In the second part of Louis XIV’s reign, the estate of Marly was developed to be the country retreat that Versailles no longer was. The location, halfway between Versailles and Saint-Germain-en-Laye, was chosen in 1679, and work began immediately. The main structures were completed in 1684, while the garden, enriched with numerous sculptures and water features, continued to evolve over the next decades. It was at Marly that the king could relax from the chores of government and the rigors of etiquette, accompanied only by family members and a few specially invited guests.

In use throughout the eighteenth century, the buildings were first sold and then dismantled shortly after the French Revolution. The vacant site has recently been rehabilitated as a Musée-Promenade, while some of the original statuary is exhibited in the Louvre’s Marly Courtyard.