Thomas Gobert (c. 1630 or 1640 – c. 1708) was a 17th-century French architect and engineer.

Biography

He is credited with the construction of the Trianon de Saint-Cloud, since transformed into the

pavillon de Breteuil The Pavillon de Breteuil is the headquarters of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). The building lies in the southeastern section of the Parc de Saint-Cloud in Saint-Cloud, France, to the west of Paris. It is listed in France ...

, in the parc of Saint-Cloud, begun in 1670 and completed in 1680. One of the ponds bears his name. He built the water supply network for the "lower gravity ponds" from Trappes, Arcy and Saclay to supply water to the park of the

Château de Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed ...

between 1678 and 1680. He erected the between 1684 and 1686 and built the ,

rue de l'Université ''Ruta graveolens'', commonly known as rue, common rue or herb-of-grace, is a species of ''Ruta'' grown as an ornamental plant and herb. It is native to the Balkan Peninsula. It is grown throughout the world in gardens, especially for its bluis ...

in Paris, at the end of the 17th century. He also made a bronze equestrian statue of Louis XIV, preserved in 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 ...

. He was also involved in the construction of the , in which he realized the southern chapels and the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

. For the latter, vaulted, high and bright, he showed architectural audacity by removing the 3rd pillar to replace it with an

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...

in the form of an , a rare, even unique, configuration in France. In 1699, Louis XIV appointed him a member of the

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 ...

, one of the seven first-class academicians. In 1662, he was married with Marie Delespine, sister of Nicolas II Delespine, of whom he had a son, Claude-Thomas Gobert, architect, whom he disinherited after his marriage which he did not approve.Mireille Rambaud, ''Documents du Minutier central concernant l'histoire de l'art (1700-1750)'', volume II,
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Publications

* Thomas Gobert, ''Traité pour la pratique des forces mouvantes, qui fait connoistre l'impossibilité du mouvement perpétuel par la nécessité de l'équilibre et une supputation de la pesanteur du globe de la terre, avec un moyen pour le soûtenir par démonstration : précedé d'un discours sur la certitude, l'etendue & l'utilité des mathematiques'', Jean-Baptiste Delespine, Paris, 170

* Thomas Gobert, ''Nouveau sistème sur la construction et les mouvemens du monde, avec une dissertation sur la ligne de niveau'', Jean-Baptiste Delespine, Paris, 170
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References

Bibliography

* Frédéric Tiberghien, ''Versailles. Le chantier de Louis XIV 1662-1715'', , éditions Perrin, Paris, 2002 *

Henry Lemonnier Joseph Henri Lemonnier (8 August 1842, Saint-Prix, Val-d'Oise, Saint-Prix - 17 May 1936, Paris) was a French art historian; the first to hold the chair of art history at the University of Paris, Sorbonne. Biography His father was André-Hipp ...

, W. Viennot, ''Procès-verbaux de l'Académie Royale d'Architecture, 1671-1793'', volume X ''Table générale'', ,

Armand Colin Armand Colin is a French publishing house founded in 1870 by Auguste Armand Colin. It specializes in publishing works concerning human sciences, economics and education. Among its best-known publications are the "U" collection begun in 1968, a ...

publisher, Paris, 192
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External links

Thomas Gobert
on Structurae

Thomas Gobert

Hôtel Gobert

Pavillon de Breteuil
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gobert, Thomas (architect) 17th-century French architects Members of the Académie royale d'architecture 17th-century births 1710s deaths Place of birth missing