. The book of decorative furniture, its form, colour and history . a scenic revival: Versailles,the most lasting memorial of Louis energies and ideals, with its magnificent palace and gardens, whose im-mensity in design was equalled by such furiousendeavours under the younger Mansart to com-plete its speedy transformation from a royalhunting box, that, in 1684, 6000 horses and22,000 men were employed. In 1685 the numberof the latter had been increased to 35,000, whoplied their trade winter and sunomer; while,partly on account of insanitary conditions,partly on account of the marshy groun
. The book of decorative furniture, its form, colour and history . a scenic revival: Versailles,the most lasting memorial of Louis energies and ideals, with its magnificent palace and gardens, whose im-mensity in design was equalled by such furiousendeavours under the younger Mansart to com-plete its speedy transformation from a royalhunting box, that, in 1684, 6000 horses and22,000 men were employed. In 1685 the numberof the latter had been increased to 35,000, whoplied their trade winter and sunomer; while,partly on account of insanitary conditions,partly on account of the marshy ground, fevercontinuously raged among them. Prodigiouscartloads of dead are taken away every night as from the HotelDieu, writes Madame de Sevigue. Were the human butterflies who flitted through the artificialArcadian glades and scenes of Versailles incommoded by reflectionsupon, or visions of, these uncourtly workers, virtually slaughtered forthe speedier gratification of their kings colossal egotism? The building of Versailles was reared by its builders in a manner. FAUTEUIL. XIV. THE LOUIS XIV. PERIOD 307 so reminiscent of the Arabian Nights, and was so uniquely significanta revelation of Louis Quatorze, the man and the style, that evenslight glimpses of its fascinating history will help us to understandthe period. Jules Hardouin Mansart, the architect, estimated the cost ofthe work he designed for Louis xiv. at Versailles at 153,000,000 livresfor the architectural shell alone. Equally enormous were the sumslavished upon the superb gardens. Louis XIV., who loved the open air,—one of his few inexpensivetastes,—^gave to the artist Le N6tre not only the task of making themarshy wilderness around his palace blossom as the rose, but thedisposition of its verdure and flower-beds, its running waters, its statuesof nymphs, bronze vases, and marblecolonnades. The stairways by whichthese open-air virtual drawing-roomswere reached were of such noble width that fifty of
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade191, booksubjectdecorationandornament
