MANSART, François

The Château de Maisons is the most complete work surviving from the hand of Fran�ois Mansart and gives a better idea than any other of his genius as an architect. In 1642 Ren� de Longueil decided to build a new château on his estate and, having called in Mansart, appears to have given him a completely free hand. The main structure seems to have been finished in 1646, but the decoration may have extended over many years.

View the plans of the ground and first floors of the Château de Maisons.

The Château de Maisons is the most complete work surviving from the hand of Fran�ois Mansart and gives a better idea than any other of his genius as an architect. In 1642 Ren� de Longueil decided to build a new château on his estate and, having called in Mansart, appears to have given him a completely free hand. The main structure seems to have been finished in 1646, but the decoration may have extended over many years.

The plan consists of a free-standing block with a prominent central frontispiece, flanked by two short wings of the same height as the main block which are continued in two projecting blocks of one floor only. Each part of the building is composed of rectangular masses which are clearly defined.

The photo shows the entrance side of the château.

View the ground plan of the Château de Maisons.

The royal monastery of Saint-Bernard, better known as the Couvent des Feuillants or Les Feuillants Convent, was a Feuillant nunnery or convent in Paris, behind what is now numbers 229-235 rue Saint-Honor�, near its corner with rue de Castiglione. It was founded in 1587 by Henry III of France. Its church was completed in 1608 and dedicated to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.

It was not until 1624 that the Saint-Bernard Church was endowed with a real facade. Begun in February 1623, this work was done by the mason Fran�ois Boullet according to the plans of a twenty-five-year-old architect, Fran�ois Mansart, who thus honoured his first major commission. Directly inspired by the two upper levels (Ionic and Corinthian) of the fa�ade of the Saint-Gervais church, completed a few years earlier by Salomon de Brosse, it is distinguished by some original features visible on the upper level.

The nunnery was secularised and nationalised in the decrees of 13 and 16 May 1790 and became notable as the meeting place of the Feuillant Club. Jacques-Louis David used the nave of the convent’s church as a studio for his painting The Tennis Court Oath. Most of the complex was then demolished under the French Consulate, leaving only the guesthouses and the outline of its church’s apse, which can be discerned in the courtyard of one of the guesthouses.

The engraving from the beginning of the nineteenth century was made after a work of Israël Silvestre.

Before 1630 Mansart had executed or modified three important buildings from which we can form some opinion of his early style and its sources. These are the fa�ade of the church of the Feuillants in Paris (1623) and the châteaux of Berny (designed in 1623) and Balleroy (begun in the late 1620s).

Of the Château de Berny only one wall still survives but its general lay-out is recorded in the original drawing attached to the contract and in seventeenth-century engravings. Here Mansart did not have a free hand but was called upon to remodel an existing house.

The picture shows the contract drawing.

Of the Château de Berny only one wall still survives but its general lay-out is recorded in the original drawing attached to the contract and in seventeenth-century engravings.

Of the Château de Berny only one wall still survives but its general lay-out is recorded in the original drawing attached to the contract and in seventeenth-century engravings.

The H�tel Carnavalet, built by Pierre Lescot in 1548, is the only example of a Paris house to survive from the middle of the sixteenth century. It was remodeled in 1660-61 by Fran�ois Mansart.

The picture shows one of a set of survey drawings of the H�tel Carnavalet made by Cyril A. Farey (1888-1954), a British architect and architectural illustrator.

Before 1630 Mansart had executed or modified three important buildings from which we can form some opinion of his early style and its sources. These are the fa�ade of the church of the Feuillants in Paris (1623) and the châteaux of Berny (designed in 1623) and Balleroy (begun in the late 1620s).

In general character and materials the Château de Balleroy is like the country houses of Henry IV’s time, and depends for its effect on its massive blocks, built of the rough, brownish-yellow local stone, with quoins and window-surrounds of dressed white stone. On the court side it depends on the simple relation of the three main blocks, which are almost in the same alignment, while on the garden side the central block breaks forward more markedly, leaving room for small terraces on either side.

The photo shows the garden side of the château. The garden was designed by Andr� Le N�tre.

View the ground plan of the château.

Before 1630 Mansart had executed or modified three important buildings from which we can form some opinion of his early style and its sources. These are the fa�ade of the church of the Feuillants in Paris (1623) and the châteaux of Berny (designed in 1623) and Balleroy (begun in the late 1620s).

In general character and materials the Château de Balleroy is like the country houses of Henry IV’s time, and depends for its effect on its massive blocks, built of the rough, brownish-yellow local stone, with quoins and window-surrounds of dressed white stone. On the court side it depends on the simple relation of the three main blocks, which are almost in the same alignment, while on the garden side the central block breaks forward more markedly, leaving room for small terraces on either side.

The photo shows the west fa�ade of the château.

View the ground plan of the château.

Before 1630 Mansart had executed or modified three important buildings from which we can form some opinion of his early style and its sources. These are the fa�ade of the church of the Feuillants in Paris (1623) and the châteaux of Berny (designed in 1623) and Balleroy (begun in the late 1620s).

