The entire garden appears to be comprehensible
from a single perspective point
behind the chateau. But as one moves
through the garden, its true extents
and complexities are revealed. Elements
are not what they seemed. The ground is
not one fl at plane, but a series of subtle
level changes and inclines connected by
steps. The oval pool is, in fact, circular.
A canal cuts across the main axis. The
second pool is square, not rectangular.
The arcaded grotto, visible from the
house, is at a lower level on the far side
of another, longer, transverse canal. The
grotto forms the base of an upper-level
terrace. Opposite the grotto, and hidden
from view, one is surprised to fi nd an
additional water feature known as the
Grandes Cascades. At the terminus of
the axis, on the sloping lawn, or tapis
vert (“green carpet”), the visitor can
make an about-face and see the chateau
as a central object on the horizon.
In this reciprocal view, distances are
foreshortened; the gardens appear fl at
again. Viewpoint becomes focal point;
the gardens form a closed system.