ATTRIBUTED TO JEAN-BAPTISTE MARTIN (1659-1735)
A Hawking Party at Marly
c. 1700RCIN 406957
The Château de Marly, bought by Louis XIV in 1679, can be seen at the head of a great central canal flanked by twelve guest pavilions. Extensive efforts were expended in the creation of the garden at Marly, through the drainage of the marshy terrain, the engineering of the water features and the excavation of whole sections of valley floor. None of this is suggested in this painting which conveys instead effortless control over nature.