In tracing the evolution of the Louvre from fortress to palace and of Versailles from hunting domain to dynastic capital, Dr Tadgells detailed architectural analysis of many projects external and internal, realised and unrealised is set in the context of the development of the medieval monarchy towards absolutism, of the development of the medieval chāteau towards precedents for the seat of absolutism, and of the effect of the French monarchys financial incontinence on the realisation of royal building ambitions.
In particular, Tadgell challenges received opinion on the introduction of Hispano-Burgundian court etiquette to French palace design, relates the court front of Lescots Renaissance Louvre to the iconography of apotheosis, revises the current ordering of Franēois Mansarts designs for the Louvre and reassesses the subsequent contribution of Claude Perrault to the completion of the east front in respect for the opinion of 17th and 18th century commentators. After surveying the various phases of work for Louis XIV at Versailles, he traces the evolution of Ange-Jacques Gabriels grand projet for rebuilding the town side of the palace for Louis XV, noting the influence of Bernini on the definitive phase, and he masters the intricacies of the incessant changes to the royal apartments which inhibited rebuilding.
Finally, the book looks at the influence of the great French palaces on those seeking to emulate their ambition, from Stockholm in the late-17th century to the deliriously opulent late-19th century palace of Ludwig II of Bavaria at Herrenchiemsee. A wealth of illustrative material and supporting documents bring this comprehensive and authoritative text to life.
The Louvre: from round tower to square court over half a millennium
1.
Inception 21 1.1. Apogee of the Valois 1.2. To the palace with Lescot 1.3.
Valois valediction
2. Expansion 2.1. Introduction: Advent of the Bourbons
2.2. Back to the palace with Lemercier: expansion eclipsed 2.3. L ouis XIV
and Mazarin 2.4. Back to the palace with Le Vau: expansion regained
3.
Resolution 3.1. Self-assertive king and minister 3.2. Colbert and the palace
3.3. Amplification 3.4. Prototype achieved Versailles: transformations of a
hunting lodge across two reigns
1. Inception and development for Louis XIV
1.1. The pursuit of gloire 1.2. The palace of Le Vau and Le Brun: envelopment
1.3. Pursuit of gloire renewed 1.4. The palace of Le Brun and
Hardouin-Mansart: expansion 1.5. Marly 1.6. After Colbert: gloire sullied
1.7. Retreat from magniloquence 1.8. Twilight of gloire 1.9. The final phase
of the old kings palace building
2. reformation and refinement for Louis xv
2.1. From profligate regency to personal rule 2.2. Sophisticated planning and
exotic decoration 2.3. Reviewed theory and reformed practice 2.4. Projects
for the palace 2.5. Return to the Louvre 2.6. Towards the definitive grand
projet 2.7. Diversion to Trianon again 2.8. Back to the palace 2.9.
Resolution of the grand projet Epilogue les siecles de Louis XIV Index
Christopher Tadgell studied art history at the Courtauld Institute in London and in 1974 was awarded his PhD for his thesis on Ange-Jacques Gabriel, principal architect to Louis XV of France. For three decades from the early 1970s he developed the comprehensive survey course in architectural history for the Canterbury School of Architecture beginning with revision of the prevailing Eurocentric scope to embrace Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic traditions. Throughout this time French Classical architecture continued to be his main research field but his work on India was the outcome of a life-long fascination with the subcontinent and the perceived need for a one-volume account of its complex architectural history accessible to students. He has lectured on both French and Indian subjects in London and Cambridge and in the United States at Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, Brown, Charlottesville, Louisville (where he was F.L. Morgan Professor of Architectural Design in 1985) and Princeton (where he is a Member of the Institute for Advanced Study).
His several publications on French architecture began with the standard account in Baroque and Rococo Architecture and Decoration (ed. Blunt, London 1978). His seven-volume series Architecture in Context is an unmatched survey of the seminal architectural traditions from the earliest times to the end of the 20th century: French architecture features prominently in all four volumes covering the sequential periods from the early Middle Ages. In particular, moreover, he has contributed articles on French architecture to The Grove Dictionary of Art and other major reference books, including the most recent revision of Sir Banister Fletchers Global History of Architecture.
