Belgique - Brabant wallon - Panorama de la bataille de Waterloo - 03

The Panorama of the Battle of Waterloo (french: Panorama de la Bataille de Waterloo) is a rotunda in Belgium that houses a monumental panoramic painting depicting the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

. The neoclassical building is located immediately to the north of the Lion's Mound on the battlefield of the Battle of Waterloo in the municipality of

Braine-l'Alleud Braine-l'Alleud (; nl, Eigenbrakel ; wa, Brinne-l'-Alou) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium, about south of Brussels. The municipality consists of the following districts: Braine-l'Alleud (includ ...

in the Belgian province of

Walloon Brabant Walloon Brabant (french: Brabant wallon ; nl, Waals-Brabant ; wa, Roman Payis) is a province located in Belgium's French-speaking region of Wallonia. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the province of Flemish Brabant (Flemish Region) and ...

Design

The rotunda was designed by the architect in 1911. It has an external diameter of and stands high, with a conical roof. The white painted brick walls of the rotunda are decorated with recessed blind arches separated by Ionic pilasters, and crowned with parapet with a frieze of

palmette The palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. It has a far-reaching history, originating in ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art o ...

s. The entrance porch has two pairs of Tuscan columns supporting a triangular pediment. The rotunda houses an oil-on-canvas painting completed by French artist Louis Dumoulin in 1912, with 14 canvas panels sewn together to create a cylinder approximately in circumference and high. It is lit from above by a ring of glazing around the edge of the conical roof and is viewed from a high platform at the centre of the rotunda. The painting depicts several different episodes from the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, concentrating on charges by French cavalry. Physical elements in front of the painting, including cut-out figures, fences and bodies made of plaster and

papier mache Papier may refer to : *paper in French, Dutch, Afrikaans, Polish or German, word that can be found in the following expressions: **Papier-mâché, a construction material made of pieces of paper stuck together using a wet paste **Papier collé, a p ...

, disguise the lower edge of the painting and enhance its immersive quality. The building and the painting were protected as historical monuments in 1998. In 2008 the Belgian government proposed that the panorama should be included within a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

listing. The Waterloo Panorama is one of few original panoramas that have survived and which are still exhibited in their original location. Other panoramas of the Battle of Waterloo, by Charles Verlat,

Paul Philippoteaux Paul Dominique Philippoteaux (27 January 1846 – 28 June 1923) was a French artist. He is best known for a cyclorama illustrating the Battle of Gettysburg. Life and career Paul Philippoteaux was born in Paris, the son of the French artist ...

and have been lost. File:Waterloo panorama museum.JPG, The rotunda as seen from the Lion's Mound. File:Panorama de la Bataille de Waterloo 02.JPG, The entrance. File:Belgium-6745C - Marshal Ney (14154954584).jpg, Painting detail:

Marshal Ney Michel Ney, 1st Duke of Elchingen, 1st Prince of the Moskva (; 10 January 1769 – 7 December 1815), was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one o ...

of France leading a charge. File:Belgium-6756 - Duke of Wellington - back right (14152047342).jpg, Painting detail: the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish soldier and Tories (British political party), Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of Uni ...

and his staff (top right) sheltering from French

cuirassier Cuirassiers (; ) were cavalry equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as men-at-arms and demi-lancers, discarding their lances and adop ...

s in a square of Highland infantry.

References

* ''Based on a translation of the French article''
Le Panorama de la Bataille de Waterloo, exemple particulièrement significatif de « Phénomène de Panoramas »
UNESCO submission, 8 April 2008 {{coord, 50, 40, 45, N, 4, 24, 19, E, display=title, region:BE_type:landmark Waterloo Battlefield locations Buildings and structures in Walloon Brabant Cycloramas 1912 paintings Waterloo campaign in paintings Buildings and structures completed in 1911 Neoclassical architecture in Belgium Rotundas in Europe Braine-l'Alleud Horses in art

Design

See also

References