In general character and materials the Château de Balleroy is like the country houses of Henry IV’s time, and depends for its effect on its massive blocks, built of the rough, brownish-yellow local stone, with quoins and window-surrounds of dressed white stone. On the court side it depends on the simple relation of the three main blocks, which are almost in the same alignment, while on the garden side the central block breaks forward more markedly, leaving room for small terraces on either side.

The photo shows the north side of the château.

View the ground plan of the château.

Before 1630 Mansart had executed or modified three important buildings from which we can form some opinion of his early style and its sources. These are the fa�ade of the church of the Feuillants in Paris (1623) and the châteaux of Berny (designed in 1623) and Balleroy (begun in the late 1620s).

Of the Château de Berny only one wall still survives but its general lay-out is recorded in the original drawing attached to the contract and in seventeenth-century engravings. Here Mansart did not have a free hand but was called upon to remodel an existing house.

The picture shows the remaining fragment of the Château.

Before 1630 Mansart had executed or modified three important buildings from which we can form some opinion of his early style and its sources. These are the fa�ade of the church of the Feuillants in Paris (1623) and the châteaux of Berny (designed in 1623) and Balleroy (begun in the late 1620s).

Of the Château de Berny only one wall still survives but its general lay-out is recorded in the original drawing attached to the contract and in seventeenth-century engravings. Here Mansart did not have a free hand but was called upon to remodel an existing house.

The picture shows the remaining fragment of the Château.

During the regency of Marie de M�dicis, architects like Salomon de Brosse, Fran�ois Mansart, and Louis Le Vau conducted intensive research into modern methods for resolving traditional building problems. They developed models of palace and church buildings which were to have lasting influence, not only for French Baroque architecture.

The picture shows a panorama of the interior fa�ades of Château de Blois. From right to left: the Louis XII flamboyant wing, the medieval Gothic castle, the Fran�ois I Renaissance wing, and the Gaston d’Orl�ans classic wing, built by Fran�ois Mansart.

View the ground plan of the Château, Blois.

During the regency of Marie de M�dicis, architects like Salomon de Brosse, Fran�ois Mansart, and Louis Le Vau conducted intensive research into modern methods for resolving traditional building problems. They developed models of palace and church buildings which were to have lasting influence, not only for French Baroque architecture.

In the H�tel de la Vrilli�re Mansart showed how his new style could be applied to a town house; at Blois he had an even finer opportunity of showing its potentialities in a great château. Had it been completed Blois would have been a grander and more monumental version of Salomon de Brosse’s Palais du Luxembourg. However, of all his vast project only the central block and the quadrant colonnades were built, but this fragment is one of Mansart’s purest works. Blois is the direct descendant of de Brosse’s designs for Bl�rancourt and the Luxembourg. The masses have the same grand simplicity, and Mansart follows his master’s use of the super-imposed Orders to articulate them.

Mansart was more interested in the plastic structuring of the fa�ade than the reworking of the palace design. His masterpiece was the Gaston apartment at the Château de Blois, which he constructed for Gaston, duc d’Orl�ans, the brother of Louis XIII.

View the ground plan of the Château, Blois.

During the regency of Marie de M�dicis, architects like Salomon de Brosse, Fran�ois Mansart, and Louis Le Vau conducted intensive research into modern methods for resolving traditional building problems. They developed models of palace and church buildings which were to have lasting influence, not only for French Baroque architecture.

In the H�tel de la Vrilli�re Mansart showed how his new style could be applied to a town house; at Blois he had an even finer opportunity of showing its potentialities in a great château. Had it been completed Blois would have been a grander and more monumental version of Salomon de Brosse’s Palais du Luxembourg. However, of all his vast project only the central block and the quadrant colonnades were built, but this fragment is one of Mansart’s purest works. Blois is the direct descendant of de Brosse’s designs for Bl�rancourt and the Luxembourg. The masses have the same grand simplicity, and Mansart follows his master’s use of the super-imposed Orders to articulate them.

Mansart was more interested in the plastic structuring of the fa�ade than the reworking of the palace design. His masterpiece was the Gaston apartment at the Château de Blois, which he constructed for Gaston, duc d’Orl�ans, the brother of Louis XIII.

During the regency of Marie de M�dicis, architects like Salomon de Brosse, Fran�ois Mansart, and Louis Le Vau conducted intensive research into modern methods for resolving traditional building problems. They developed models of palace and church buildings which were to have lasting influence, not only for French Baroque architecture.

At Blois, Fran�ois Mansart made the dome the main feature of the central building of Gaston of Orl�ans’s new château, the Gaston apartment, placing a grand staircase underneath it. The two features fit together naturally and were so well established that Mansart stressed them in his proposals for the Louvre in 1664-65.

The Convent of the Order of Sainte-Marie de la Visitation was established in Paris in 1619. It was closed in the French Revolution and its church was given in 1802 to a Protestant congregation which, as the Protestant Temple du Marais, continues its ministry to the present.

