Today, we spend A Day at Chí¢teau de Vaux-le-Vicomte. That’s the title of a new book by Alexandre, Jean-Charles, and Ascanio de Vogí¼é, three brothers who own and manage the famous 17th-century estate outside of Paris.
The grand faí§ade of Vaux-le-Vicomte.
The tale of Vaux le Vicomte begins in 1641 when Nicolas Fouquet infamous minister of finance under Louis XIV purchased property outside of Paris and enlisted the...
...services of three of the most legendary designers in history to create it architect Louis le Vau landscape designer André le Ní tre and decorator Charles le Brun
A drawing by Israí«l Silvestre of the chí¢teau grounds in Fouquet’s day. As was common in the era, Fouquet planned the gardens before work began on the chí¢teau; he ordered “a courtyard, flowerbeds, a stand of hornbeam, a vegetable garden, and an orchard” upon purchasing the estate.
A view of the garden through a second-story window. In 1653, André Le Ní´tre moved into Vaux-le-Vicomte and the now-famous gardens began to take shape.
In 1656, Fouquet purchased a pond which allowed for a grand canal and other water features throughout the property.
Nicolas Fouquet was a genuine lover of art and architecture, however “everything at Vaux was designed to extol [his] power and fame.” The elaborate grounds and chí¢teau were also designed to “keep up appearances”–to convince lenders that the French crown was a sound investment.
At the time, the delicate ironwork railings of Vaux-le-Vicomte contrasted with the thick stone walls of existing medieval castles. Vaux-le-Vicomte did not prove to be a good investment for Fouquet.
After Fouquet was overthrown, Vaux-le-Vicomte was sold and eventually fell into disrepair until its purchase in 1875 by Alfred Sommier.
The circa-1900 restoration of the estate required a large team of gardeners. Descendants of the Sommiers, the de Vogí¼é family, opened the chí¢teau to visitors in 1968.
A Day at Chí¢teau de Vaux-le-Vicomte is $25.34 on Amazon.