Mirrors of Infinity:: The French Formal Garden and 17th-Century Metaphysics

by Allen S. Weiss

From the Japanese Zen Garden to Andr Le Notre's Versailles, the history of landscape reveals that every garden embodies a philosophy. Focusing on the metaphysics, aesthetics, and theology of the seventeenth century, Allen Weiss's analysis offers new insight into the major gardens of this period: Vaux-le-Vicomte, Chantilly, and Versailles.From the Meditations of Descartes and Pascal's Penss, to the intrigues of court politics, Weiss reveals how the structure of these gardens reflects—sometimes literally—the power of Louis XIV, the relationship between God, King, sun, and infinity, and the new science of optics. Weiss's sophisticated yet highly readable text combines contemporary theory with a careful historical reading. He gives us a richer understanding of gardens than allowed in more traditional formal and stylistic analyses.

144 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 1992

Reviews

[Doremelody]

A concise yet rich analysis of the symbolism and philosophies which informed landscape architect André Le Nôtre 17th century formal gardens, specifically Vaux-le-Vicomte, Versailles, and Chantilly. There is a fair amount of gossip and scandal woven through the book which makes the didactic stretches more serviceable. The section on Vaux is especially fascinating.
Highlights of the book include a hermeneutic study of the mirror and the significance of the optical illusion in extending depth and lending meaning to garden constructions. I really appreciated the section on Descartes' 'science of miracles', if i remember correctly there is a cool intaglio print of his rainbow machine.