André Mollet

André Mollet (* 1600, † June 7, 1665 in London) was a gardener and garden architect of French origin. He wrote a gardening book that influenced the design of Baroque princely gardens prevail.

Background and education

André Mollet was the son of Claude Mollet and the grandson of Jacques Mollet (died about 1608 ). Little is known about his youth. He was, like his brothers Jacques ( the younger), and Claude Noël ( the younger), trained as a gardener. Decisive is expected for all the brothers of knowledge by their famous father to have been, the garden director of the king, premier jardinier du Roi ("First gardener of the King" ) was. André Mollet gained his practical experience in the royal gardens to the time of Louis XIII. , With a focus on the design and the design of Broderieparterres approached, a contemporary modern element of the young baroque garden.

First own garden artistic designs

André Mollet came in 1633 in the service of the Dutch Stadtholder Frederick Henry of Orange. He advanced to him the garden of the castle Honselersdijk at Delft two parterres in the French style. He also worked at the nascent orchard of Huis ter Nieuburgh in Rijswijk, near The Hague, the summer residence of the governor. 1635 returned Mollet from the Netherlands to Paris. 1641 and 1642 he lived in England and worked for Queen Henrietta Maria, in particular in the gardens of Castle Wimbledon.

Activity for Kristina of Sweden

Already in 1646 André Mollet had closed in Paris with a Representative of the Swedish court a contract that gave him the design of the royal gardens in Stockholm. Until the summer of 1648, after numerous preparations such as plant purchase and the provision of garden tools, Mollet traveled to Stockholm to take up the service of the young Queen Kristina. The details of the deal with the Queen are not known, his pay was comparable to that of a chamberlain at the royal court. Sweden had been able to significantly expand and strengthen its position in Europe as a result of the Thirty Years' War.

André Mollet's work focused on two gardens in Stockholm: the old Kungsträdgården ( "Royal Garden " ) and the new Humlegarden ( " hop garden "; originally a vegetable garden ). Mollet was not considered a conventional master gardener, but as an expert who the new, elaborate type of garden design in the French style dominated: The creation of richly ornamented garden parterres, including the craftsmanship was, the patterns of the drawn plans to live large in the area of the garden to transfer. A particular challenge is the restrictions that brought the Nordic climate with harsh winters.

In the summer of 1653 Mollet left Sweden. The motives of his departure are not known. The care of Kungsträdgården his son Jean Mollet ( c.1630 -1708 ), who had worked as an assistant to his father; he remained all his life in Sweden.

During his stay in Sweden André Mollet wrote his garden book Le jardin de Plaisir. It contained an annex with engravings that showed different Broderieformen and floor designs, including two mazes. The book was printed in 1651 in Stockholm, the text in French, German and Swedish version, to thirty large engravings; it could thus be offered three book editions. The German translation was from Gregor Geijer.

London time

André Mollet returned from Sweden to France. About his work during this period is not known. No later than 1658, he left France to take over the management of the gardens of St. James 's Palace in London. His client was, after the return of the country to the monarchy, the King Charles II. Mollet was succeeded by his nephew Gabriel (died 1603) accompanied, who was also his assistant. Details of Mollet's garden artistic creations in London are hardly known. He developed a shortened English version of his garden book, which was directed both to the king, and to the large number of aristocratic garden owners in England. The book was published posthumously in London in 1670 under the title The Garden of Pleasure. André Mollet died in London on June 7, 1665, may be a victim of incipient plague.

Publications

• Le jardin de plaisir (1651, 1981)
• The desire Gartten (1651, 2006; German and Swedish translation )