Vaux le Vicomte Castle
The Vaux le Vicomte Chateau can
be found in Maincy. The French
chateau is located near Melun, over
fifty kilometers southeast of Paris.
The grand chateau is designed in the
baroque style of architecture.
Its
construction began in 1658, and was
completed in 1661. The chateau was
built for Nicolas Fouquet who was
the Marquee de Belle-Isle, the
Viscount of Melun and Vaux, and
Louis XIV’s superintendent of
finances.
In many ways and for many reasons,
the Vaux le Vicomte, is the most
significant structure built in
Europe during the mid 17th century.
It is the grandest and most
elaborate house built in the country
after the Chateau de Maisons.
For the Vaux le Vicomte, famed
architect Louis Le Vau, landscape
architect Andre le Notre, and
painter-decorator Charles Le Brun
collaborated and worked together for
the first time.
The coming together of the three
great artists marked the birth of a
new order – the magnificent Louis
XIV Style. This style could be
applied not only to the structure’s
exterior and interiors, but also to
the works of art in the building,
the outdoor gardens, and everything
else that affects how the structure
is perceived as a whole.
The Louis XIV influence is most
apparent in the chateau’s garden
that uses a baroque axis extending
to infinity. |
