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Summary: 17th century French royal Garden design
Review: This is a specialized book for those interested in architecture and/or period garden design from 17th century France. Marly was a favorite creation of The Sun King, Louis XIV. Built in a secluded narrow valley not far from Versailles, it tried to create an informal palace where the King and favored courtiers could live a more informal existance not governed by strict court formality as practiced at Versailles. The main features were a Royal Pavilion for the King and his family and a series of small square buildings for quests from the court. The iconology was based on the Zodiac. The facades of the buildings featured "painted" architucture. But the main features were the gardens. This book has a very brief description of the Royal Pavilion with two elevations and partial floor plans. The real focus is on reproductions of hundreds of color drawings (created in the 17th century) of the multitude of walks, bosquets, fountains, pools and open air "rooms" created by the "gardener king" Louis XIV. There are even multiple plans of the same sites as they evolved over time. A well done volumn, but again of very specialized interest. There are very few books on Marly as a chateau, as it did not long survive the French Revoultion. Today the site is used a public park, but the elaborate gardens, statues and palace are long gone.
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