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

About this book

From the Japanese Zen Garden to Andr Le Notres Versailles the history of landscape reveals that every garden embodies a philosophy. Focusing on the metaphysics aesthetics and theology of the seventeenth century Allen Weisss analysis offers new insight into the major gardens of this period: Vaux-le-Vicomte Chantilly and Versailles. From the Meditations of Descartes and Pascals Penss to the intrigues of court politics Weiss reveals how the structure of these gardens reflectssometimes literallythe power of Louis XIV the relationship between God King sun and infinity and the new science of optics. Weisss 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.