Jules Hardouin Mansart, the architect of Louis XIV

That says "Attic" think Jules Hardouin-Mansart! yes and no. This little mystery will be explained later, but first we look on this "big boss of the architecture of the Sun King," of course vilified by St. Simon, but the cause of administrative buildings like the facade of the Hotel Lyon City, castles such as that of Dampierre, religious buildings like the church Saint Roch in Paris and Versailles, of course.

Hardouin-Mansart architect builder

Jules Hardouin was born in April 1646 in Paris. Family of painters and sculptors, from Beauvais, moved to the capital at the time of Henry IV. Thanks to his mother who is the niece of François Mansart (1598-1666), architect under Louis XIII, Jules, seventh child, learned painting, and is collected by the great uncle who teaches him the art of architecture. With the master Liberal Bruant, he participated in various projects, such as the Hotel de Conde in Paris and the Hotel Vendome, construction on which it is presented to Louis XIV. On the death of this uncle, he added his name to his name is ... and then Jules Hardouin-Mansart! The inventor of the attic? No!

The term "attic" of sixteenth century date. Paris was growing constantly growing number of people to want to stay, Pierre Lescot (1515-1578), architect of the Louvre, had the idea of ​​using the roofs of houses to install living quarters. Francois Mansart, Jules's uncle, used very regularly this process in its plans, the workers quickly made it a common name "the attic". His name goes down in history and can not be forgotten.

Jules Hardouin-Mansart binds to the world of burning Paris after her marriage in February 1668 with the daughter of an officer of the provost of the Hotel de Paris. Retaining existing customers by François Mansart, he began to be recognized by the great lords who entrust the raising of mansions in the new town of Versailles (Crequi, Chaulnes ...).

Inspired by Le Vau, he made plans for the Town Hall in Arles during a trip to the Languedoc in 1673, work will be completed in 1676. Was distinguished by Colbert, the king assigned his first mission in 1675 to renovate the castle of Val in the forest of Saint Germain. Louis XIV sought indeed a place of residence near Paris. Hardouin-Mansart transforms "the simple home of the Valley" in a small castle with a large terrace where King could walk by finding rest and peace. It is a small testing for the architect who brilliantly fulfills its mission until 1677. At the same time, he worked on the castle of Clagny to the royal mistress Madame de Montespan. Thus, in December 1675, he was admitted to the Royal Academy of Architecture.

His rise is very fast: Louvois assigned Royale des Invalides church in 1676 and its famous dome of one hundred and one feet high along the Soldiers Church called the Church of Saint Louis des Invalides. The following year he supplanted Orbay Francis of Versailles and will take care of this vast project until his death. Louis XIV the burden of Marly in 1679, and the castle of Saint Germain en Laye in 1680, Hardouin-Mansart is still present on other sites such as Parisian hotels Pomponne, the castles of Presles and Montmirail.

He obtained the title of Architect to the King in 1681, a title that is more focused since 1670 on the death of Le Vau, he then enters the order of knighthood of Mount Caramel and Saint Lazarus even though is not quite right, not being noble ... Louis XIV takes care of immediately. Knighted, he became a symbol column topped with a sun, framed by two eagles.

Protected by Louvois, he settled in the Marais, a house he does Tournelles street into mansion and decorated by artists of the royal buildings. Became Inspector General of Buildings in 1685 and to compensate for all ongoing projects, it is a "Design Office" where he initiated a number of decorators. This office, he leaves a multitude of sketches, plans and drawings preserved today at the National Library in Stockholm, important documents for understanding the process of elevation of these buildings.

Always busy, he designs the places of Vendome in 1677 and that of Victories in 1686, looks at the house of Saint Cyr to Madame de Maintenon in 1686 and is involved with Coysevox to the achievement of the great equestrian statue of King that is ultimately based in Rennes, while leaving its mark on many castles as Dampierre for the son of Colbert in 1682, the chapel of the Chateau de Chambord in 1684, Chantilly for condiments, the Orangerie de Sceaux in 1686.

