2. The Reign of Water
• As part of French tradition, water, in all
forms, is the preferred decoration for all
French gardens
3. Latona Fountain
• The sculpture placed in the middle of the Latona Fountain is based
on the legend of Diana and Apollo’s mother protecting Latona’s
children against the insults of the peasants of Lycia. They called
upon Jupiter to take revenge on them, and he did by turning them
into frogs and lizards.
• The marble sculpture in the centre of the fountain was originally
placed on a rock in 1670 with six frogs coming out of the water and
twenty four more on the lawn around the fountain, accompanied by
the goddess looking towards the castle.
• Between 1687 and 1689, the sculpture was modified by Jules
Hardouin-Mansart who replaced the rock with a concentric marble
base and the Latona group facing towards the Grand Canal