The church was designed by Fran�ois Mansart in 1632. The church’s benefactor, Noël Brulart de Sillery, an admirer of the Pantheon in Rome, desired a centralized plan. Mansart, no doubt also influenced by the chapel of the Château d’Anet, delivered a highly original design. The plan, strictly central in conception, consists of a domed circle round which are grouped three curved chapels. The central chapel, forming the choir is covered with an oval dome into which strong light falls from a tall lantern.

The design for the exterior was also quite original with the street elevation’s three components, the arch with its Michelangelo inspired portal and projecting cross, the toit a l’imperiale with its lantern, and the cross-topped spire, drawing the eye heavenward.

View the ground plan of the church.

The Convent of the Order of Sainte-Marie de la Visitation was established in Paris in 1619. It was closed in the French Revolution and its church was given in 1802 to a Protestant congregation which, as the Protestant Temple du Marais, continues its ministry to the present.

The church was designed by Fran�ois Mansart in 1632. The church’s benefactor, Noël Brulart de Sillery, an admirer of the Pantheon in Rome, desired a centralized plan. Mansart, no doubt also influenced by the chapel of the Château d’Anet, delivered a highly original design. The plan, strictly central in conception, consists of a domed circle round which are grouped three curved chapels. The central chapel, forming the choir is covered with an oval dome into which strong light falls from a tall lantern.

The design for the exterior was also quite original with the street elevation’s three components, the arch with its Michelangelo inspired portal and projecting cross, the toit a l’imperiale with its lantern, and the cross-topped spire, drawing the eye heavenward.

View the ground plan of the church.

The H�tel de la Vrilli�re (which today houses the Bank of France) was artfully sited by Fran�ois Mansart on a triangular plot near the Palais Royal. It had the standard front courtyard framed by three wings, the main one extending into a longer fa�ade overlooking the garden to the rear. Another long wing running along the garden held an orangery on the ground floor and a gallery upstairs. It is a seventeenth-century example of the h�tel particulier.

A Parisian h�tel particulier (urban mansion) was not a palazzo - it was separated from the street by a gateway and courtyard, and overlooked a garden in the back. The street tan along the front only, rather than framing the building on all sides. This overall layout indeed derived from that of châteaux, but the transition from country to town was not made without cost, for urban constraints were considerable.

The photo shows the garden.

The H�tel de la Vrilli�re (which today houses the Bank of France) was artfully sited by Fran�ois Mansart on a triangular plot near the Palais Royal. It had the standard front courtyard framed by three wings, the main one extending into a longer fa�ade overlooking the garden to the rear. Another long wing running along the garden held an orangery on the ground floor and a gallery upstairs. It is a seventeenth-century example of the h�tel particulier.

A Parisian h�tel particulier (urban mansion) was not a palazzo - it was separated from the street by a gateway and courtyard, and overlooked a garden in the back. The street tan along the front only, rather than framing the building on all sides. This overall layout indeed derived from that of châteaux, but the transition from country to town was not made without cost, for urban constraints were considerable.

The photo shows the fa�ade on the rue Croix-des-Petits-Champs.

The H�tel de la Vrilli�re (which today houses the Bank of France) was artfully sited by Fran�ois Mansart on a triangular plot near the Palais Royal. It had the standard front courtyard framed by three wings, the main one extending into a longer fa�ade overlooking the garden to the rear. Another long wing running along the garden held an orangery on the ground floor and a gallery upstairs. It is seventeenth-century example of the h�tel particulier.

A Parisian h�tel particulier (urban mansion) was not a palazzo - it was separated from the street by a gateway and courtyard, and overlooked a garden in the back. The street tan along the front only, rather than framing the building on all sides. This overall layout indeed derived from that of châteaux, but the transition from country to town was not made without cost, for urban constraints were considerable.

The photo shows the fa�ade on the rue de la Vrilli�re.

The H�tel de la Vrilli�re (which today houses the Bank of France) was artfully sited by Fran�ois Mansart on a triangular plot near the Palais Royal. It had the standard front courtyard framed by three wings, the main one extending into a longer fa�ade overlooking the garden to the rear. Another long wing running along the garden held an orangery on the ground floor and a gallery upstairs. It is seventeenth-century example of the h�tel particulier.

A Parisian h�tel particulier (urban mansion) was not a palazzo - it was separated from the street by a gateway and courtyard, and overlooked a garden in the back. The street tan along the front only, rather than framing the building on all sides. This overall layout indeed derived from that of châteaux, but the transition from country to town was not made without cost, for urban constraints were considerable.

The roof was to the overall character of a building what the staircase was to the interior arrangement. Sebastiano Serlio had described steeply pitched roofs as an original feature of French architecture. But later the handling of the roofs went through Mansart was credited with inventing the twin-sloped roof with small gable windows. This French-style roofing - known as Mansard - was applied by Mansart and Le Muet to numerous Paris mansions,, such as the H�tel d’Aumont.