In 1688, Louis XIV led him to turn Trianon. Much appreciated the king, he was promoted to Knight of St. Michael in 1693, then Superintendent of Buildings in 1699: a position that no architect had not seen since Philibert Delorme in the sixteenth century. Managed to buy a property in the Bourbonnais, he became Earl of Sagonne in 1699, but continues to work to rebuild the town hall of Lyon in 1701, then to the church Saint Roch in Paris. Faced with increasing demands, he reformed the Royal Academy of Architecture by creating a second class, while protecting the Academy of Painting and Sculpture.

Almost idolized, he will have portraits, busts made one by his friend and the other by Coysevox Lean Louis Lemoyne in 1703. These two men show rivals at that time. Lemoyne seeks to prove and demonstrate the success of Mansart: the architect is the Cross of the Order of St. Michael, he is wearing a wig very large and wearing a beautiful lace jabot under a large cloak. It's more like the portraits of the king made by Coysevox. Man shows in 1702 a bronze medal is made in his image and his bust will be on display at the Museum "all the glories of France" by Louis-Philippe.

He died suddenly in 1708 at Marly, is buried in St. Paul, leaving an immense fortune of a million and a half pounds, including a large collection of paintings and sculptures, but few library books. Coysevox makes him a monument in 1712.

The largest sites

Jules Hardouin-Mansart spent most of his life as an architect in Meudon and Versailles. Under Louvois and under the Grand Dauphin, plays a fundamental role in the new castle of Meudon between 1698 and 1704 and the changes will occupy for twenty eight years!

At Versailles, he spent thirty two years of his career to play, convert, edit, buildings, gardens, groves, tirelessly, always with the same energy and support of the King. Its input, it did through the door of the gardens and grove of Fame in 1676. In 1678, he was given the Hall of Mirrors (designed to expose the masterpieces of royal collection, only the ancient sculptures or similar), where his art, combined with that of the painter Le Brun will make it a masterpiece of incomparable .

At this moment it displaces Francis of Orbay Le Vau's successor by intervening in the Ambassadors' Staircase, the Salon de Venus, the Offices of the King and Queen each side of the royal court. It redraws the access to the castle, the wings of Ministers in 1679-1680, and the gate of the Place d'Armes and the royal gate, Great and Little Stables between 1679 and 1683 horseshoe part of which fronts is only in stone, and he designed the south wing in 1678, while the north wing will do in 1685.

L'Escalier de la Reine is recreated, then the living room of Plenty and the Cabinet of Medals, plus the Office of Billiards and the Cabinet of shells. Buildings Officer, he began the Grand Commun between 1682 and 1686 followed by the hotel of the Superintendency of Buildings of King between 1688 and 1692.

Outside, he devoted himself to the Orangery between 1681 and 1687 and its main stairs, the building of the Potager du Roi, the new Parterre d'Eau, the grove of the Colonnade between 1684 and 1686 and the amendment Basin of Latona. The transformation of the Anti Chamber of the bull's-eye is made of 1701 and the last king's chamber installed at the center of the castle. In his later years, he takes care of the Chapel Royal from 1698 and the Notre Dame de Versailles.

A very great man

Considered one of the largest French and European architects (the canton of Vaud in Switzerland and Torino Victor Amadeus II of Savoy on demand), called "a courtier artist, architect and socialite unable to wig" by Saint Simon, Hardouin-Mansart was perhaps a courtier, but filled all roles until the Department of Buildings (as superintendent).

Embodying the French classicism, it is the basis of a hundred monuments entrusted to it by the Church as well as the Great, the princes or the king. Helped by his "family" to be present in the building design to the end of the reign of Louis XV, he was the favorite of the Sun King, the man on whom Louis XIV passion for art and for architecture was able to rest, a man of great talent and an unfailing energy.

Bibliography

- Jules Hardouin-Mansart Alexandre Gady - Professor of History of Modern Art, University of Nantes. 2010.