Gilles-Marie Oppenordt (27 July 1672 – 13 March 1742) was a celebrated French designer at the ''
Bâtiments du Roi
The Bâtiments du Roi (, "King's Buildings") was a division of the Maison du Roi ("King's Household") in France under the Ancien Régime. It was responsible for building works at the King's residences in and around Paris.
History
The Bâtiments ...
'', the French royal works, and one of the initiators of the
Rocaille
Rocaille ( , ) was a French style of exuberant decoration, with an abundance of curves, counter-curves, undulations and elements modeled on nature, that appeared in furniture and interior decoration during the early reign of Louis XV of France. ...
and
Rococo
Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...
styles, nicknamed "the French Borromini".
[Gietmann 1911.] He specialized in interior architecture and decoration, though he has been connected with the furniture of
Charles Cressent. His surname has also been spelled Oppenord and Oppenort.
Biography
Gilles-Marie Oppenordt was born in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
. His father Alexandre-Jean Oppenord (1639–1713) was an ''
ébéniste
''Ébéniste'' () is a loanword (from French) for a cabinet-maker, particularly one who works in ebony.
Etymology and ambiguities
As opposed to ''ébéniste'', the term ''menuisier'' denotes a woodcarver or chairmaker in French. The English equiva ...
'', born Cander-Johan Oppen Oordt at
Guelders, one of numerous
cabinet-makers from the
Low Countries
The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...
who were drawn to Paris by the opportunity of
patronage; the elder Oppenord was naturalized in 1679, when he was a ''menuisier en ebène'' ("furniture-maker in
ebony
Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when ...
") at the
Manufacture Royale des Gobelins; in 1684 the elder Oppenord was appointed an ''ébéniste du Roi'', with official lodgings in the
Galeries du 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 ...
that had been perquisites in the royal gift of outstanding craftsmen in the luxury trades since the time of king
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 ...
.
![Gilles-Marie Oppenord - Elevation of a Writing Desk - Google Art Project](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Gilles-Marie_Oppenord_-_Elevation_of_a_Writing_Desk_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
As a boy Gilles-Marie Oppenord was trained in the studio of
Jules Hardouin-Mansart and was sent in 1692 to study as a royal pensioner in Rome for eight years, where he largely ignored the remains of
Classical Antiquity
Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...
and spent his time instead sketching the Baroque sculptural ornaments of the preceding generations, principally those carried out under
Bernini and
Borromini, and in northern Italy the ornament of
Mannerist
Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Ita ...
architects like
Pirro Ligorio
Pirro Ligorio ( October 30, 1583) was an Italian architect, painter, antiquarian, and garden designer during the Renaissance period. He worked as the Vatican's Papal Architect under Popes Paul IV and Pius IV, designed the fountains at Villa d’ ...
. Three notebooks of his youthful drawings survive.
On his return to France in 1699 he failed to secure a post in the ''Bâtiments du Roi''. His only known early commissions, for the high altar (demolished) for
Saint Germain des Prés
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...
, Paris and that of
Saint-Sulpice (1704), gained for him the favour of the
duc d'Orléans, soon to become Regent: in the year his father died (1713) he was listed as ''premier architecte'' of the duke. He remained an outsider, never taken into the Académie, but found private commissions, such as the engravings of the collection of the sculptor
François Girardon
François Girardon (10 March 1628 – 1 September 1715) was a French sculptor of the Louis XIV style or French Baroque, best known for his statues and busts of Louis XIV and for his statuary in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles.
Biograph ...
(1710) while he added to his notebooks details of the most advanced recent French decorations, gaining fluency in the French idiom.
Oppenordt, along with designers working officially for
Robert de Cotte, developed the voluptuous
rocaille
Rocaille ( , ) was a French style of exuberant decoration, with an abundance of curves, counter-curves, undulations and elements modeled on nature, that appeared in furniture and interior decoration during the early reign of Louis XV of France. ...
border and shell ornamentation, founded on the Italian
Grotesque
Since at least the 18th century (in French and German as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...
