Tuesday 18 December 2007

Chateau Vaux le Vicomte

                           vue-aerienne-yab

imag_vauxvicomteArchitect Claude Megson used to use this to demonstrate the idea of  "the house as sanctuary," the finest example in Europe of architecture demonstrating  the nobility of man.  

Plan Vaux le vicomte  Built for Louis XIV's finance minister, Nicolas Fouquet, by the architect Louis Le Vau (1612-70), the garden designer Andre Le Notre (1613-1700), and the painter Charles Lebrun (1619-90), this is a place in which one feels ten feet tall!  A mile-and-a-half swathe cut from virgin forest and artfully arranged to create a space for Enlightenment Man -- the French masterpiece of the seventeenth century.   You can see more pictures, plans, videos, 'virtual visits' and history at the Chateau's official website.

                                                                           Vaux-le-Vicomte_vlat

3 comments:

G. E. Light said...

Is that the chateau that has the famously intertwined circular staircases right in front of you as you enter the main hall? I remember visiting THAT one fondly in 1973. My favorite is still Chenonceaux, probably because of the various water features.

Peter Cresswell said...

Hmmm, not sure, Bulb. I've added a link to the Chateau's official website so you can check out the interior photos and see if it looks familiar.

Anonymous said...

What a splendid home! ..I hate to say it but some of the French chaps really knew what they were doing.

Rich Aristocrats living in style whilst ignoring the moaning minnies engaging in envy on the outside.

Gosh...those were the days!