Page 183 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

place du Chatel, a square of
ANDRÉ LE NÔTRE medieval gabled houses, and
As the greatest French landscape gardener, Le Nôtre over the wheatfields beyond.
(1613–1700) created exquisite château gardens all over Provins is very proud of its
France. His Classical vision shaped many gardens in the crimson roses. In addition to a
Île-de-France. At Vaux (below) he perfected the jardin à la daily medieval show, a floral
fran çaise: avenues framed by statues and box hedges; celebra tion is held in the rose
water gardens with fountains and pools; graceful terraces garden every June, an event
and geometrical parterres “embroidered” with motifs. His marked by a medie val festival
genius lay in architectural orchestration and symmetry, with falconry and jousting.
typified by Versailles (p170), his greatest triumph.
13
Sèvres: Cité de la
Céramique
! D2 ⌂ 2 Place de la
Manufacture, 92310 Sèvres
# 10am–12:30pm & 1:30–
5pm Wed–Sun ¢ 1 Jan, 1
May, 25 Dec ∑ sevrescite
ceramique.fr
With over 50,000 objects on
display, this museum traces
the history of porcelain around
demolished and rebuilt in w the world from antiquity
Louis XIII style in 1856. Since onward. The building was
2010, the stylish reconstruction Provins erected in 1756 as a royal
has housed the Musée de l’Île- ! E3 ⌂ Seine-et-Marne factory under Louis XV and
de-France, which celeb rates £ @ n 4 Chemin de has remained under state
the landscapes and châteaux Villecran 77160; www. ownership ever since. In 1824
of the region with an exten- provins.net it became home to the world’s
sive collection from the first ceramics museum. The
painters of the School of As a Roman outpost, Provins collections include the latest
Paris, plus various porcelain, commanded the border of Île- pieces by 21st-century design-
furniture and sculpture. de-France and Champagne. ers. Explore objects from
The Parc de Sceaux, which Today, it offers a coherent America, Japan and Europe
is bounded by elegant villas, vision of the medieval world. and discover how techniques
is an appealing mixture of Ville Haute, the upper town, is for making and decorating
formal gardens, woods and clustered within 12th-century porcelain and ceramics have
water. The gardens, designed ramparts, complete with changed over the centuries.
by Le Nôtre, use water to crenellations and defen sive
stunning effect, with tiered ditches. The ramparts to the
waterfalls and fountains west are the best preserved.
presenting a moving staircase Here, between the fortified Potpourri vase,
that tumbles down into an gateways of Porte de Jouy from the Cité de
octagonal basin. This then and Porte St-Jean, the battle- la Céramique
feeds into the Grand Canal ments are dotted with towers
and offers a poplar-lined of all different shapes.
view towards the Pavillon de The town is dominated by
Hanovre. This elegant pavilion Tour César, a keep with
is one of several that adorn four corner turrets
the park, which also contains and a pyramid-
Mansart’s Classical Orangerie. shaped roof.
Today it hosts exhib itions and The moat
music concerts. and fortifi-
cations were
added by the
English during the
Standing to attention, an Hundred Years’ War. A
avenue of trees leading to guardroom leads to a
the Château de Rambouillet gallery and views over
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