The Bassin de Neptune in the Château de Versailles, part II !!!

Posted in Europe, France, Versailles

I bring you back to something very familiar. I have written many posts in my blog about my previous glorious city of Versailles; the choices are a lot more than the palace, indeed , I need to say the Palace/museum of Versailles is worth a kingdom and many things to see that require more than two days to see it all . My nostalgic Versailles is the préfecture capital city of the department 78 Yvelines, in the Île de France region of my belle France.

I like to come back to tell you a bit more as found me new pictures in my cd rom vault that should be in my blog for you and me, Therefore, here is my take on the Bassin de Neptune in the Château de Versailles, part II !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I

Located between Rue de Maurepas and Rue de la Paroisse, the Grille du Dragon Gate had been for the exclusive use of the estate’s residents for many years. Situated opposite the Neptune Basin, each pillar is adorned with a cherub surmounting a dragon. The Dragon Gate, the access to the park of the Palace of Versailles from the lower end of Rue de la Paroisse, is now open every weekend and public holiday. From 13h to 18h, the residents/visitors of Versailles can thus access the site free of charge, discovering in particular the Neptune Basin. Entry is through the small door of one of the guard pavilions, along the gate, almost like a secret exit.

The Rue Maurepas is ,also, in my old neighborhood or district of Notre-Dame name so since 1804. Formerly the Clagny and Saint-Germain road until the French revolution, then Homère in 1795. Named after Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux, Count of Maurepas, Secretary of State for the Navy under Louis XV, then Minister of State under Louis XVI.Notable buildings here are at No. 2: House where Marie Catherine Heurtevin Montauban, widow of Richard Mique, architect to Louis XV, died in 1818, and where Honoré de Balzac’s parents settled in 1826. Mallarmé’s grandmother resided there from 1865 to 1869. More recently, the architect of the château, Pierre Lablaude, lived there. No. 8: Gamain, locksmith to Louis XVI, lived there. He also stayed at Boulevard du Roi, No. 21: Former public bathhouse in 1778. No. 31: Former garden of Monsieur de Cubière, famous for his tulip tree of Virginia, No. 33: A lodge of Freemasons of the Duke of Orléans was located there.

The Bassin de Neptune (see post) Basin is one of the largest basins in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles. Originally called the “Water Feature under the Dragon” because of its location below the so-called Dragon Fountain, the Neptune Basin is composed of statues and fountains that make it one of the most important basins in the garden. It was under the direction of Le Nôtre that the Neptune Basin, then called the Water Feature under the Dragon, or the Fir Tree Room, was undertaken between 1679 and 1682. A marine scene dedicated to Neptune was planned, but the large groups of sculptures envisioned were not completed during the reign of Louis XIV. During the reign of his successor, Ange-Jacques Gabriel slightly modified the basin’s layout in 1736, and in 1740, the definitive sculpted decoration was installed, composed of three groups: Neptune and Amphitrite by the Lambert brothers, Proteus by Edme Bouchardon, and Oceanus by Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne. The new basin, inaugurated by Louis XV, was admired for the number, scale, and variety of the water jets that played upon the lead sculptures. Today, it boasts ninety-nine jets, forming an extraordinary hydraulic ensemble. Its upper rim, split to form a transverse channel, was designed to hold, from 1682 onwards, twenty-two lead vases used as fountains.

The two groups at the end of the ramps of the large basin represent two genies, each leading a sea dragon that spouts water from its mouth. These figures are about 2 meters ( 7 feet) tall. The two dragons covering their long tails are about 6 meters (20 feet) tall., Two groups of sea dragons tamed by Cupid were sculpted by Edme Bouchardon and his brother Jacques-Philippe from 1698 to 1762.

The Château de Versailles on the basins see Neptune :

https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/estate/gardens/fountains

There you go folks, it is my favorite basin in the domaine and we have many souvenirs of walking and even playing with my boys on the right side of it  coming from Blvd de la Reine. The Neptune basin is one of the hightlights of the gardens at the Domaine de Versailles. Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Bassin de Neptune in the Château de Versailles, part II !!! as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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