The H�tel d’Aumont was built as the seat of the ducs d’Aumont. It is sited south of the Marais in Paris. In 1648, an earlier structure was rebuilt and extended by Louis Le Vau to create the present structure. At around 1660, it was enlarged and enriched by Fran�ois Mansart, who inserted a grand new staircase in the right wing, replaced the stairs in the corner pavilion, and provided it with decors painted by Charles Le Brun and Simon Vouet.

View the plan of the staircase of the building.

The photo shows the garden side of the building.

The roof was to the overall character of a building what the staircase was to the interior arrangement. Sebastiano Serlio had described steeply pitched roofs as an original feature of French architecture. But later the handling of the roofs went through Mansart was credited with inventing the twin-sloped roof with small gable windows. This French-style roofing - known as Mansard - was applied by Mansart and Le Muet to numerous Paris mansions,, such as the H�tel d’Aumont.

The H�tel d’Aumont was built as the seat of the ducs d’Aumont. It is sited south of the Marais in Paris. In 1648, an earlier structure was rebuilt and extended by Louis Le Vau to create the present structure. At around 1660, it was enlarged and enriched by Fran�ois Mansart, who inserted a grand new staircase in the right wing, replaced the stairs in the corner pavilion, and provided it with decors painted by Charles Le Brun and Simon Vouet.

View the plan of the staircase of the building.

The photo shows the garden side of the building.

The H�tel Carnavalet, built by Pierre Lescot in 1548, is the only example of a Paris house to survive from the middle of the sixteenth century. It was remodeled in 1660-61 by Fran�ois Mansart. He made an unusual disposition by carrying the principal rooms on the first floor round all four sides of the court, instead of interrupting them on the street front as was normally done. This meant that the fa�ade on the street was all of the same height, instead of consisting, as usual, of two high pavilions joined by a lower central section.

In the side pavilions Mansart has produced one of his subtlest designs, a delicate arrangement of Ionic pilasters above a rusticated ground floor, with detail of the greatest restraint.

This dome structure was built to give thanks for the birth of an heir to the throne. It was begun by Mansart and continued by Jacques Lemercier, but completed only in 1710 by Pierre Le Muet and Gabriel Le Duc. Here Roman architecture provided the basic inspiration, but Mansart was able to provide a renewed impetus towards the use of monumental forms.

Despite modifications made by successive architects, the overall design remains faithful to Mansart’s original plan. The fa�ade owes its strength to the play of Corinthian columns around the portico, to the two triangular pediments, and to the originality of the tabernacle framing the upper-storey window. To this was added a surprising turret at each of the four corners of the square plinth. The dome is adorned with oculi at its base, and sits on a high drum ringed by pilasters with emphatic entablatures.

Such a church would have been unthinkable had it not been for the examples set by Cortona and Domenico Fontana; yet the decorative inventiveness and overall arrangement attest to a mastery of design and skill of execution. The dome would inspire others that would become the masterpieces of the following era.

The picture shows the fa�ade of the church.

This dome structure was built to give thanks for the birth of an heir to the throne. It was begun by Mansart and continued by Jacques Lemercier, but completed only in 1710 by Pierre Le Muet and Gabriel Le Duc. Here Roman architecture provided the basic inspiration, but Mansart was able to provide a renewed impetus towards the use of monumental forms.

The picture shows the fa�ade of the church.

During the 1640s a change comes over Mansart’s style. His buildings become freer in planning, more plastic in conception, and more classical in decoration. This is also the period when he seems to approach most closely the ideals of High Renaissance architecture in Italy, sometimes through direct borrowing, but sometimes apparently unconsciously. In this decade Mansart embarked on two of his most important undertakings in church architecture, the Val-de-Grâce and the chapel in the château of Fresnes.

The Val-de-Grâce was begun in 1645 by Anne of Austria in fulfillment of a vow made before the birth of the Dauphin, later Louis XIV. Mansart’s original project consisted of a church flanked on one side by a convent and on the other by a palace, a conception which went back directly to the Escorial and ultimately to the temple of Solomon. His drawing for this magnificent scheme survives, but after little more than a year he was dismissed. He was, however, responsible for the plan of the church and for its construction up to the entablatures of the nave and for the lower storey of the fa�ade. The building was finished by Jacques Lemercier, Pierre Le Muet and Gabriel Le Duc, and the decoration of the interior was carried out by Michel Anguier between 1662 and 1667 and the dome was painted by Pierre Mignard in 1663.

The Château de Maisons is the most complete work surviving from the hand of Fran�ois Mansart and gives a better idea than any other of his genius as an architect. In 1642 Ren� de Longueil decided to build a new château on his estate and, having called in Mansart, appears to have given him a completely free hand. The main structure seems to have been finished in 1646, but the decoration may have extended over many years.

The plan consists of a free-standing block with a prominent central frontispiece, flanked by two short wings of the same height as the main block which are continued in two projecting blocks of one floor only. Each part of the building is composed of rectangular masses which are clearly defined.

The photo shows the entrance side of the château.

View the ground plan of the Château de Maisons.

