| Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel | |
|---|---|
 The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel | |
 Interactive map of Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel | |
| General information | |
| Type | Triumphal arch |
| Location | Place du Carrousel,Paris, France |
| Coordinates | 48°51′42″N2°19′58″E / 48.86173°N 2.33291°E /48.86173; 2.33291 |
| Construction started | 1806 |
| Completed | 1808 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Charles Percier,Pierre François Léonard Fontaine |
TheArc de Triomphe du Carrousel (pronounced[aʁkdətʁijɔ̃fdykaʁuzɛl]) (English:Triumphal Arch of the Carousel) is atriumphal arch inParis, located in thePlace du Carrousel. It is an example ofNeoclassical architecture in theCorinthian order.[1] It was built between 1806 and 1808 to commemorateNapoleon's military victories in the Wars of theThird andFourth Coalitions. TheArc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, at the far end of theChamps-Élysées, is about twice the size; designed in the same year but not completed until 1836.
The monument is 63 feet (19 m) high, 75 feet (23 m) wide, and 24 feet (7.3 m) deep.[2] The 21 feet (6.4 m) high central arch is flanked by two smaller ones, 14 feet (4.3 m) high, and 9 feet (2.7 m) wide. Around its exterior are eightCorinthian columns of marble. These columns were recovered from theChâteau de Meudon, destroyed in 1804. Each column is topped by eight soldiers of the Empire. On thepediment, between the soldiers,bas-reliefs depict:
Napoleon's diplomatic and military victories are commemorated by bas-reliefs executed in rose marble. They depict:
The arch is derivative of thetriumphal arches of the Roman Empire, in particular theArch of Septimius Severus in Rome. The subjects of the bas-reliefs devoted to the battles were selected by the director of the Musée Napoléon (located at the time in the Louvre),Vivant Denon, and designed byCharles Meynier.
On the top of each of the eight marble columns are marble sculptures that faithfully reproduce the uniforms of the principal corps of Napoleon's imperial army.[3] On the east side (towards the Louvre), the four statues are acuirassier byAuguste Taunay, adragoon byCharles-Louis Corbet, a mountedchasseur byJean-Joseph Foucou and acaribinier by Joseph Chinard. On the west side (towards the Tuileries Gardens), the statues represent agrenadier by Robert-Guillaume Dardel, a line carabinier by Antoine Mouton, acannonier byCharles-Antoine Bridan and asapper byAuguste Dumont.[4] The statue of the sapper is the only one that represents a real soldier,fr: Dominique Gaye Mariolle, who was known for his strength and height, which exceeded 2 meters. He is famous for having presented a cannon instead of a rifle during Napoleon's review of his troops prior to the battle of Tilsitt in July 1807.[5]
Thequadriga atop the entablement is a copy of the so-calledHorses of Saint Mark that adorn the top of the main door of theSt Mark's Basilica inVenice.
Designed byCharles Percier andPierre François Léonard Fontaine, the arch was built between 1806 and 1808 by the EmperorNapoleon I, on the model of theArch of Constantine (312 AD) inRome, as a gateway of theTuileries Palace, the Imperial residence. The destruction of the Tuileries Palace during theParis Commune in 1871, allowed anunobstructed view west towards theArc de Triomphe.
It was originally surmounted by theHorses of Saint Mark fromSt Mark's Basilica inVenice, which had been captured in 1798 by Napoleon. In 1815, following theBattle of Waterloo and theBourbon restoration, France ceded thequadriga to theAustrian Empire which had annexed Venice under the terms of theCongress of Vienna. The Austrians immediately returned the statuary to Venice. The horses of Saint Mark were replaced in 1828 by a quadriga sculpted by BaronFrançois Joseph Bosio, depictingPeace riding in a triumphal chariot led by gilded Victories on both sides. The composition commemorates the Restoration of the Bourbons following Napoleon's downfall.
The Arc du Carrousel inspired the design ofMarble Arch, constructed in London between 1826 and 1833.[6]
The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel is at the eastern end of ParisAxe historique ("historic axis"), a nine-kilometre-long linear route which dominates much of the northwestern quadrant of the city.
Looking west, the arch is aligned withthe obelisk in thePlace de la Concorde, the centerline of the grand boulevardChamps-Élysées, theArc de Triomphe at thePlace de l'Étoile, and, although it is not directly visible from the Place du Carrousel, theGrande Arche de la Défense. Thus, the axis begins and ends with an arch. When the Arc du Carrousel was built, however, an observer in the Place du Carrousel was impeded from any view westward. The central part of thePalais des Tuileries intervened to block the line of sight to the west. When the Tuileries was burned down during theParis Commune in 1871, and its ruins were swept away, the great axis, as it presently exists, was opened all the way to the Place du Carrousel and the Louvre.
(in French)| International | |
|---|---|
| Geographic | |