From Jean Vignon to Michel Benard: the French Garden of Palazzo Carignano in Turin

Abstract

The garden of the 17th century Palazzo Carignano was uprooted and transformed into a square during the 19th century. This garden was recorded in the archival documents already in August 1680 and was created in parallel with the construction of the palace, under the direction of the architect Guarino Guarini. In the records, mention is made of grat movement of earth and the assignment of a permanent gardener, Charles Blondet. But it is not to him that we owe the definitive shape of the area: in 1686, it was Jean Vignon, a French gardener in Moncalieri, Rivoli and Racconigi who provided «the design [...] of the new Garden», staying in Turin «for 33 days in tracing and planting the parterre garden». Many drawings show the outline of two compartments, but the only drawing that also provides an idea of the broderie garden is from the mid 18th century, therefore pertinent to a phase in which − since 1754 – Michel Benard was the director of the Carignano Gardens. In 1749-1751, Benard had redesigned the parterre in Racconigi, planted by Vignon himself following a Le Nôtre model. The garden of Palazzo Carignano is therefore also confirmed as an example of the long domination of French taste in Turin between the 17th and 18th centuries, in the context of which it is analyzed. The essay is based on archival research, which for the first time focuses on this aspect in detail in the Savoy-Carignano family, a junior branch that only came to the throne in 1831 but which − precisely for this reason − has always pursued a high profile, favouring patronage of great figures or, in any case, convinced adherence to the most up-to-date models in the architecture and design of gardens.

Keywords

• guarino guarini
• palazzo carignano
• michel benard
• jean vignon, giardino francese