Alphonse Hubert François Balat (15 May 1818 – 16 September 1895) was a Belgian

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Life

Balat was born in Gochenée. He studied at the Academie of

Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur ...

and obtained his degree in architecture from the

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

in 1838. In 1839 he stayed in Paris for a year but returned after his father's death. He was soon discovered by the Walloon

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...

for which he built or renovated a number of '

Château A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. Nowaday ...

's' (amongst others Castle of Jehay-Bodegnée, Castle of Presles). Stylistically these constructions often contained

renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

elements with a neoclassical stress. In his interior designs he also used elements from the

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...

and

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was e ...

styles. In 1846 Balat settled in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

. His was introduced to the Belgian royal family after he was noticed for his design of a temporary festive decoration for the

Salle de la Madeleine Salle is the French word for 'hall', 'room' or 'auditorium', as in: * Salle des Concerts Herz, a former Paris concert hall *Salle Favart, theatre of the Paris Opéra-Comique * Salle Le Peletier, former home of the Paris Opéra *Salle Pleyel, a Par ...

(Magdalenamarkt) where the royal family had been present (1848). In 1851 and 1856 he created several temporary festive decorations for the monarchy. In 1852 he was appointed as the architect of the

Duke of Brabant The Duke of Brabant (, ) was the ruler of the Duchy of Brabant since 1183/1184. The title was created by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in favor of Henry I of the House of Reginar, son of Godfrey III of Leuven (who was duke of Lo ...

, the later king

Leopold II of Belgium * german: link=no, Leopold Ludwig Philipp Maria Viktor , house = Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , father = Leopold I of Belgium , mother = Louise of Orléans , birth_date = , birth_place = Brussels, Belgium , death_date = ...

. In 1856 he constructed the town palace (Hôtel) of the Marquess of Assche (

Asse Asse () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. It comprises the towns of Asse proper, Bekkerzeel, Kobbegem, Mollem, Relegem and Zellik. Asse is also situated in the Pajottenland. As of 2020, Asse had a total ...

) in the newly planned district called 'Quartier Léopold'. It was noticed for its austere classical

Neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

facade inspired by

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was ins ...

Palazzo Farnese Palazzo Farnese () or Farnese Palace is one of the most important High Renaissance palaces in Rome. Owned by the Italian Republic, it was given to the French government in 1936 for a period of 99 years, and currently serves as the French emb ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (Romulus and Remus, legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg ...

. His rather sober classical approach was rare at that time when excessively decorated facades and interiors were much preferred . During his career he built a large number of private residences. Most of them were demolished during the 20th century. After Leopold II ascended the throne in 1865, Balat became his principal architect. Balat made a number of designs for the sumptuous reception rooms of the Royal Palace of Belgium such as the 'Throne Room', 'The Grand Staircase', and the 'Grande Galerie'. For this realisations he greatly followed the example of the French Royal residences. Balat realised the facade on the back of the palace and the facades of the courtyards. His design for the principal facade of the palace is deeply influenced by the work of the French architect

Ange-Jacques Gabriel Ange-Jacques Gabriel (23 October 1698 – 4 January 1782) was the principal architect of King Louis XV of France. His major works included the Place de la Concorde, the École Militaire, and the Petit Trianon and opera theater at the Palace of V ...

. It was not executed during Balat's lifetime and later completed in an altered form by

Henri Maquet Henri Maquet (30 August 1839 – 27 November 1909) was a Belgian architect, best known for his work for King Leopold II of Belgium. Born in Brussels, Maquet trained in Liege, at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, then worked i ...

. Balat died at

Ixelles ( French, ) or (Dutch, ), is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located to the south-east of Brussels' city centre, it is geographically bisected by the City of Brussels. It is also bordered by the muni ...

, aged 76, and was buried in the Laeken Cemetery.

Royal Greenhouses of Laeken

His most successful architectural project are the

Royal Greenhouses of Laeken The Royal Greenhouses of Laeken (french: Serres Royales de Laeken, nl, Koninklijke Serres van Laken) are a vast complex of monumental heated greenhouses in the park of the Royal Palace of Laeken (northern part of the City of Brussels), Belgiu ...

. It consists of a huge complex of several dome-shaped buildings in iron and glass that are connected by glass-roofed galleries. The centerpiece is the domed 'Grand Jardin d'hiver' which is a circular interpretation of the Palm House of the

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,100 ...

. Working with new materials like iron and glass, Balat was obliged to abandon his 'classical' stance. This stimulated the imagination of the architect. In the steel constructions he introduced decorative motifs derived from plants and flowers. This formed a first step towards

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

architecture that was further developed by

Victor Horta Victor Pierre Horta (; Victor, Baron Horta after 1932; 6 January 1861 – 8 September 1947) was a Belgian architect and designer, and one of the founders of the Art Nouveau movement. His Hôtel Tassel in Brussels, built in 1892–93, is often ...

who served as an apprentice of Balat.

