Jean Baptiste Androuet du Cerceau (1544/47–1590) was a French
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 ...
who designed the
Pont Neuf
The Pont Neuf (, "New Bridge") is the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris, France. It stands by the western (downstream) point of the Île de la Cité, the island in the middle of the river that was, between 250 and 225 BC ...
(1579), spanning the Seine, Paris, and became supervisor of the royal works under
Henri III
Henry III (french: Henri III, né Alexandre Édouard; pl, Henryk Walezy; lt, Henrikas Valua; 19 September 1551 – 2 August 1589) was King of France from 1574 until his assassination in 1589, as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of ...
and
Henri IV
Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarc ...
, including the
Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
. Several ''hôtels particuliers'' are ascribed to him. The
Hôtel d'Angoulême, the Hôtel de Lamoignon (1584), which houses the Historical Library of the City of Paris, and the Hôtel de Mayenne (rue St-Antoine in the
Marais
Marais (, meaning "marsh") may refer to:
People
* Marais (given name)
* Marais (surname)
Other uses
* Le Marais, historic district of Paris
* Théâtre du Marais, the name of several theatres and theatrical troupes in Paris, France
* Marais (c ...
). The Hôtel de Mayenne, with rhythmically varied dormer windows set in a high slate roof, has the pediments of its
piano nobile
The ''piano nobile'' (Italian for "noble floor" or "noble level", also sometimes referred to by the corresponding French term, ''bel étage'') is the principal floor of a palazzo. This floor contains the main reception and bedrooms of the hou ...
windows superposed on the frieze above.
According to ''Benezit'', Reynaud presumed that
Paul Androuet du Cerceau, a French goldsmith and engraver, was Jean Baptiste's son, but Paul is now thought to be the grandson of
Jacques II Androuet du Cerceau.
[Miller 1998, p. 350.]
See also
*
Androuet du Cerceau for the family
References
Sources
* Baldus, Eduoard. Oeuvre de Jacques Androuet dit du Cerceau. Meubles. Paris; Edouard Baldus: c. 1880
* ''Benezit Dictionary of Artists'' (2006). Paris: Gründ. .
* Miller, Naomi (1996). "Du Cerceau. French family of artists.", vol. 9, pp. 350–354, in ''The Dictionary of Art'', edited by Jane Turner, reprinted with minor corrections in 1998. .
External links
George Goodall, "Besson and du Cerceau" 2005 Jacques I Androuet du Cerceau's partnership with designer and mechanician Jacques Besson
* Du Cerceau's Books on line: https://web.archive.org/web/20070420012058/http://www.cesr.univ-tours.fr/architectura/Traite/Auteur/Androuet_du_Cerceau.asp
{{DEFAULTSORT:Androuet Du Cerceau Family
16th-century French architects
Huguenots
1540s births
1590 deaths
Year of birth uncertain