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THE MAGAZINE TRENDS
The link between court and garden
According to specialists in the subject, the
first gardens were Egyptian. Designed for
high dignitaries, or even for gods, they
arose from the desert at a time when man
was becoming sedentary and sought to
be close to cool oases. However, this should all be seen
in its original context. This was a people who, in hostile
lands like arid North Africa, succeeded in dominating
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nature in the face of all opposition. While the leafy
verdure of a garden is perfectly familiar to us, just
imagine for a second the effect it would have on the
Egyptians of those times. Facilities of that kind required
extraordinary wealth and power, and thus became effective
propaganda tools. And just think: this centurieslong
history between court and garden had only just
begun! But while power was often the privilege of the
€32,138 Late 17th century French school,
"Perspective du Palais-Royal, fontaines et jardin
de Versailles", oil on canvas,
92 x 135 cm. Paris, Drouot, 12 December 2012.
Piasa auction house.