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VauxleVicomtenearParis,byLouisLeVauandAndrLeNtre,1661

PalaisduLuxembourginParis,builtbetween1615and1620

FrenchBaroquearchitectureFromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

FrenchBaroquearchitectureisthenamegiventotheFrencharchitectureduringthereignsofLouisXIII(161043),LouisXIV(16431715)andLouisXV(171574).

FrenchBaroqueprofoundlyinfluenced18thcenturyseculararchitecturethroughoutEurope.Inparticular,thePalaceofVersaillesandthejardinlafranaisewerecopiedbyothercourtsalloverEurope.

Contents

1Seventeenthcentury2Eighteenthcentury3Gallery4Seealso5References

Seventeenthcentury

AlthoughtheopenthreewinglayoutofthepalacewasestablishedinFranceasthecanonicalsolutionasearlyasthe16thcentury,itwasthePalaisduLuxembourg(161520)bySalomondeBrossethatdeterminedthesoberandclassicizingdirectionthatFrenchBaroquearchitecturewastotake.Forthefirsttime,thecorpsdelogiswasemphasizedastherepresentativemainpartofthebuilding,whilethesidewingsweretreatedashierarchicallyinferiorandappropriatelyscaleddown.Themedievaltowerhasbeencompletelyreplacedbythecentralprojectionintheshapeofamonumentalthreestoreygateway.DeBrosse'smeldingoftraditionalFrenchelements(e.g.,loftymansardroofsandcomplexroofline)withsomeitalianatequotations(e.g.,ubiquitousrustication,derivedfromPalazzoPittiinFlorence)cametocharacterizetheLouisXIII

style.

ProbablythemostaccomplishedformulatorofthenewmannerwasFranoisMansart,atirelessperfectionistcreditedwithintroducingthefullBaroquetoFrance.InhisdesignforChteaudeMaisons(1642),Mansartsucceededinreconcilingacademicandbaroqueapproaches,whiledemonstratingrespectforthegothicinheritedidiosyncrasiesoftheFrenchtradition.MaisonsLaffitteillustratestheongoingtransitionfromthepostmedievalchateauxofthesixteenthcenturytothevillalikecountryhousesofthe

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ChteaudeMaisonsLaffittenearParis,byFranoisMansart,1642

PalaceofVersailles

LesInvalides,Paris,byJulesHardouinMansart,1676

eighteenth.Thestructureisstrictlysymmetrical,withanorderappliedtoeachstory,mostlyinpilasterform.Thefrontispiece,crownedwithaseparateaggrandizedroof,isinfusedwithremarkableplasticityandthewholeensemblereadslikeathreedimensionalwhole.Mansart'sstructuresarestrippedofoverblowndecorativeeffects,sotypicalofcontemporaryRome.ItalianBaroqueinfluenceismutedandrelegatedtothefieldofdecorativeornamentation.

ThenextstepinthedevelopmentofFrenchresidentialarchitectureinvolvedtheintegrationofthejardinlafranaiseinthecompositionofthepalace,asisexemplifiedbyVauxleVicomte(165661),wherethearchitectLouisLeVau,thedesignerCharlesLeBrunandthegardenerAndrLeNtrecomplementedeachother.Fromthemaincornicetoalowplinth,theminiaturepalaceisclothedinthesocalled"colossalorder",whichmakesthestructurelookmoreimpressive.ThecreativecollaborationofLeVauandLeNtremarkedthearrivalofthe"MagnificentManner"whichallowedtoextendBaroquearchitectureoutsidethepalacewallsandtransformthesurroundinglandscapeintoanimmaculatemosaicofexpansivevistas.

ThesamethreeartistsscaledthisconcepttomonumentalproportionsintheroyalhuntinglodgeandlatermainPalaceofVersailles(16611690).Onafargranderscale,thepalaceisahypertrophiedandsomewhatrepetitiveversionofVauxleVicomte.Itwasboththemostgrandioseandthemostimitatedresidentialbuildingofthe17thcentury.Mannheim,NordkirchenandDrottningholmwereamongmanyforeignresidencesforwhichVersaillesprovidedamodel.

ThefinalexpansionofVersailleswassuperintendedbyJules

HardouinMansart,whosekeydesignistheDomedesInvalides(16761706),generallyregardedasthemostimportantFrenchchurchofthecentury.HardouinMansartprofitedfromhisuncle'sinstructionandplanstoinstilltheedificewithanimperialgrandeurunprecedentedinthecountriesnorthofItaly.Themajestichemisphericaldomebalancesthevigorousverticalthrustoftheorders,whichdonotaccuratelyconveythestructureoftheinterior.TheyoungerarchitectnotonlyrevivedtheharmonyandbalanceassociatedwiththeworkoftheelderMansartbutalsosetthetoneforLateBaroqueFrencharchitecture,withitsgrandponderousnessandincreasingconcessionstoacademicism.

Eighteenthcentury

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TheRgenceandtheearlyreignofLouisXVsawareactionagainsttheofficialstylethathadbeenperfectedinHardouinMansart'sBtimentsduRoi,whichtooktheshapeoftherococo'smoredelicateandintimatemanner,largelylimitedtointeriorsandworksofdecorativearts.Thestyle,whichsoftenedthendissolvedarchitecturalelementsininteriors,waspioneeredbyNicolasPineau,whocollaboratedwithHardouinMansartontheinteriorsoftheroyalChteaudeMarly.FurtherelaboratedafterMansart'sdeathin1706byPierreLePautreandthen,moreforcefullybyGillesMarieOppendordtandJusteAurleMeissonnier,the"genrepittoresque"culminatedintheinteriorsofthePetitChteauatChantilly(c.1722)andGermainBoffrand'sinteriorsattheHteldeSoubiseinParis(c.1732),whereafashionableemphasisontheatectonicandcurvilinearwentbeyondallreasonablemeasure.Sculpture,paintings,furniture,andporcelaintendedtoovershadowarchitecturaldivisionsoftheinterior.TheclassicaltraditioninFrencharchitecturewasneveroverwhelmed,however,andthereactioninfavorofclassicismbeganasearlyasthe1740sintheAcadmie,intheatelierofGiovanniNiccolServandoniandamongtheyoungpensionnairesattheFrenchAcademyinRome.

Gallery

PalaceoftheInstitutdeFrance,Paris.

ChteaudeDampierrebyJulesHardouinMansart.

ChteaudeBeaumesnil,Eure.

Nancy,PlaceStanislas,E.Hr,17521760.jpg

InsideofthechurchofNotreDamedeBonsecoursinNancy,Lorraine.

NotreDamechurchinBordeaux.

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InsideoftheChapelofVersaillesPalace.

ValdeGrcechurchinParis.

ChteaudeVauxleVicomte,whichinspiredVersailles.

PalaisduLuxembourginParis.

PortaloftheCourCarre,LouvrePalace,Paris.

SaintRochchurchinParis.

GrandTrianoninVersailles.

PalaceofVersailles.

PalaisRohan,Strasbourg.

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ChoirofAuchCathedral,Auch,MidiPyrnes.

Seealso

FrenchBaroqueandClassicism

References

HenryA.Millon(ed.),TheTriumphoftheBaroque:ArchitectureinEurope,16001750(1999).FrdriqueLemerle&YvesPauwels,"BaroqueArchitecture",Flammarion,2008

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Categories: AncienRgimeFrencharchitecture BaroquearchitecturalstylesBaroquearchitecturebycountry Frencharchitecture Frencharchitecturebyperiod

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