Gabriel-Auguste Ancelet (21 December 1829 – 3 August 1895) was a French architect who undertook various projects for the Emperor

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A neph ...

, and later taught for many years at the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centur ...

in Paris.

Birth and education

Gabriel-Auguste Ancelet was born in Paris on 21 December 1829. In 1845 he entered the studio of the architects Lequeux and Victor Baltard. From 1846 to 1851 he studied at the

. In 1848 he won a prize for his drawing of "a fountain for Algeria". He won the

Grand 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 ...

for architecture in 1851 on the subject of "a hospice in the Alps". Ancelet was a scholar resident at the

Villa Medici The Villa Medici () is a Mannerist villa and an architectural complex with a garden contiguous with the larger Borghese gardens, on the Pincian Hill next to Trinità dei Monti in Rome, Italy. The Villa Medici, founded by Ferdinando I de' Medici, ...

between 1852 and 1855. In 1853 he drew a "Restoration of the decor of the porch of Macellum in Pompeii", making great efforts to accurately reproduce both the form and the colors of this unusual interior decoration. He drew reconstructions of the

Appian Way The Appian Way ( Latin and Italian: ''Via Appia'') is one of the earliest and strategically most important Roman roads of the ancient republic. It connected Rome to Brindisi, in southeast Italy. Its importance is indicated by its common name ...

, a military road built in 312 BC between Rome and Capua, drawing on the work of the archaeologist

Luigi Canina Luigi Canina (Casale Monferrato, 1795 – Florence, 1856) was an Italian archaeologist and architect. Luigi Canina, Italian architect and archeologist, was born in Casale Monferrato in 1795 and died in Florence in 1856. He was a pupil of Ferdin ...

and other sources. Since few remains of the buildings have been preserved, he was forced to draw on his imagination in depicting "an idea of the sumptuous and monumental characteristics that the road must have had." His work on the Appian Way was presented at the

Exposition universelle (1867) The International Exposition of 1867 (french: Exposition universelle 'art et d'industriede 1867), was the second world's fair to be held in Paris, from 1 April to 3 November 1867. A number of nations were represented at the fair. Following a dec ...

, where he won a gold medal.

Career

After his return to France, Ancelet worked at the National Archives and the Arsenal Library. In 1857 he was made auditor to the Board of civilian buildings. In 1858 he directed construction of the Natoire gallery at the

Château de Compiègne The Château de Compiègne is a French château, a royal residence built for Louis XV and restored by Napoleon. Compiègne was one of three seats of royal government, the others being Versailles and Fontainebleau. It is located in Compiègne ...

. In January 1858 he was appointed architect for the Château de Pau, where he replaced Louis-Auguste Couvrechef, and for the summer residence of Villa Eugénie in

Biarritz Biarritz ( , , , ; Basque also ; oc, Biàrritz ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spa ...

. At Pau his main concern was to replace the main entrance and the chancellery wing of the building so as to make a lighter and more visually appealing facade. He erected several buildings in Biarritz. Ancelet was responsible for reconstruction of the Empress's Castillo de Arteaga near

Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao , pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe , pushpin_map_caption ...

in the province of

Biscay Biscay (; eu, Bizkaia ; es, Vizcaya ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao. ...

in Spain, which Couvrechef had started. This was a medieval castle surrounded by four walls with round towers. He undertook reconstruction of the castle in 1859. The project involved building kitchens on the ground floor, a salon and dining room on the first floor, an antechamber and apartments for the imperial couple on the next floor and rooms at the top for the staff. Ancelet designed all the decorations. In 1859 Ancelet was charged with restoring and enlarging the church at Vieux-Moulin, near

Compiègne Compiègne (; pcd, Compiène) is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. It is located on the river Oise. Its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois''. Administration Compiègne is the seat of two cantons: * Compiègne-1 (with ...

. He added a new aisle, sacristy and bell tower. Ancelet was replaced as architect at Pau by

Auguste Lafollye Joseph-Auguste Lafollye (1828-1891) was a French architect. He is known for his restoration of the Château de Pau and other major public buildings. Career Joseph-Auguste Lafollye was born in 1828. He studied architecture at the school of archi ...

in 1864. In 1865 he became the architect of the

. He married Isabelle Foucher, daughter of

Paul Foucher Paul-Henri Foucher (21 April 1810 – 24 January 1875) was a French playwright, theatre and music critic, political journalist, and novelist. Biography Early career Foucher was born in Paris and began his career as an employee in the offices of t ...

, brother-in-law of

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

. In 1866, at the request of the Emperor

, he began design and construction of a new theater for the Château de Compiègne. Construction of the theater was halted in 1870 because of the Franco-Prussian War. Although he did not see the Théâtre Imperial completed, it remains a building of considerable architectural interest, with an ingenious use of metal for the higher parts of the building, a large stage opening and exceptional acoustics. In 1872, Ancelet was named architect of the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts. He became professor of ornamental design at the

in Paris in 1873. In 1892 he was elected a member of the Institute after the death of Antoine-Nicolas Bailly, charged with teaching ''"trois arts"'' at the École des Beaux-Arts. He died on 3 August 1895 in Paris.

Principal works

*1858-1864: Château de Pau renovations *1858-1864: Completion of construction of the Villa Eugénie and related buildings *1859: Castillo de Arteaga reconstruction *1859: Restoration and enlargement of the church at Vieux-Moulin *1865: Château de Compiègne improvements *1867-1891: New theater for the Château de Compiègne *Enlargement of the École des Arts et Métiers, Paris

References

Citations Sources * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ancelet, Gabriel-Auguste 1829 births 1895 deaths 19th-century French architects Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Architects from Paris