of the Globe,
the Four Kinds of Poetry (Heroic, Satiric,
Lyric and Pastoral), the Four Periods of
the Day (Morning, Noon, Twilight,
Night), the Four Elements (Earth, Air,
Fire, Water), the Four Temperaments
(Phlegmatic, Melancholy, Coleric and
Sanguine). Mythological figures, vases
ornamented with bas-reliefs of Louis XIV and
great men of his reign, fountain groups
representing the chief rivers of France,
water nymphs, sportive babies, beasts in
combat--sculpture massive, graceful,
grotesque--all added their individual lure to
the dells, the walks and the terraces of the
magic palace.

Tile-workers from Flanders, marble-cutters
from the Pyrenees, Italy and Greece,
masons, sculptors, castmen, metal-workers,
bronze colorists--innumerable artisans
trained to meet the exacting tastes of that
Silver Age of Art--lent their skill to the
construction of fountains whose ingenuity and
variety have set a standard for all time for
the makers of kingly estates. A hundred
sculptors of highest reputation were engaged
to model groups, statues, busts and low
reliefs for the Versailles park, under the
supervision of Lebrun and Mignard.

Ladies of the Court sometimes claimed
the ear of the compliant Andre Le Notre
to suggest fancies that he graciously evolved
with greenery and marbles, with tinkling
streams and bright-winged birds.

The new Orangery, begun by Mansard
on plans submitted by Le Notre, consumed
nearly ten years in building, from 1678 to
1687. Twin stairways, one hundred and
three steps high, united the South Parterre
with the Parterre of the Orangery. The
shelter erected for the protection of
hundreds of orange trees, which often
blossomed and came to fruit, contained a main
gallery and two lateral galleries, lighted by
twelve large windows. In the center stood
a huge statue of Louis the Great. During
warm weather the tubs containing the
orange trees were set out on the Orange
Parterre between the lofty stone stairways.
The Orangery was one of the favorite
retreats of the King. Besides the royal family,
only those were permitted to stroll among
the fragrant trees that had been granted
special permission to do so.

It was in 1688, after more than a quarter
of a century's labor, the sacrifice of hundreds
of lives, and the expenditure of over fifty
million francs, that the splendid parks and
gardens with their buildings and fountains
were finally achieved. Le Notre's
successors rearranged some