Marais d'eau de Versailles [The Marshes of Versailles]

This charming bosquet was originally built for one of Louis XIV’s many mistresses and was demolished upon her fall from favor. It evoked the original marshland, which had been drained to create the palace and gardens. The focal point was an elaborate fountain with a large bronze tree at its center, which sprayed water from its leaves. Inside the basin were rich “plantings” of bronze reeds and rushes that shot water back towards the tree, creating a cross hatched pattern of water. Other, smaller water features dotted the surrounding hedge walls of the bosquet.