominant artists in 17th century France....
 on the park of the Vaux-le-Vicomte
Vaux-le-Vicomte

The Ch?teau de Vaux-le-Vicomte is a baroque French chateau located in Maincy, near Melun, 55 km southeast of Paris in the Seine-et-Marne d?partement in France of France....
. André Le Nôtre's father, Jean Le Nôtre was the gardener of Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII of France

Louis XIII reigned as List of French monarchs and List of Navarrese monarchs from 1610 to 1643....
.

His life


Becoming a gardener

André Le Nôtre was born to a family of gardeners. His father and grandfather were responsible for the jardin des Tuileries. His godfather administered gardens and the husband of his godmother, Claude Mollet
Claude Mollet

Claude Mollet , premier jardinier du Roy—first gardener in fact to three French kings, Henry IV of France, Louis XIII of France and the young Louis XIV of France—was a member of the Mollet dynasty of French garden designers in the seventeenth century....
 was an illustrious gardener. Andre thus lived in a family of gardeners and quickly acquired both practical and theoretical knowledge.

A studious adolescence

He also was interested in other arts but eventually returned to his future career as gardener to the king. He learned mathematics
Mathematics

Mathematics is the study of quantity, structure, space, change, and related topics of pattern and form. Mathematicians seek out patterns whether found in numbers, space, natural science, computers, imaginary abstractions, or elsewhere....
, painting
Painting

Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting....
 and architecture
Architecture

The term architecture can refer to a process, a profession or documentation.As a process, architecture is the activity of designing and construction buildings and other physical structures by a person or a computer, primarily to provide shelter....
. He then entered the workshop of Simon Vouet
Simon Vouet

Simon Vouet was a France painter and draftsman, who helped introduce the Italian Baroque style to France.A French contemporary, lacking the term "Baroque", said, "In his time the art of painting began to be practiced here in a nobler and more beautiful way than ever before," and the allegory of "Riches" demonstrates a new heroic sen...
, painter of King Louis XIII. He learned classical art and perspective, and afterwards the friend of Charles Le Brun
Charles Le Brun

Charles Le Brun was a French Painting and Aesthetics, one of the dominant artists in 17th century France....
, François Mansart
François Mansart

Fran?ois Mansart was a France architect credited with introducing Neoclassicism into French Baroque architecture. The Encyclop?dia Britannica cites him as the most accomplished of 17th-century French architects whose works "are renowned for their high degree of refinement, subtlety, and elegance"....
, permitted him to study architecture for several years.

At the age of 40, he decided to become a gardener, with all the competence he had acquired from his previous artistic experiences.

Debut as a gardener

André Le Nôtre debuted in his career with the project of the gardens of château de Vaux-le-Vicomte
Vaux-le-Vicomte

The Ch?teau de Vaux-le-Vicomte is a baroque French chateau located in Maincy, near Melun, 55 km southeast of Paris in the Seine-et-Marne d?partement in France of France....
, initiated by Nicolas Fouquet
Nicolas Fouquet

Nicolas Fouquet, marquis de Belle-Isle, vicomte de Melun et Vaux was the Superintendent of Finances in France under Louis XIV of France....
. He then worked in partnership with Louis Le Vau and Charles Le Brun. The building site made him famous in the gardening world.

On 10 September 1661, three weeks after having entertained the young King Louis XIV in an extravagant party, Fouquet
Nicolas Fouquet

Nicolas Fouquet, marquis de Belle-Isle, vicomte de Melun et Vaux was the Superintendent of Finances in France under Louis XIV of France....
 was arrested by d'Artagnan
D'Artagnan

Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan served Louis XIV of France as captain of the Musketeers of the Guard and died at the Siege of Maastricht in the Franco-Dutch War....
 and his greatest artists were taken to work at Versailles. Among them was André Le Nôtre who was hired by Louis XIV to rehabilitate the gardens of the Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles

The Palace of Versailles, or simply Versailles, is a royal ch?teau in Versailles, the ?le-de-France region of France. In French language, it is known as the Ch?teau de Versailles....
. He also laid out the radiating city plan of Versailles which included the largest avenue yet seen in Europe, the Avenue de Paris. He then designed and realized a number of projects throughout France.