, that had been developed by
Jean Bérain. His earliest known commission to design interiors was at the
Hôtel de Pomponne in Place des Victoires, Paris (1714).
[Dell 1992.] He was entrusted with the restoration and decoration of the Château de
Villers Cotterets, for the reception of the king after his anointing at
Reims (1723). In the
Palais Royal
The Palais-Royal () is a former royal palace located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. The screened entrance court faces the Place du Palais-Royal, opposite the Louvre. Originally called the Palais-Cardinal, it was built for Cardinal R ...
and the
Hôtel du Grand Prieur de France he proved himself an elegant decorator. In 1721 the continuation of the work on Saint-Sulpice was transferred to him. He had already built (in 1710) the chapel of St. John the Baptist in the
cathedral of Amiens
, image = 0 Amiens - Cathédrale Notre-Dame (1).JPG
, imagesize = 200px
, img capt = Amiens Cathedral
, pushpin map = France
, pushpin label position = below
, coordinates =
, country ...
and earlier the
Dominican novitiate church in Paris.
He also possessed unusual talent as a
draughtsman.
[ Two books of his engraved designs were published, called by connoisseurs the ''Grand Oppenord'' and the ''Petit Oppenord''. In his ''Dessins, couronnements et amortissements convenables pour dessus de porte etc.,'' ]Gabriel Huquier
Gabriel Huquier (1695–1772) was an entrepreneurial French draughtsman, engraver, printmaker, publisher, and art collector, who became a pivotal figure in the production of French 18th-century ornamental etchings and engravings
Biography
Huqu ...
engraved many of Oppenordt's designs.
He died in Paris in 1742.
Notes
Bibliography
* Bédard, Jean-François (2009). "Political Renewal and Architectural Revival during the French Regency: Oppenord's Palais- Royal", ''Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians
The ''Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians'' () is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by the University of California Press on behalf of the Society of Architectural Historians. It was established in 1941 as the '' ...
'', vol. 68, no. 1 (March), pp. 30-51. .
* Connors, Joseph (1996). "Borromini in Oppenord's Sketchbooks", in ''Ars naturam adiuvans. Festschrift für Matthias Winner''. Mainz am Rhein: Philipp von Zabern, pp. 598-612.
* Dee, Elaine Evans (1996). "Oppenord ppenordt Gilles-Marie", vol. 23, pp. 457–459, in ''The Dictionary of Art'', 34 volumes, edited by Jane Turner, reprinted with minor corrections in 1998. New York: Grove. . Also a
Oxford Art Online
(bibliography updated 15 July 2008; subscription required).
* Dell, Theodore (1992). ''The Frick Collection: V. Furniture. Italian & French''. New York. .
* Destailleur, Hippolyte (1863). ''Recueil d'estampes''. Paris. Idem, ''Notices sur quelques artistes français'' Paris
Copy
at the Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
.
* Gietmann, Gerhard (1911)
"Oppenordt (Oppenord), Gilles-Marie", vol. 11, pp. 261–262
in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia
The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...
''. New York: The Encyclopedia Press.
* Kimball, Fiske (1943). ''The Creation of the Rococo''. Philadelphia Museum of Art. . 1980 Dover reprint: .
* Lance, Adolphe (1873)
"Oppenordt ou Oppen Oordt (Gilles-Marie)", vol. 2., pp. 173–174
in ''Dictionnaire des architectes français'', 2 volumes. Paris: Morel. Vol
1
an
2
at the Internet Archive.
External links
''Livre de fragments d'architectures recüeilis et dessinés à Rome...''
('Petit Oppenord') at Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
* ''Oeuvres de Gille Marie Oppenord...''
vol. 1
('Grand Oppenord')
vol. 2
('Petit et Moyen Oppenord') at INHA (Institut national d'histoire de l'art)
Works
a
Open Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oppenordt, Gilles-Marie
1672 births
1742 deaths
18th-century French architects
Rococo architects
Artists from Paris
French interior designers
French Baroque architects
Catholic decorative artists