Paris
Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
– 4 December 1772) was a French architect. He and
Pierre Contant d'Ivry
Pierre Contant d'Ivry (11 May 1698 in Ivry-sur-Seine – 1 October 1777 in Paris), was a French architect and designer working in a chaste and sober Rococo style and in the ''goût grec'' phase of early Neoclassicism.
Early career
An ''Architecte ...
were among the most eminent Parisian architects of the day and designed in both the restrained French
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, ...
manner, known as the "
Louis XV style
The Louis XV style or ''Louis Quinze'' (, ) is a style of architecture and decorative arts which appeared during the reign of Louis XV. From 1710 until about 1730, a period known as the Régence, it was largely an extension of the Louis XIV style ...
" and in the ''"
Goût grec
The French term ''goût grec'' (; "Greek taste") is often applied to the earliest expression of the Neoclassical style in France and refers specifically to the decorative arts and architecture of the mid-1750s to the late 1760s. The style was more ...
"'' (literally "Greek taste") phase of early
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism was ...
Académie royale d'architecture
The Académie Royale d'Architecture (; en, "Royal Academy of Architecture") was a French learned society founded in 1671. It had a leading role in influencing architectural theory and education, not only in France, but throughout Europe and t ...
's very first
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 ...
with a study of a
triumphal arch
A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crow ...
. A skilled draughtsman, he illustrated several architectural treatises, such as Jean-Baptiste de Monicart's "Versailles immortalisé" (1720–1725) and Jean Mariette's "L’Architecture française" (1727). On the death of
Germain Boffrand
Germain Boffrand () (16 May 1667 – 19 March 1754) was a French architect. A pupil of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Germain Boffrand was one of the main creators of the precursor to Rococo called the '' style Régence'', and in his interiors, of the ...
in 1754, he became a member of the first rank of the Academie.
He and d'Ivray were tutors to
Claude Nicolas Ledoux
Claude-Nicolas Ledoux (21 March 1736 – 18 November 1806) was one of the earliest exponents of French Neoclassical architecture. He used his knowledge of architectural theory to design not only domestic architecture but also town planning; as ...
, whom they introduced to
Classical architecture
Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the works of the Roman architect V ...
, in particular the temples of
Paestum
Paestum ( , , ) was a major ancient Greek city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Magna Graecia (southern Italy). The ruins of Paestum are famous for their three ancient Greek temples in the Doric order, dating from about 550 to 450 BC, whic ...
.
In 1748 and 1753, he unsuccessfully submitted 4 projects for the future Place Louis XV (now
Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde () is one of the major public squares in Paris, France. Measuring in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.
...
), and in 1764 was not commissioned for the extension of the
Palais Bourbon
The Palais Bourbon () is the meeting place of the National Assembly, the lower legislative chamber of the French Parliament. It is located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, on the ''Rive Gauche'' of the Seine, across from the Place de la Concor ...
.
Works
Hôtels
He was more successful in establishing his reputation through his aristocratic clientele and adapted many existing
Paris
Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
ian hôtels to the modern taste, notably working on:
*hôtel Molé (also called hôtel de Roquelaure) (1741–1742), rue Saint-Dominique (today 246 boulevard Saint-Germain)
* hôtel de Béthune-Sully (also called hôtel de Lesdiguières) (1756–1757), rue Saint-Dominique (today 248 boulevard Saint-Germain)
*
Hôtel Perrinet de Jars
The Hôtel Perrinet de Jars is a listed hôtel particulier in Paris, France. It is located at 33 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in the 8th arrondissement of Paris.
History
The building was built during the 18th century. It has been listed as a mo ...
, 33 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré
*the
Pavillon de Hanovre
The Palais Berlitz, also known as Palais de Hanovre, is an office building built in Paris in the 1930s on a block formed by the Boulevard des Italiens, the , the and the rue du Hanovre.
It was built to replace the Pavillon de Hanovre, which w ...
for
Louis François Armand du Plessis, duc de Richelieu
Louis François Armand de Vignerot du Plessis, duc de Richelieu (; 13 March 1696 – 8 August 1788), was a French soldier, diplomat and politician, statesman. He joined the army and participated in three major wars. He eventually rose to the ra ...
,
Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1 ...
, commemorating his victories in Hanover, on rue Neuve-Saint-Augustin (deconstructed for the construction of the
Palais Berlitz
The Palais Berlitz, also known as Palais de Hanovre, is an office building built in Paris in the 1930s on a block formed by the Boulevard des Italiens, the , the and the rue du Hanovre.
It was built to replace the Pavillon de Hanovre, which w ...
on the
boulevard des Italiens
The boulevard des Italiens is a boulevard in Paris. It is one of the 'Grands Boulevards' in Paris, a chain of boulevards built through the former course of the Wall of Charles V and the Louis XIII Wall, which were destroyed by the orders of Loui ...
, and rebuilt in 1932 in the park of the
Château de Sceaux
The Château de Sceaux is a grand country house in Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, approximately from the centre of Paris, France. Located in a park laid out by André Le Nôtre, visitors can tour the house, outbuildings and gardens.
The Petit Château o ...
)
Country houses and gardens
He also built country houses around Paris, notably:
*the house and gardens of château de Champlâtreux (1751–1757) for Mathieu-François Molé, president of the Great Council, also designing the gardens
*the house of Château d'Arnouville at
Arnouville-lès-Gonesse
Arnouville () is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France.
Previously known as Arnouville-lès-Gonesse, the name was officially renamed to Arnouville on 11 July 2010.
Population
Education
Public primary s ...
(1751–57), for
Jean-Baptiste de Machault d'Arnouville
Jean-Baptiste de Machault d'Arnouville, comte d'Arnouville, seigneur de Garge et de Gonesse, was born in Paris on 13 December 1701 and died on 12 July 1794 in a French Revolutionary prison. He was a French statesman, son of Louis Charles Machault ...
, president of the Great Council, collaborating with d'Ivry
*the neo-classical house and gardens of Château de Petit-Bourg at Évry (1756) for
Germain Louis Chauvelin
Germain Louis Chauvelin (26 March 1685 – 1 April 1762, Paris), marquis de Grosbois, was a French politician, serving as garde des sceaux and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs under Louis XV.
Life
Germain Louis Chauvelin came from a family ...
, president of the Great Council, destroyed 1944
*the gardens at Belœil (1754 and 1760) for princes Claude Lamoral de Ligne and
Charles-Joseph de Ligne
Charles-Joseph Lamoral, 7th Prince de Ligne in French language, French; in German language, German Karl-Joseph Lamoral 7. Fürst von Ligne (also known as Karl Fürst von Ligne or ''Fürst de Ligne''): (23 May 1735 – 13 December 1814) was a Gen ...
*the gardens at
Orsay
Orsay () is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris.
A fortified location of the Chevreuse valley since the 8th centur ...
(1758–1764) for
Pierre Gaspard Marie Grimod d'Orsay
Pierre Gaspard Marie Grimod d'Orsay (14 December 1748 – 3 January 1809, Vienna), ''comte d'Orsay'', was a collector of sculptures, paintings and drawings (which were seized by the government in 1793 and donated to the Louvre).
Biography
He was ...
.
He may also have worked on the modernisation of the
Château of Thoiry
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 ...