Later years

He was involved in a number of projects in France and had many disciples. In 1679, he visited Italy.

Le Nôtre died at the age of 87 in September 1700. He left behind a number of formal gardens, recognizable for their perspective and their geometric perfection, known and recognized throughout the world. His tomb is in the Baroque Église Saint-Roch
Église Saint-Roch

The Church of Saint Roch is a late Baroque architecture church in Paris. The first stone was laid by Louis XIV in 1653, accompanied by his mother Anne of Austria....
 in Paris.

Biographical timeline

Orangerie
* 1613 : Birth of André Le Nôtre in Paris, son of Jean Le Nôtre, King's Gardener of the Tuileries.
  • 1635 : Le Nôtre is named the first gardener of the duc d'Orléans
    Duc d'Orléans

    Duke of Orl?ans was one of the highest ranking titles of the Peerage of France and dates back to the 14th century. Known as Prince#Prince of the blood , the title of Duke of Orleans was exclusive to princes of the nearest collateral line of the French royal family; thus they constituted a junior branch of the ruling house, second in seniori...
  • 1637 : He succeeds his father as King's Gardener of the Tuileries
  • 1640 : He marries Françoise Langlois
  • 1643 : He is named the "draughtsman of plants and terraces" for Anne of Austria
    Anne of Austria

    Anne of Austria was Queen consort of France and Navarre and regent for her son, Louis XIV of France. During her regency Jules Cardinal Mazarin served as France's Religious minister....
  • 1645-1646 : He modernizes the gardens of the château de Fontainebleau
    Château de Fontainebleau

    The Palace of Fontainebleau, located 34.5 miles from the centre of Paris, is one of the largest French royal ch?teaux. The palace as it is today is the work of many French monarchs, building on a structure of Francis I of France....
  • 1656-1661 : He creates the gardens of Vaux-le-Vicomte
    Vaux-le-Vicomte

    The Ch?teau de Vaux-le-Vicomte is a baroque French chateau located in Maincy, near Melun, 55 km southeast of Paris in the Seine-et-Marne d?partement in France of France....
     at the request of Nicolas Fouquet
    Nicolas Fouquet

    Nicolas Fouquet, marquis de Belle-Isle, vicomte de Melun et Vaux was the Superintendent of Finances in France under Louis XIV of France....
  • 1657 : He becomes the controller general of the King's buildings
  • 1662 : Le Nôtre designs the plan of Greenwich Park
    Greenwich Park

    Greenwich Park is a former hunting park in Greenwich and one of the largest single green spaces in south east London. One of the Royal Parks of London, and the first to be enclosed , it covers and is part of the Greenwich World Heritage Site....
     for Charles II
    Charles II of England

    Charles II was the Monarchy of Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland.His father Charles I of England Regicide#The regicide of Charles I of England at Palace of Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War....
  • 1661 - 1687 : He devotes himself to the Garden and Parks
    Gardens of Versailles

    The gardens of Versailles occupy part of what was once the Domaine royale de Versailles, the royal demesne of the Palace of Versailles. Situated to the west of the Palace of Versailles, the gardens cover some 800 hectares of land, much of which is landscaped in the classic French garden style perfected here by Andr? Le N?tre....
     or the Château de Versailles
    Palace of Versailles

    The Palace of Versailles, or simply Versailles, is a royal ch?teau in Versailles, the ?le-de-France region of France. In French language, it is known as the Ch?teau de Versailles....
  • 1662 - 1684 : Le Nôtre transforms the gardens of château de Chantilly
    Château de Chantilly

