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Jean-Michel Othoniel, Les Belles Danses (The Beautiful Dances), Versailles 2015
L’Entrée d'Apollon (The Entrance of Apollo)
Fountain sculptures for the Water Theater grove
Photograph: Philippe Chancel
© 2015 Othoniel / ADAGP, Paris
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THE OPENING OF THE WATER THEATRE GROVE PALAIS OF VERSAILLES
12/5/2015-14/5/2016
Latone's Fountain restored
Thanks to the signing of a significant partnership in June 2012 between the Palace of Versailles and the Fondation Philanthropia, Latone's Fountain will regain its former sp lendour in the sp ring of 2015. Restoration of this masterpiece from André Le Nôtre's gardens is also an opportunity to pay tribute to the artistic professions that preserve the bond of expertise between the past and the present.
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Posted 10 March 2015
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Committed to protecting heritage
Designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Leto's Fountain is without doubt the most famous piece of work in the Versailles gardens with its tiered marble centrepiece, rich sculptures in lead and marble and cleverly designed water jets. It is suituated in the centre of the Grande Perspect ive at the start of the royal Alley leading to Apollo's Fountain. Alongside its decorative role, it is also the key element in the hydraulic syst em of the park: the water collected in its underground tanks feed into the water features of the other ornamental lakes, notably the central jet of Apollo's Fountain.
More than three centuries after its creation, rest oration work had become essential, for although the feature had benefitted from regular maintenance work and repairs, especially in the 1850s and 1980s, no large-scale operations had ever been carried out. Work on the infrastructure, hydrant system and sculptures were needed urgently. General deterioration had affected the feature's overall stabilty with repercussions on the watertightness of the pool. The sculptures and marble were also greatly deteriorated and the internal and external hydrant network was showing signs of
damage.
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Jean-Michel Othoniel, Les Belles Danses (The Beautiful Dances), Versailles 2015
L’Entrée d'Apollon (The Entrance of Apollo), detail
Fountain sculptures for the Water Theater grove
Photograph: Philippe Chancel
© 2015 Othoniel / ADAGP, Paris
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Dedicated to transmitting knowledge
In parallel with the restoration work, an exhibition was set up on the worksite to inform the general public and provide explanations about the traditional knowledge and techniques used.
The initiative encourages the promotion and transmission of unique expert knowledge and supports the excellence and vocation of young craftsmen. It demonstrates the Fondation Philanthropia's desire to establish artistic professions more firmly in today's society and that of the future, following the example of gilding or metal and marble work. The preservation of such practices relies on their transmission to the younger generations and is a challenge for the future.
The winning project in the international competition held in 2011 for the rest oration of the Water Theatre Grove is by landscape designer Louis Benech, whose design includes fountain sculptures by Jean-Michel Othoniel. Work began on 15th May 2013 and will be finished in the spring of 2015. The grove will be open every day from 12th May 2015.
Louis Benech has restored the inner "room" of the Water Theatre Grove, a 120 m x 120 m square situated within a larger 180 m x 180 m square. His vision is of a grove that helps visitors to experience the intimacy of these halls of greenery in a modern day usage. Visitors embark on a dance-like stroll with breaks in the shade of oak trees that leads to a large clearing of light and water. The design uses the idea behind the grove's original use in 1671 with a new orientation. It is divided into a larger "room" and a raised stage marked out by two pools.
In order to recreate what once existed without imitation, deviation or mythology, the design for the new grove includes various allusions to Le Nôtre's work such as the use of perspective and recurrent patterns. Moreover, strategically placed plants act as landmarks, giving an idea of the lost grove's dimensions. The key element in the design is water, which was historically present in the grove.
The trees used by Louis Benech – beech, green oaks, holm oak, phillyrea latifolia, lime 'wratislaviensis', ptelea foliata aurea, salix alba aurea and Indian bean tree – will grow no taller than the maximum height of 17 m desired by Le Nôtre, enabling the grove to remain hidden from view from the palace and to be integrated into the site. The design also reflect s the desire for full reversibility and for this reason has preserved what remains of the 18th century masonry and hydraulic works still present on the site. The design of the new network and all the work to go on top of the old site take this into account. For example, the st eel basin of the new grove can be dismantled and even recycled.
Read also the Article 2013>
Palace of Versaille
Place d'Armes
78000 Versailles, France
+33 1 30 83 78 00
chateauversailles.fr
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