The Château de Maisons is the most complete work surviving from the hand of Fran�ois Mansart and gives a better idea than any other of his genius as an architect. In 1642 Ren� de Longueil decided to build a new château on his estate and, having called in Mansart, appears to have given him a completely free hand. The main structure seems to have been finished in 1646, but the decoration may have extended over many years.

The frontispiece grows out of the main wall in a series of shallow layers. The plane of the main wall of the fa�ade is carried on upwards in the top storey of the frontispiece which is decorated with Corinthian pilasters only. In front of this stands a layer constructed with columns - Doric below, Ionic above - and on the ground floor there projects from this yet another block, slightly narrower than the other panels and articulated with Doric pilasters. Behind this frontispiece and behind the wall of the main fa�ade stands an attic supporting a high-pitched roof. The entablature over the Corinthian pilasters is completely interrupted; that over the Ionic columns breaks back over the central window, and that over the Doric pilasters on the ground floor is continuous. In this way there is built up a structure of blocks each clearly defined, each different from its neighbour and each seeming to grow logically out of the whole setting. This is perhaps the purest example of the plasticity of Mansart’s architecture in the 1640s.

The photo shows the frontispiece on the entrance side of the château.

Château de Maisons is a prime example of French Baroque architecture and a reference point in the history of French architecture. Of particular note is the emphasis on the roof through the use of steeply rising surfaces and high chimneys which are reminiscent of sixteenth-century architecture; in addition, typical of the French château, the added wings and pavilions are evidenced by the roof structure. The eighteenth century is heralded by the elegance of the vestibule, which remains classical in format.

The building is three-storey high, and the disposition is well marked by the sectioned roofs, flanked by tall, traditional chimneys and adorned with a dormer window for each volume. On the garden fa�ade, there are empty niches between the windows on the middle storey. The most subtle handling concerns the projections on the entrance fa�ade, with a three-level frontispiece. The orders are stacked in standard fashion, Corinthian above Ionic above Doric, and their entablatures reflect this progression: they are unbroken across the ground floor level, centrally staggered in the middle, and completely broken at the top.

The picture shows the garden front looking south-east.

View the ground plan of the Château de Maisons.

Château de Maisons is a prime example of French Baroque architecture and a reference point in the history of French architecture. Of particular note is the emphasis on the roof through the use of steeply rising surfaces and high chimneys which are reminiscent of sixteenth-century architecture; in addition, typical of the French château, the added wings and pavilions are evidenced by the roof structure. The eighteenth century is heralded by the elegance of the vestibule, which remains classical in format.

The building is three-storey high, and the disposition is well marked by the sectioned roofs, flanked by tall, traditional chimneys and adorned with a dormer window for each volume. On the garden fa�ade, there are empty niches between the windows on the middle storey. The most subtle handling concerns the projections on the entrance fa�ade, with a three-level frontispiece. The orders are stacked in standard fashion, Corinthian above Ionic above Doric, and their entablatures reflect this progression: they are unbroken across the ground floor level, centrally staggered in the middle, and completely broken at the top.

The picture shows the garden front looking south-east.

Château de Maisons is a prime example of French Baroque architecture and a reference point in the history of French architecture. Of particular note is the emphasis on the roof through the use of steeply rising surfaces and high chimneys which are reminiscent of sixteenth-century architecture; in addition, typical of the French château, the added wings and pavilions are evidenced by the roof structure. The eighteenth century is heralded by the elegance of the vestibule, which remains classical in format.

The picture shows the garden front looking south-east.

The building is three-storey high, and the disposition is well marked by the sectioned roofs, flanked by tall, traditional chimneys and adorned with a dormer window for each volume. On the garden fa�ade, there are empty niches between the windows on the middle storey. The most subtle handling concerns the projections on the entrance fa�ade, with a three-level frontispiece. The orders are stacked in standard fashion, Corinthian above Ionic above Doric, and their entablatures reflect this progression: they are unbroken across the ground floor level, centrally staggered in the middle, and completely broken at the top.

The picture shows the garden front.

Before 1630 Mansart had executed or modified three important buildings from which we can form some opinion of his early style and its sources. These are the fa�ade of the church of the Feuillants in Paris (1623) and the châteaux of Berny (designed in 1623) and Balleroy (begun in the late 1620s).

The fa�ade of the Feuillants, known to us through the engraving by Jean Marot, brings out clearly Mansart’s relation to Salomon de Brosse in his early years. It is basically a copy of the two upper storeys of Saint-Gervais, but with certain variations, such as the volutes and the obelisks.

The royal monastery of Saint-Bernard, better known as the Couvent des Feuillants or Les Feuillants Convent, was a Feuillant nunnery or convent in Paris, behind what is now numbers 229—235 rue Saint-Honor�, near its corner with rue de Castiglione. It was founded in 1587 by Henry III of France. Its church was completed in 1608 and dedicated to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.

It was not until 1624 that the Saint-Bernard Church was endowed with a real facade. Begun in February 1623, this work was done by the mason Fran�ois Boullet according to the plans of a twenty-five-year-old architect, Fran�ois Mansart, who thus honoured his first major commission. Directly inspired by the two upper levels (Ionic and Corinthian) of the fa�ade of the Saint-Gervais church, completed a few years earlier by Salomon de Brosse, it is distinguished by some original features visible on the upper level.

