Bulletin du Centre de Recherche du Château de Versailles (Apr 2021)
Présence d’André Le Nôtre dans les jardins du palais de Franciszek Salezy Potocki à Krystynopol au milieu du xviiie siècle
Abstract
André Le Nôtre, ‘master of illusion and splendour’, is remembered for a number of great works, including the gardens of Versailles. These were conceived as an act of creation, a symbol of absolute power and royal might, which, over time, had lost their lustre in France. The main principles of Le Nôtre’s gardens, often imitated, remained popular in many European countries, however, including the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the mid-eighteenth century. This article discusses the French style of garden design as a timeless, visual representation of the aristocratic grandeur of the Potocki family. To enhance the splendour of his noble prestige, Franciszek Salezy Potocki, the ‘Little King of Ruthenia’, built a new residence in Krystynopol in Ruthenia, one of the most elegant palace-garden complexes in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the mid-eighteenth century. The whole project, constructed to the designs of Pierre Ricaud de Tirregaille in the years 1757-1760, is strongly reminiscent of a royal residence of the French type, with two courtyards, a palace building, wings and annexes, whose layout extended into composition of the garden with a cascade and fountains. The Potocki residence in Krystynopol, together with its unique gardens, depicted in drawings and watercolours, also played a very important role in its owner’s social and economic life.
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