The Gardens of Versailles

The park of the Palace of Versailles spreads out from the foot of the Chateau as far as the eye can see. The seasons and the time of day can dramatically transform the park in a matter of day, hours or even minutes. Photographer Jean-Baptiste Leroux chronicles these variations of time over the year. He captures the moments when the light suddenly colours the pools and basins crimson, or when the Swiss Pond is transformed into a storm-tossed lake by the wind, or when, in the morning haze, phantoms emerge evocatively from the Basin of Neptune. Beatrix Saule tells the story of the vision that Louis XIV, the great garden designer Andre Le Notre, the architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart and the artist Charles Le Brun had for the gardens - to construct the largest open-air museum in the world, with beautiful fountains and symmetrical pools, secluded copses and long pathways providing the stroller with unexpected perspectives.