above the Latona Fountain is the terrace of the Chateau known as the Parterre d Eau at the Palace of Versailles
Situated above the Latona Fountain is the terrace of the chateau known as the Parterre d Eau Forming a transitional element from the chateau to the gardens below and placed on the north south axis of the gardens the Parterre d Eau provided a venue in which the imagery and symbolism of the decors of the grands appartements synthesized with the iconography of the gardens In 1664 Louis XIV commissioned a series of statues intended to decorate the water feature of the Parterre d Eau The Grande Commande as the commission is known comprised 24 statues of the classic quaternities and 4 additional statues depicting abductions from the classic past Designed by Charles LeBrun and executed by the foremost sculptors of the day the Grande Commande consisted of The Four Elements Earth Air Water Fire The Four Seasons Spring Summer Autumn Winter The Four Parts of the World Europe Africa Asia America The Four Humors of Man Melancholic Choleric Phlegmatic Sanguine The Four Forms of Poetry Epic Pastoral Lyric Satirical The Four Parts of the Day Daybreak Noon Evening Night
Size: 5498px × 3372px
Photo credit: © Peter Chadwick / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 14th, air, antoinette, bronze, chateau, earth, fire, fountain, fourteen, fourteenth, france, gardens, house, louis, louise, marble, marie, mirrors, music, opulance, palace, paris, parterre, posidon, statues, tourist, versailles, visit, water, xiv
