Published in 1774, Essay on Gardens is one of the earliest texts showing the progressive shift in French taste from the classical model of the gardens at Versailles to the picturesque or natural style of garden design in the late eighteenth century.

Essay on Gardens
A Chapter in the French Picturesque

Claude-Henri Watelet. Edited and Translated by Samuel Danon. Introduction by Joseph Disponzio

2003 | 104 pages | Cloth $39.95
Fine Arts

Table of Contents

Introduction
Essay on Gardens
Foreword

On Gardens
Utilitarian Establishments
The Embellished Farm
Early Parks
Modern Parks
The Nature of the Terrain
Orientation
Trees
Water
Space
Flowers
Rocks and Grottoes
Garden Styles
The Poetic Style
The Romantic Style
Pleasure Gardens
The Chinese Garden
The French Garden—Letter to a Friend

Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments