In 1661, Fouquet invited the young French king, Louis XIV, to a party at his magnificent chateau on the outskirts of Paris, Vaux le Vicomte. Fouquet proudly displayed his grounds (dotted with more ...

Baroque has been called debased and deformed, false and exaggerated. It has also been called Europe’s last great universal style. It flowered amid the extravagances of 17th century Italy, given its ...

MODERN times began in France with the death of Mazarin. Spain, Austria, and Italy no longer led the world in politics, literature, and refinement. The grande nation, delivered from Ligue and Fronde, ...

Before Louis XIV earned his name as the Sun King who unified France and heralded the kingdom's Grand Siecle of art and architecture, his finance minister Nicolas Fouquet hired the rising designer ...