Joseph-Louis Duc () (25 October 1802 – 22 January 1879) was a French architect. Duc came to prominence early, with his very well received work at the
July Column
The July Column (french: Colonne de Juillet) is a monumental column in Paris commemorating the Revolution of 1830. It stands in the center of the Place de la Bastille and celebrates the — the 'three glorious' days of 27–29 July 1830 tha ...
in Paris, and spent much of the rest of his career on a single building complex, the
Palais de Justice.
Biography
Born in Paris, Duc was educated at the
École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts
The Beaux-Arts de Paris is a French ''grande école'' whose primary mission is to provide high-level arts education and training. This is classical and historical School of Fine Arts in France. The art school, which is part of the Paris Science ...
in Paris, where he was a student of
Percier.
Duc took the
Prix de Rome
The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...
in 1825 for a design of a proposed Paris City Hall. During his three-year stay at the
Villa de Medici in Rome his associates there included
Félix Duban
Jacques Félix Duban () (14 October 1798, Paris – 8 October 1870, Bordeaux) was a French architect, the contemporary of Jacques Ignace Hittorff and Henri Labrouste.
Life and career
Duban won the Prix de Rome in 1823, the most prestigious aw ...
,
Henri Labrouste
Pierre-François-Henri Labrouste () (11 May 1801 – 24 June 1875) was a French architect from the famous École des Beaux-Arts school of architecture. After a six-year stay in Rome, Labrouste established an architectural training worksh ...
and
Léon Vaudoyer
Léon Vaudoyer () (7 June 1803 – 9 February 1872) was a French architect.
Biography
Vaudoyer was born in Paris, the son of architect Antoine Vaudoyer.
He was one of the "romantic" Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts architects influenced by ...
.
Upon his return from Rome Duc's first significant commission was the decoration for the
July Column
The July Column (french: Colonne de Juillet) is a monumental column in Paris commemorating the Revolution of 1830. It stands in the center of the Place de la Bastille and celebrates the — the 'three glorious' days of 27–29 July 1830 tha ...
, built from 1831 to 1840. Appointed as assistant to
Jean-Antoine Alavoine
Jean-Antoine Alavoine (4 January 1778 – 15 November 1834) was a French architect best known for his column in the Place de la Bastille, Paris (1831–1840), the July Column to memorialize those fallen in the Revolution of 1830. The column, cons ...
, Duc took over the entire project on Alavoine's death in 1834. The foundation of the column is Alavoine's work; the column itself is acknowledged as solely Duc's work.
Immediately after the dedication of the July Column in mid-1840, Duc was awarded the position of architect for the
Palais de Justice by the respected
Antoine Vaudoyer
Antoine-Laurent-Thomas Vaudoyer (21 December 1756, Paris - 27 May 1846, Paris) was a French architect. He was married to Alexandrine-Julie Lagrenée, daughter of the painter, Louis Jean François Lagrenée. Their son, Léon Vaudoyer, Léon, was a ...
, member of the
Institut de France
The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute m ...
and father of Duc's friend, Léon. With the appointment Duc simultaneously was made a Knight of the
Legion of Honor
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
. Duc would spend his remaining thirty-nine years renovating and extending the Palais de Justice, for instance designing the
Cour de Cassation
A court of cassation is a high-instance court that exists in some judicial systems. Courts of cassation do not re-examine the facts of a case, they only interpret the relevant law. In this they are appellate courts of the highest instance. In th ...
. Almost completed at the time of the
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871.
During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...
, the complex was burned on 24 May 1871 and partially destroyed.
Duc's other commissions, though rare, include the 1862 chapel of the small college Louis-le-Grand, now the Lycée Michelet, in
Vanves
Vanves () is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe and the tenth in France
History
On 1 January 1860, the city of Paris w ...
.
Duc received the
Royal Gold Medal
The Royal Gold Medal for architecture is awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects on behalf of the British monarch, in recognition of an individual's or group's substantial contribution to international architecture. It is g ...
from the
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
in 1867, was elevated to Commander of the
Legion of Honor
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
,
[''Transactions'' of the Royal Institute of British Architects, page 210] and was elected to the
Académie des beaux-arts
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, ...
in 1879. He is buried at
Montmartre Cemetery
The Cemetery of Montmartre (french: link=no, Cimetière de Montmartre) is a cemetery in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, France, that dates to the early 19th century. Officially known as the Cimetière du Nord, it is the third largest necropolis ...
.
References
list of commissions on Structurae
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duc, Joseph-Louis
1802 births
1879 deaths
19th-century French architects
École des Beaux-Arts alumni
Prix de Rome for architecture
Burials at Montmartre Cemetery
Members of the Académie des beaux-arts
Architects from Paris
Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur