The Palace and Gardens of Versailles. Peiter Schenk 1702. Plate 48. “The House of the Pleasure Garden at Versailles.” From ‘Versaliae celebratissimi praetorii descriptio’. Hand coloured.

“Versaliae celebratissimi praetorii descriptio” is a rare, historic series of copperplate engravings created around 1702 by the prominent Dutch engraver and publisher Petrus Schenk . The collection provides meticulous architectural and horticultural views of the Palace of Versailles, its famous gardens, fountains, and statues during the height of Louis XIV’s reign.

Petrus Schenk (1660–1711) was a German-born engraver and cartographer who operated a highly successful publishing house in Amsterdam. He was later appointed as the court engraver to Augustus the Strong.

Each engraving in the series is inscribed at the bottom with captions in both Latin and Dutch. They capture the layout and water features of Versailles shortly after construction finished.

These plates were sold both as an individual set or bound into larger collections.This plate is from one of the individual sets.

The hand colouring is old, but may not be contemporary.

The “house of the pleasure garden” (huis van den lusthof or domus horti) is the Grand Trianon (originally known as the Trianon de Marbre), a beautiful, sun-drenched marble palace tucked away in the northern park of the Palace of Versailles. eter Schenk’s engraving captures this specific building during the reign of its creator, King Louis XIV.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, a lusthof (pleasure garden) was a royal escape. The main Palace of Versailles was a loud, high-stress headquarters packed with thousands of gossiping nobles and strict royal protocols.

Louis XIV built the Grand Trianon as his private sanctuary. It was a place where he could strip away royal etiquette: He only allowed his closest family members and a highly exclusive guest list to enter.

It served as an intimate getaway for the King and his mistress, Madame de Maintenon.

The building is famously only one storey high, seamlessly blending into acres of spectacular Italian-style flower gardens, fountains, and orange trees.