    The Ch?teau de Chantilly is a historic ch?teau located in the town of Chantilly, Oise, France. It comprises two attached buildings; the Grand Ch?teau, destroyed during the French Revolution and rebuilt in the 1870s, and the Petit Ch?teau which was built around 1560 for Anne de Montmorency....
     for le Grand Condé
    Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé

    Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Cond? was a France general and the most famous representative of the Prince of Cond? branch of the House of Bourbon....
  • 1663 - 1672 : He renovates the gardens of château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye
    Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye

    The Ch?teau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a French royal palace in the commune in France of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the d?partement in France of Yvelines, about 19 km west of Paris....
  • 1665 - 1693 : He arranges and maintains the gardens of château de Saint-Cloud
    Château de Saint-Cloud

    The Ch?teau de Saint-Cloud was a royal ch?teau in France, built on a magnificent site overlooking the Seine at Saint-Cloud in Hauts-de-Seine, about 10 kilometres west of Paris....
     for Philippe d'Orléans
    Philippe I, Duke of Orléans

    Philippe de France, Duke of Orl?ans, , was the second surviving son of Louis XIII of France and Anne of Austria, and thus the younger brother of the future Louis XIV of France....
  • 1666 - 1672 : Colbert
    Jean-Baptiste Colbert

    Jean-Baptiste Colbert served as the Controller-General of Finances from 1665 to 1683 under the rule of Louis XIV of France. He was described by Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de S?vign? as "Le Nord", because he was cold and unemotional....
     charges Le Nôtre to embelish the jardin des Tuileries
  • 1667 : Le Nôtre extends the view of the Tuileries : this is the birth of the avenue of the Champs-Elysées
    Champs-Élysées

    The Avenue des Champs-?lys?es is the most prestigious Avenue in Paris. With its movie theaters, caf?s, and luxury specialty shops, the Avenue des Champs-?lys?es is one of the most famous streets in the world, and with rents as high as $1.50 million 1000 square feet of space, it remains the most expensive strip of real estate in Europe....
  • 1670 - 1683 : Colbert
    Jean-Baptiste Colbert

    Jean-Baptiste Colbert served as the Controller-General of Finances from 1665 to 1683 under the rule of Louis XIV of France. He was described by Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de S?vign? as "Le Nord", because he was cold and unemotional....
     charges Le Nôtre to alter the gardens of his château de Sceaux
    Château de Sceaux

    The Ch?teau de Sceaux in its formal park laid out by Andr? Le N?tre lies at the heart of Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, not far from Paris. It houses the Mus?e de l??le-de-France, a museum of local history....
  • 1670 : He conceives a project for the château de Racconigi in Italy
  • 1674 - 1698 : He remakes the gardens of Venaria Reale
    Venaria Reale

    Venaria Reale is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italy region Piedmont, located about 8 km northwest of Turin. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 35,128 and an area of 20.3 km?....
     in Italy
  • 1675 : Le Nôtre is ennobled by the King
  • 1679 - 1691 : He intervenes in the planning of the gardens of château de Meudon
    Château de Meudon

    The former Ch?teau de Meudon, on a hill in Meudon, about 4 kilometres south-west of Paris, occupied the terraced steeply sloping site. It was acquired by Louis XIV of France, who greatly expanded its as a residence for Louis, Dauphin of France ....
     for Louvois
    Louvois

    Louvois is the name or part of the name of:* Fran?ois-Michel le Tellier, marquis de Louvois * The commune of Louvois, Marne, in the Marne d?partement in France of France....
  • 1692 : André Le Nôtre participates in the planning of château de Marly
    Château de Marly

    The Ch?teau de Marly was located in what has become Marly-le-Roi, the commune in France that existed at the edge of the royal park. The town that originally grew up to service the ch?teau is now a dormitory community for Paris....
     last living residence of Louis XIV
  • 1693 : He retires and offers his belles œuvres to the King
  • 1694 : He sends by letter his instructions for the Charlottenburg Palace
    Charlottenburg Palace