The nunnery was secularised and nationalised in the decrees of 13 and 16 May 1790 and became notable as the meeting place of the Feuillant Club. Jacques-Louis David used the nave of the convent’s church as a studio for his painting The Tennis Court Oath. Most of the complex was then demolished under the French Consulate, leaving only the guesthouses and the outline of its church’s apse, which can be discerned in the courtyard of one of the guesthouses.

The engraving was made in 1790 by Auguste Blanchard.

During the period of 1640-45 Mansart built a series of private houses in Paris, some of which survive and some of which are known from engravings. In the H�tel de Jars, begun in 1648, he made an important innovation in planning.

The engraving depicting the fa�ade facing the court is from the Petit Marot (c. 1659) by Jean Marot.

The Convent of the Order of Sainte-Marie de la Visitation was established in Paris in 1619. It was closed in the French Revolution and its church was given in 1802 to a Protestant congregation which, as the Protestant Temple du Marais, continues its ministry to the present.

The church was designed by Fran�ois Mansart in 1632. The church’s benefactor, Noël Brulart de Sillery, an admirer of the Pantheon in Rome, desired a centralized plan. Mansart, no doubt also influenced by the chapel of the Château d’Anet, delivered a highly original design. The plan, strictly central in conception, consists of a domed circle round which are grouped three curved chapels. The central chapel, forming the choir is covered with an oval dome into which strong light falls from a tall lantern.

The photo shows the interior of the central dome and the dome of the choir. The latter has a Late Mannerist high-relief decoration.

View the ground plan of the church.

The Convent of the Order of Sainte-Marie de la Visitation was established in Paris in 1619. It was closed in the French Revolution and its church was given in 1802 to a Protestant congregation which, as the Protestant Temple du Marais, continues its ministry to the present.

The church was designed by Fran�ois Mansart in 1632. The church’s benefactor, Noël Brulart de Sillery, an admirer of the Pantheon in Rome, desired a centralized plan. Mansart, no doubt also influenced by the chapel of the Château d’Anet, delivered a highly original design. The plan, strictly central in conception, consists of a domed circle round which are grouped three curved chapels. The central chapel, forming the choir is covered with an oval dome into which strong light falls from a tall lantern.

The photo shows the interior of the central dome.

View the ground plan of the church.

It was at the Sainte-Marie de la Visitation, known as the Visitandine church, that Mansart’s handling of volume displayed the virtuosity that would became his greatest strength. The circular plan was skillfully set in a square, with a rounded, apsidal chapel, whose contour cuts into the curved arc of the interior space, creating a play of “warped” volumes. Tall pilasters support an ornate, circular cornice over which a dome rises. The chapel is the sole remaining vestige of the Visitandine convent (demolished c. 1800), and has been a Protestant church since 1802.

The H�tel de la Vrilli�re (which today houses the Bank of France) was artfully sited by Fran�ois Mansart on a triangular plot near the Palais Royal. It had the standard front courtyard framed by three wings, the main one extending into a longer fa�ade overlooking the garden to the rear. Another long wing running along the garden held an orangery on the ground floor and a gallery upstairs. The gallery (Galerie Dor�e), with a ceiling vault decorated with frescoes by Fran�ois Perrier, housed a major collection of artworks It is worth noting that the patron’s taste in art was thoroughly Italian: his gallery featured Guido Reni’s Rape of Helena, as well as works by Guercino, Cortona, and Poussin (considered to be “Roman”). An inventory conducted in 1681 listed 240 works.

During the 1640s a change comes over Mansart’s style. His buildings become freer in planning, more plastic in conception, and more classical in decoration. This is also the period when he seems to approach most closely the ideals of High Renaissance architecture in Italy, sometimes through direct borrowing, but sometimes apparently unconsciously. In this decade Mansart embarked on two of his most important undertakings in church architecture, the Val-de-Grâce and the chapel in the château of Fresnes.

The Val-de-Grâce was begun in 1645 by Anne of Austria in fulfillment of a vow made before the birth of the Dauphin, later Louis XIV. Mansart’s original project consisted of a church flanked on one side by a convent and on the other by a palace, a conception which went back directly to the Escorial and ultimately to the temple of Solomon. His drawing for this magnificent scheme survives, but after little more than a year he was dismissed. He was, however, responsible for the plan of the church and for its construction up to the entablatures of the nave and for the lower storey of the fa�ade. The building was finished by Jacques Lemercier, Pierre Le Muet and Gabriel Le Duc, and the decoration of the interior was carried out by Michel Anguier between 1662 and 1667 and the dome was painted by Pierre Mignard in 1663.

During the 1640s a change comes over Mansart’s style. His buildings become freer in planning, more plastic in conception, and more classical in decoration. This is also the period when he seems to approach most closely the ideals of High Renaissance architecture in Italy, sometimes through direct borrowing, but sometimes apparently unconsciously. In this decade Mansart embarked on two of his most important undertakings in church architecture, the Val-de-Grâce and the chapel in the château of Fresnes.