Honours

* 1881: Grand Officer in the Order of Leopold. * 1862 : Member of the Royal Academie.Index biographique des membres et associés de l'Académie royale de Belgique (1769-2005)

Works

*For

: **

Royal Palace of Brussels The Royal Palace of Brussels (french: Palais royal de Bruxelles, , nl, Koninklijk Paleis van Brussel , german: Königlicher Palast von Brüssel) is the official palace of the King and Queen of the Belgians in the centre of the nation's capita ...

(1866–1874) : Grand Staircase, decoration of divers room, Throne Room, back facade, several projects for the principal facade. **

Royal Castle of Laeken The Palace of Laeken or Castle of Laeken (french: Château de Laeken, nl, Kasteel van Laken, german: Schloss zu Laeken) is the official residence of the King of the Belgians and the Belgian Royal Family. It lies in the Brussels-Capital Regi ...

: manège (1873–1874), new entrance gate (1879–1880), restoration after the fire (1890) **

(1874–1890) **

Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (french: Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, nl, Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten van België) are a group of art museums in Brussels, Belgium. They include six museums: the Oldmasters Mus ...

(1875–1880), rue de la Régence/Regentschapsstraat,

. ** Royal Castle of Ardenne (near

Houyet Houyet () is a municipality of Wallonia in the province of Namur, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 4,485 inhabitants. The total area is 122.31 km², giving a population density of 37 inhabitants per km². The municipality co ...

), later converted into a luxury hotel. (1874-) ** Royal Castle of Ciergnon (near

). ** Project for a 'Panthéon National', in

Koekelberg Koekelberg (, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-western part of the region, it is bordered by Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Ganshoren, Jette and Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. In common with al ...

(1880 - not realised), (colossal ionic temple) ** Facade of the Royal Castle of Ciergnon (1880) ** Project for the 'Montagne de la Cour', today called 'Mont des Arts'/'Kunstberg' in

(1882, not realised) *For other private patrons: ** Transformations on the Castle of Jehay-Bodegnée ** Castle of Warfusée in

Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse (, literally ''Saint-Georges on Meuse''; wa, Sint-Djôr-so-Mouze) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse had a total population of 6,613. The ...

: facade in

Louis XV of France Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached ...

style and interior decoration (1840) ** Château Saint-Marc, near

: facade ** Château de Seilles-lez-Andenne ** Castle of : exterior renovation. ** Château de Presles (1855) ** Gentilhommière à Dave (1858) ** Palace of Charles Vander Noot, Marquess of Assche, rue de la Science, 33 (today square Frère Orban)

(1856–1858) ** Transformation of the Opheylissem abbey into a 'château de plaisance' (dome)(1870) ** Reconstruction of the Castle of Freÿr after the fire (since 1875) ** Transformations on the Castle of Mirwart *Other projects: ** Festive decoration of the salle de la Madeleine in

(1848) ** Festive decoration of the 'salle du palais ducal' in

(1851) and (1856). ** 'Victoria Regia' greenhouse in the Zoo of Brussels (

Leopold Park Leopold Park (french: Parc Léopold, ; nl, Leopoldspark) is a public park of located within the Leopold Quarter ( European Quarter) of Brussels, Belgium. It is adjacent to the Paul-Henri Spaak building, the seat of the European Parliament. I ...

). Moved to the National Botanic Garden of Belgium in

Meise Meise () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Meise proper and Wolvertem (a ''deelgemeente''), and, several smaller villages like Sint-Brixius-Rode, Oppem, Meusegem, Impde/ ...

. (

Bouchout Castle Bouchout Castle ( nl, Kasteel van Bouchout, ; french: Château de Bouchout, ) is a castle in the Flemish town of Meise, Belgium. In the 12th century, this territory of the young Duchy of Brabant was strategically positioned between the County ...

)

Gallery

Bibliography

* Bordiau, G., ''Notice sur Alphonse Balat'', in ''Annuaire de l'Académie Royale des Sciences des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique'', Brussels, 1903, pp. 129–148. * Clément, J., ''Alphonse Balat. Architecte du roi (1819-1895)'', Palais des Académies, Brussels, 1956. * Martiny, V.G., 'Balat, Alphonse' in ''Biographie nationale', Brussels, 1971, kol. 15–18. * ''Poelaert en zijn tijd''/''Poelaert et son temps'' (exhib. cat.), Gemeentekrediet/Crédit communal, Brussels, 1980, pp. 199–209. * Vandeweerdt, Dirk, ''Kunstgeschiedenis, architectuur en beeldhouwkunst'', deel 6 in ''Culturele Geschiedenis van Vlaanderen'', Baert, s.l., 1980. * Goedleven, E., Fornari, B. en Vandenbreeden, J., ''De Koninklijke Serres van Laken'', Lannoo, Tielt, 1988. * Smets, Irène, ''De Koninklijke Serres te Laken'', Ludion, Ghent, 2001.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balat, Alphonse 1818 births 1895 deaths Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp) alumni Members of the Royal Academy of Belgium Burials at Laeken Cemetery 19th-century Belgian architects