    Charlottenburg Palace is the largest palace in Berlin and the only building in the city dating back to the time of the House of Hohenzollern. It is located in the Charlottenburg district of the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf area....
     and château de Cassel in Germany
  • 1698 : He sends to William III of England
    William III of England

    William III was a Prince of Orange by birth. From 1672 onwards, he governed as List_of_stadtholders_for_the_Low_Countries_provinces William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic....
     his plans for the Windsor Castle
    Windsor Castle

    Windsor Castle, in Windsor, Berkshire in the England county of Berkshire, is the largest inhabited castle in the world and, dating back to the time of William I of England, is the oldest in continuous occupation....
  • 1700 : André Le Nôtre dies in Paris. He is buried at the église Saint-Roch
    Église Saint-Roch

    The Church of Saint Roch is a late Baroque architecture church in Paris. The first stone was laid by Louis XIV in 1653, accompanied by his mother Anne of Austria....


List of principal gardens of Le Nôtre

  • Gardens of Chateau as well as of city plan of Versailles
  • Gardens of Vaux-le-Vicomte
    Vaux-le-Vicomte

    The Ch?teau de Vaux-le-Vicomte is a baroque French chateau located in Maincy, near Melun, 55 km southeast of Paris in the Seine-et-Marne d?partement in France of France....
  • Gardens of château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye
    Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye

    The Ch?teau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a French royal palace in the commune in France of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the d?partement in France of Yvelines, about 19 km west of Paris....
  • Gardens of château de Saint-Cloud
    Château de Saint-Cloud

    The Ch?teau de Saint-Cloud was a royal ch?teau in France, built on a magnificent site overlooking the Seine at Saint-Cloud in Hauts-de-Seine, about 10 kilometres west of Paris....
     (the château no longer stands but the gardens still exist.)
  • jardin des Tuileries
  • parc de Sceaux
  • Gardens of château de Fontainebleau
    Château de Fontainebleau

    The Palace of Fontainebleau, located 34.5 miles from the centre of Paris, is one of the largest French royal ch?teaux. The palace as it is today is the work of many French monarchs, building on a structure of Francis I of France....
  • Gardens of château de Chantilly
    Château de Chantilly

    The Ch?teau de Chantilly is a historic ch?teau located in the town of Chantilly, Oise, France. It comprises two attached buildings; the Grand Ch?teau, destroyed during the French Revolution and rebuilt in the 1870s, and the Petit Ch?teau which was built around 1560 for Anne de Montmorency....
  • Gardens of château de Bercy à Charenton-le-Pont
    Charenton-le-Pont

    Charenton-le-Pont is a commune in France in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located . from the Kilometre Zero. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe....
  • Gardens of château de Chambonas
    Chambonas

    Chambonas is a Communes of France in the Ard?che Departments of France in southern France....


Avenues

  • Avenue of Château de Hauteville in Charchigné
    Charchigné

    Charchign? is a Communes of France in the Mayenne Departments of France in northwestern France....


See also

  • French Baroque and Classicism
    French Baroque and Classicism

    Art and architecture in France in the early 17th century are generally referred to as Baroque. From the mid to late 17th century French art is more often referred to by the term Classicism which implies an adherence to certain rules of proportion and sobriety uncharacteristic of the Baroque as it was practiced in Southern and Eas...
  • Baroque architecture
    Baroque architecture

    Baroque architecture, starting in the early 17th century in Italy, took the humanist Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical, theatrical, sculptural fashion, expressing the triumph of absolutist church and state....


Further reading

  • Thompson, Ian. The Sun King's Garden: Louis XIV, André Le Nôtre And the Creation of the Gardens of Versailles. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2006 (hardcover, ISBN 1582346313).
    • by Peter Parker in the , October 1, 2006.
    • by John Adamson in the , 2006.


External links