The Val-de-Grâce was begun in 1645 by Anne of Austria in fulfillment of a vow made before the birth of the Dauphin, later Louis XIV. Mansart’s original project consisted of a church flanked on one side by a convent and on the other by a palace, a conception which went back directly to the Escorial and ultimately to the temple of Solomon. His drawing for this magnificent scheme survives, but after little more than a year he was dismissed. He was, however, responsible for the plan of the church and for its construction up to the entablatures of the nave and for the lower storey of the fa�ade. The building was finished by Jacques Lemercier, Pierre Le Muet and Gabriel Le Duc, and the decoration of the interior was carried out by Michel Anguier between 1662 and 1667 and the dome was painted by Pierre Mignard in 1663.

During the 1640s a change comes over Mansart’s style. His buildings become freer in planning, more plastic in conception, and more classical in decoration. This is also the period when he seems to approach most closely the ideals of High Renaissance architecture in Italy, sometimes through direct borrowing, but sometimes apparently unconsciously. In this decade Mansart embarked on two of his most important undertakings in church architecture, the Val-de-Grâce and the chapel in the château of Fresnes.

The Val-de-Grâce was begun in 1645 by Anne of Austria in fulfillment of a vow made before the birth of the Dauphin, later Louis XIV. Mansart’s original project consisted of a church flanked on one side by a convent and on the other by a palace, a conception which went back directly to the Escorial and ultimately to the temple of Solomon. His drawing for this magnificent scheme survives, but after little more than a year he was dismissed. He was, however, responsible for the plan of the church and for its construction up to the entablatures of the nave and for the lower storey of the fa�ade. The building was finished by Jacques Lemercier, Pierre Le Muet and Gabriel Le Duc, and the decoration of the interior was carried out by Michel Anguier between 1662 and 1667 and the dome was painted by Pierre Mignard in 1663.

Despite modifications made by successive architects, the overall design remains faithful to Mansart’s original plan. The dome is adorned with oculi at its base, and sits on a high drum ringed by pilasters with emphatic entablatures.

The photo shows the inner drum of the dome.

The Château de Maisons is the most complete work surviving from the hand of Fran�ois Mansart and gives a better idea than any other of his genius as an architect. In 11642 Ren� de Longueil decided to build a new château on his estate and, having called in Mansart, appears to have given him a completely free hand. The main structure seems to have been finished in 1646, but the decoration may have extended over many years.

Maisons is the only building by Mansart in which the decoration of the interior survives. The entrance vestibule is a magnificent example of his severe richness - a design of Doric columns and pilasters, with allegorical reliefs on the vault and eagles on the entablature, but all kept in restraint by being executed in stone without either gilt or colour.

The photo shows the vestibule.

View the plan of the first floor of the Château de Maisons.

The Château de Maisons is the most complete work surviving from the hand of Fran�ois Mansart and gives a better idea than any other of his genius as an architect. In 11642 Ren� de Longueil decided to build a new château on his estate and, having called in Mansart, appears to have given him a completely free hand. The main structure seems to have been finished in 1646, but the decoration may have extended over many years.

Maisons is the only building by Mansart in which the decoration of the interior survives. The entrance vestibule is a magnificent example of his severe richness - a design of Doric columns and pilasters, with allegorical reliefs on the vault and eagles on the entablature, but all kept in restraint by being executed in stone without either gilt or colour.

The photo shows the vestibule.

The Château de Maisons is the most complete work surviving from the hand of Fran�ois Mansart and gives a better idea than any other of his genius as an architect. In 1642 Ren� de Longueil decided to build a new château on his estate and, having called in Mansart, appears to have given him a completely free hand. The main structure seems to have been finished in 1646, but the decoration may have extended over many years.

Maisons is the only building by Mansart in which the decoration of the interior survives. The entrance vestibule is a magnificent example of his severe richness - a design of Doric columns and pilasters, with allegorical reliefs on the vault and eagles on the entablature, but all kept in restraint by being executed in stone without either gilt or colour. Most splendid of all, however, is the staircase, the finest surviving specimen of Mansart’s work in this field. It mounts in four flights round the sides of a square of which the central part is open. The whole space is covered with a dome, below which runs a narrow oval gallery allowing communication between the two ends of the building on the second floor.

The decoration in the staircase is particularly fine. The walls are ornamented with panels, on which sit groups of putti representing the arts and sciences. Even remarkable, however, is the balustrade, which is composed of interlocking curved blocks of great complexity, topped by a rich bunch of acanthus decoration.

The photo shows the vestibule.

The Château de Maisons is the most complete work surviving from the hand of Fran�ois Mansart and gives a better idea than any other of his genius as an architect. In 1642 Ren� de Longueil decided to build a new château on his estate and, having called in Mansart, appears to have given him a completely free hand. The main structure seems to have been finished in 1646, but the decoration may have extended over many years.

