Gardens and Palace of Versailles, Antique Lithograph by J. Jacottet, circa 1850

A sweeping bird's eye tinted lithograph of the park and palace of Versailles. In the foreground, the great fountain basin sends up tall jets of water around a sculptured ensemble of horses and figures, and beyond it the long green avenue climbs straight up the hill between clipped walls of trees to the palace, which stretches across the horizon. Formal groves, hidden basins and bosquets fill the gardens to either side, and the town of Versailles with a domed church spreads to the right.

Tiny figures walk along the avenue and around the fountain, giving a sense of the immense scale of the gardens, under a wide sky of soft, streaked clouds.

This is the classic view from the Apollo Fountain up the Tapis Vert, or Royal Avenue, to the garden front of the palace, the axis laid out for Louis XIV by Andre Le Notre. The sheet is lettered "Versailles" above and "VUE GÉNÉRALE DU PARC ET DU CHÂTEAU" below, numbered 34. It was drawn and lithographed by J. Jacottet, printed by Auguste Bry in Paris and published by Gihaut Frères, Boulevard des Italiens.

The technique is lithography with a buff tint stone, the jets of water and the sky picked out in white, and the clipped hedges drawn with a fine crayon texture. A ruled border frames the image.

Its strong central perspective makes this a striking print for a long wall or above a mantelpiece, where it reads clearly from a distance; a gilt frame would suit its subject.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.