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Les Oeuvres D'Architecture D'Anthoine Le Pautre Architecte ordinaire du Roy Avec privilege de Sa Majesté

RA Collection: Book

Record number

03/2763

Variant Title

Desseins de plusieurs Palais Plans & Elevations en Perspective Geometrique

Imprint

A Paris: Chez Iombert, prés les Augustins A L'image Nostre Dame., [between 1697 and 1700?]

Physical Description

38 p., [1] leaf, [62] pl. (incl. 2 engr. t.-pl., frontis., port.); 364 mm. (Folio).

General Note

All the plates are double, except pl. [30-33]. The additional leaf carries a letter-press dedication printed as if it were a double plate. Page 26 is misnumbered as '36'.

Contents

[Engr. t.-pl., frontis., dedic., port.] - Discours Premier; [pl. [4-10]] - Discours Second; [pl. [11-17]] - Discours Troisieme; [pl. [18-24]] - Discours Quatrieme; [pl. [25-33]] - Discours Cinquieme [pl. [34-38] - [T.pl. of 'Seconde partie'] - Discours Sixieme; [pl. [40-51]] - Discours Septieme; [pl. [52-56]] - Discours Huitieme; Extrait Du Privilege Du Roy; [pl. [57-62].

Responsibility Note

The text of this edition is usually attributed to Augustin-Charles d'Aviler.

The title plate, frontispiece and portrait are unsigned. Almost all other plates are signed as 'Par Anthoine Le pautre Architecte du Roy Avec Privilege' (the title-plate of the second part describes the drawings as 'inventés' by Le Pautre). Two plates have, instead, the imprint of Jombert (43, 48); seven have simply the words 'Avec privlilege' (14, 34,-36, 50, 51, 62); eight have no signature or imprint (16, 17, 23, 24, 30-33). The etching of the plans has been attributed to Jan Marot and that of the elevations to Jean Le Pautre (see Destailleur, Notices, p. 82; Nagler, Künstler-Lexicon, XI, p. 30). The portrait of Le Pautre is said to have been engraved by Robert Nanteuil, and its frame and background by Jean Le Pautre (Nagler, Künstler-Lexicon, X, p. 122 no. 145, XI, p. 30).

The book is dedicated by the publisher, Jombert, to the Prince de Conty.

References

RIBA, Early printed books, 2 (1995), no. 1831; National Gallery (Washington), Mark J. Millard, I (1993), no. 96; Bibliothèque Nationale, Bibliothèque Nationale Inventaire du fonds français Graveurs du XVIIe siècle Tome 11 Antoine Lepautre, Jacques Lepautre et Jean Lepautre ... par Maxime Préaud (1993), nos. 3-61, p.14-34; Johns Hopkins University, The Fowler Architectural Collection (1961), no. 181, p.150-1; Destailleur, Notices (Paris, 1863), p. 82-3.

J. M. Thiveaud, Antoine Le Pautre (1621-1679) [dissertation] (Paris, 1970); R.W. Berger, Antoine Le Pautre: a French architect of the era of Louis XIV (1969).

Summary Note

A second title is engraved beneath the portrait of Le Pautre: 'Desseins de plusieurs Palais Plans & Elevations en Perspective Geometrique, Ensemble les profiles Elevez sur les Plans'. That is the title under which the work was originally published in 1652. The present edition incorporates plates from two undated publications describing the hôtel de Fontenay-Mareuille and the Eglise du Port-Royal.

Each Discours describes, and shows plans, sections, elevations etc. of, a particular project: 1. 'Une maison de plaisance'; 2. 'Une retraite'; 3. A town 'hôtel'; 4. 'Maison de campagne'; 5. Proposed enlargement of Hotel de Fontenay-Mareuil (later, de Gesvres); 6. 'Hôtel d'un personne de qualité'; 7. Riverside château; 8. Church of Port-Royal (with one unrelated plate showing a siege led by the Prince de Conti).

The author's designs exemplify an Italianising baroque style. One of the designs shown here is thought to have influenced Bernini's first design for the east front of the Louvre; others were adopted by the 18th-century architects G. Boffrand and C.N. Ledoux.

Reproductions

A facsimile reprint was published in 1966 (Farnborough, UK: Gregg Press).

Provenance

Purchased for the Academy in October 1769 by its first Professor of Architecture, Thomas Sandby (see Dance and Tyler's Account book).

Copy Note

Inscribed in ink on front endpaper in an unidentified hand, '2 parts complete'.

Binding Note

18th-century mottled calf; rebacked in 1996, gilt-tooled spine, brown morocco spine-label lettered 'Archit De La Pautre'.

Name as Subject

Subject

Architecture - Architecture, French - Palaces - Houses - Country-houses - Monasteries - Churches - France - Monastère du Port-Royal (Paris) - Hôtel de Fontenay-Mareuil (Paris) - History - 17th century - Baroque
Plans - Elevations - Sections - France - 17th century
Pictorial works - France - 17th century

Contributors