Botanical demonstrations in the Jardin du Roi were formal events where the public observed exercises in identifying, collecting, and utilizing plants. These festivities grew in popularity during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries as territorial politics became more influential. They were the focal points for the botany enthusiasm that grew in Paris as exotic plants were more frequently imported into the city and kept at the Jardin du Roi and the private collections of wealthy individuals.
Plants grown in the king’s garden were identified by different names, categorized by purposes, grown in specific habitats, marked by origin, recognized by growth stages, grouped by traits, linked to plant families, and valued for their impact on the human body.Thirty-eight Mastering nature was a philosophical endeavor that also symbolized efficient governance over both flora and humanity. In the king’s garden, botanical and horticultural skills were used to demonstrate both the king’s authority and knowledge.
Utilizing public ceremonies in Paris to symbolize and confirm the authority of the king was a common practice. Historically, territorial claims were typically asserted through ceremonial rituals. Garden events like tournaments, parties, ballets, and similar activities were more common in Paris during the reign of Catherine de Medici (1519–89, r. 1547–74). Nobles in the Luxembourg gardens and the Tuileries performed stories about gods and heroes to showcase and legitimize their superiority.
Botanical displays throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries used rare plants instead of classical literature to convey narratives of natural superiority. The Jardin du Roi showcased a remarkable assortment of uncommon and unexpected plant specimens. Each plant’s name and origin not only provided identification but also hinted at tales of far-flung journeys, challenging expeditions, and scholarly knowledge. Plant presentations showcased exotic plants with remarkable properties such as fragrances, colors, sizes, or uses, emphasizing natural knowledge.Forty The plant demonstrations at the Jardin du Roi subtly emphasized France’s might, intelligence, and organization.
Charles Plumier’s Description des Plantes d’Amérique effectively demonstrates the symbolic influence of botanical displays. Plumier asserts that he pursued a career in botany after witnessing plant exhibitions in Rome. He passionately describes the far locations visited by collectors and the floral marvels they discovered throughout their expeditions. He discusses specific plants by utilizing terminology related to growth patterns and origin, illustrating how botanical language may establish the identities of plants and inspire readers to see the environment. Plumier renders the marvels of the Creation tangible and comprehensible. He stated that plant gathering and demonstration made such ineffables more accessible.
Claude Perrault oversaw a significant natural history project throughout the seventeenth century, which was greatly influenced by narrow-minded political pressures impacting botanical science. Perrault collaborated with colleagues from the Académie Royale des Sciences to apply dissection procedures commonly used in animal studies to floral specimens in the Jardin du Roi. The research was required to concentrate on French native plants due to a legislative stipulation. The experts formally acknowledged the restriction, but it had little impact because no clear description of what qualified as French plants was given. The scientists believed that species previously introduced into France had already adapted to French agriculture and gardening and were now considered French plants. Considering the utilization of trade for French territorial expansion and the arrangement of the colonial plant trade to support the Jardin du Roi, this decision was logical.
The botanical display at the Jardin du Roi had both a political purpose and contributed to the advancement of systematic botany. Joseph Pitton de Tournefort was a prominent person in French botany known for his influential classification system, which continued to be respected in France even after Linnaeus introduced his own method. Tournefort also contributed to the advancement of systematic botany in France. He was raised in the intellectually advanced city of Aix-en-Provence and gained a significant portion of his botanical knowledge at Montpellier, where he served as a plant demonstrator for the botany professor Pierre Magnol.
Tournefort encountered the challenging task of plant classification as collections expanded and new plants needed to be named. The author emphasized the importance of using a precise procedure when naming plants to avoid having as many names as there are plants. This is the outcome if everyone had the freedom to name each plant as they pleased. The outcome would cause significant confusion and an overwhelming memory burden due to an endless array of designations. He choose to categorize plants based on the structure of their blossoms, referred to them as defining natural families, and utilized this method to create a unified categorization system.
Guy-Crescent Fagon (1638–1718), the king’s physician, found Tournefort’s work so fascinating that he invited him to the royal garden in Paris in 1683. Tournefort’s focus on flowers and teaching of systematics made demonstrations at the garden increasingly popular. He created a comprehensive plant taxonomy that established classifications and guidelines for studying plants and their genetic connections. Simplifying names and groups allows for a more systematic and organized view of the plant kingdom. This aligns with the concept of the Earth being the focus of creation and the plant world serving as a paradigmatic kingdom. An event where a botanical garden was hosted by the French state marked the pinnacle of collaboration between the plant world and the government.
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A system of classification was developed at Versailles based on Bernard de Jussieu’s principles. The new garden was designed by the Trianon, a section of Versailles metaphorically linked to heaven or the garden of eternal spring. At this spot in the royal park, the Garden of Eden and the meticulously organized land of botanists converged, creating a landscape that resembled heaven due to human understanding. In French formal gardens, stewardship and scholarship combined as territorial politics and botanical study were ceremonially linked.