Marot’s intricate pattern designs lent themselves for applications in various media, from textiles to furniture and from interiors to the highly manicured baroque gardens.
Marot designed the parterres for the gardens at Palace Het Loo but those were swept away in the 19th century when more naturalistic landscape gardens came into fashion. Heavy renovations and restorations of the estate followed in the ’70s and ‘80s when the palace was no longer used as a royal residence and was opened to the public. Important archaeological findings formed the basis for a dramatic reconstruction of the gardens to their 17th-century appearance. It is now one of the best places to experience the principles of integrated baroque design.
In 1689, shortly after they were invested as joint monarchs, William and Mary commissioned adaptations of the Tudor Hampton Court Palace to transform it into a Baroque Palace. Marot was tasked with the parterres designs to accompany the grand architectural ideas by Sir Christopher Wren for the main building. This highly organised manner of sculpting and controlling nature was a statement on the wealth and power of the owners.
Many more gardens by Marot no longer exist, although some are documented through drawings, engravings, and visitor accounts. This drawing of a garden near Haarlem is a great example of Marot’s impressive ability for finding creative solutions for establishing highly formal gardens at unlikely, irregular sites. So much money was said to have been lavished on this garden that it caused the financial downfall of its owner.