Maisons is the only building by Mansart in which the decoration of the interior survives. The entrance vestibule is a magnificent example of his severe richness - a design of Doric columns and pilasters, with allegorical reliefs on the vault and eagles on the entablature, but all kept in restraint by being executed in stone without either gilt or colour. Most splendid of all, however, is the staircase, the finest surviving specimen of Mansart’s work in this field. It mounts in four flights round the sides of a square of which the central part is open. The whole space is covered with a dome, below which runs a narrow oval gallery allowing communication between the two ends of the building on the second floor.

The decoration in the staircase is particularly fine. The walls are ornamented with panels, on which sit groups of putti representing the arts and sciences. Even remarkable, however, is the balustrade, which is composed of interlocking curved blocks of great complexity, topped by a rich bunch of acanthus decoration.

The photo shows the staircase.

View the plan of the first floor of the Château de Maisons.

The Château de Maisons is the most complete work surviving from the hand of Fran�ois Mansart and gives a better idea than any other of his genius as an architect. In 1642 Ren� de Longueil decided to build a new château on his estate and, having called in Mansart, appears to have given him a completely free hand. The main structure seems to have been finished in 1646, but the decoration may have extended over many years.

Maisons is the only building by Mansart in which the decoration of the interior survives. The entrance vestibule is a magnificent example of his severe richness - a design of Doric columns and pilasters, with allegorical reliefs on the vault and eagles on the entablature, but all kept in restraint by being executed in stone without either gilt or colour. Most splendid of all, however, is the staircase, the finest surviving specimen of Mansart’s work in this field. It mounts in four flights round the sides of a square of which the central part is open. The whole space is covered with a dome, below which runs a narrow oval gallery allowing communication between the two ends of the building on the second floor.

The decoration in the staircase is particularly fine. The walls are ornamented with panels, on which sit groups of putti representing the arts and sciences. Even remarkable, however, is the balustrade, which is composed of interlocking curved blocks of great complexity, topped by a rich bunch of acanthus decoration.

The photo shows the staircase.

View the plan of the first floor of the Château de Maisons.

The Château de Maisons is the most complete work surviving from the hand of Fran�ois Mansart and gives a better idea than any other of his genius as an architect. In 1642 Ren� de Longueil decided to build a new château on his estate and, having called in Mansart, appears to have given him a completely free hand. The main structure seems to have been finished in 1646, but the decoration may have extended over many years.

The Château de Maisons is the only building by Mansart in which the decoration of the interior survives.

The photo shows the dining room.

From the 1660s, bedrooms of the powerful French monarchy were decorated with fanciful mirrors. Charles Le Brun seized the opportunity to innovate by giving surprising scope to interior space through the artful use of reflection. The fashion took hold, and soon yielded all kinds of brilliant formulas - mirrors over fireplaces, mirrors in the middle of a panel over a richly decorated table.

The photo shows the Cabinet of Mirrors in Maisons-Lafitte.

The perspective drawing by Louis Boudan (active 1687-1709) shows the Château de Balleroy, built by Fran�ois Mansart around 1630.

During the period of 1640-45 Mansart built a series of private houses in Paris, some of which survive and some of which are known from engravings. In the H�tel de Jars, begun in 1648, he made an important innovation in planning. The site was narrow, and in order to take full advantage of it he arranged the principal rooms in two parallel ranges, with the staircase at the right-hand end of that on the court side. This freer disposition in depths enables him to give greater variety of shape and size of the rooms and at the same time to arrange convenient access to all of them. It was to be followed in most of the later developments of the h�tel design.

The engraving is from the Petit Marot (c. 1659) by Jean Marot.

The H�tel d’Aumont was built as the seat of the ducs d’Aumont. It is sited south of the Marais in Paris. In 1648, an earlier structure was rebuilt and extended by Louis Le Vau to create the present structure. At around 1660, it was enlarged and enriched by Fran�ois Mansart, who inserted a grand new staircase in the right wing, replaced the stairs in the corner pavilion, and provided it with decors painted by Charles Le Brun and Simon Vouet.

In 1635 Mansart received his first recorded commission for a private house in Paris. Louis Ph�lypeaux de La Vrilli�re, an officer of the crown, commissioned Mansart to build a town house in Paris (rebuilt by Robert de Cotte in 1713). The building, known from engravings, was a fine example of Mansart’s ability to arrive at subtle, ingenious, and dignified solutions to the problems of building on awkwardly shaped sites. His design was to be a model for the Parisian h�tel for many decades.

The engraving by Jean Marot shows the general view of the h�tel.

View the ground plan of the H�tel.

In 1635 Mansart received his first recorded commission for a private house in Paris. Louis Ph�lypeaux de La Vrilli�re, an officer of the crown, commissioned Mansart to build a town house in Paris (rebuilt by Robert de Cotte in 1713). The building, known from engravings, was a fine example of Mansart’s ability to arrive at subtle, ingenious, and dignified solutions to the problems of building on awkwardly shaped sites. His design was to be a model for the Parisian h�tel for many decades.

The engraving shows the fa�ade of the h�tel.