Digitizing Project: Le Jardin de Plaisir

André Mollet (d. circa 1665) – Le Jardin de Plaisir, Contenant plusieurs desseins de Jardinage tant Parterres en Broderie, Compartiments de gazon, que Bosquets, & autres. Avec un Abbregé de l'Agriculture, touchant ce qui peut estre le plus utile & necessaire a la Construction & accompagnement dudict Jardin de plaisir. Composé & divisé en onze chapitres par André Mollet Maistre des Jardins de la Serenissime Reine de Suede. A Stocholme, Chez Henry Kayser, 1651. Engraved portrait of Claude Mollet (circa 1564-circa 1649) and 30 engraved and etched plates; bound in 19th century half green morocco and marbled boards. André Mollet, gardener to Louis XIII (1601-1643), came from a very distinguished and important family of landscape architects. The father, Claude, worked and designed gardens at the Château of Saint Germain-en-Laye, the Château de Fontainebleau, the Montceaux-en-Brie, and the Tuileries. André's brother, Claude II (d. 1664), worked for James I of England (1566-1625); his other brother, Gabriel, worked for Charles II (1630-1685) on designs for St. James's Park in London. Le Jardin de Plaisir (or "The Pleasure Garden"), illustrated with 30 engraved and etched plates of Mollet's personal designs for parterres and bosquets, is dedicated to Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-1689), as he was the head gardener at that time during her reign. The work codifies and establishes the concept of a French formal garden. Kenneth Woodbrige's Princely Gardens gives a wonderful translation from this work and it depicts a visual aristocratic summation of the overall concept:

"First we should say that the royal house must be sited to best advantage, in order
to ornament it with all things necessary to its embellishment; of which the first is
to be able to plant a big avenue with a double or triple row of female elms, or
lime trees (which are the two species of tree which we esteem most suited to this
effect) which must be placed in line at right angles to the front of the château…
Then, facing the rear of the house must be constructed the parterres en broderie,
near to it so as to be easily seen from the windows, and gazed upon without
obstacles such as trees, palissades or any other elevated thing which can prevent
the eye from embracing its full extent.

Following the said parterres en broderie will be placed the parterres or compartments
of turf, as well as the bosquets, allées and high and low palissades in their proper place;
made in such a way that most of the said allées lead to something and always terminate
in a statue or the centre of a fountain; and at the extremities of theses allées put fine
perspectives of painted canvas, so as to be able to remove them from damage by
weather when one wishes to. And to perfect the work, statues should be placed on
pedestals, and grottoes built in the most suitable places. Then raise terrace walks
according to the convenience of the place, without forgetting aviaries, fountains,
water jets, canals, and such ornaments which, duly being carried out, each in their
place, form the perfect pleasure garden."