François Mansart | |
|---|---|
.jpg) François Mansart, detail of a double portrait of Mansart andClaude Perrault, byPhilippe de Champaigne, 1656 | |
| Born | (1598-01-23)23 January 1598 |
| Died | 23 September 1666(1666-09-23) (aged 68) Paris |
| Alma mater | studio ofSalomon de Brosse |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Buildings | Château de Balleroy,Temple du Marais,Château de Maisons,Church of the Val-de-Grâce |
| Projects | Château de Blois |
| Design | plans to redesign theLouvre and theroyal necropolis atSaint-Denis |
François Mansart (French pronunciation:[fʁɑ̃swamɑ̃saʁ]; 23 January 1598 – 23 September 1666) was aFrencharchitect credited with introducingclassicism into theBaroque architecture of France. TheEncyclopædia Britannica identifies him as the most accomplished of 17th-century French architects whose works "are renowned for their high degree of refinement, subtlety, and elegance".[1]
Mansart, as he is generally known, popularized themansard roof, a four-sided, double slopegambrel roof punctuated with windows on the steeper lower slope, which created additional habitable space in thegarrets.[2]
François Mansart was born on 23 January 1598 to a mastercarpenter inParis. He was not trained as an architect; his relatives helped train him as astonemason and asculptor. He is thought to have learned the skills of an architect in the studio ofSalomon de Brosse, the most popular architect in France during the reign ofHenry IV.
Mansart was recognized from the 1620s onward for his style and skill as an architect, but he was viewed as a stubborn and difficult perfectionist, who tore down his structures in order to start building them over again. Only the wealthiest could afford to have him work for them as Mansart's constructions cost "more money than theGreat Turk himself possesses".[citation needed]
The only surviving example of his early work is theChâteau de Balleroy, commissioned by a chancellor toGaston, Duke of Orléans. Construction started in 1626. The duke was so pleased with the result that he invited Mansart to renovate hisChâteau de Blois (1635). Mansart intended to rebuild this former royal residence completely, but only the north wing was reconstructed to Mansart's designs, which made clever use classical orders. In 1632, Mansart designed theChurch of St. Mary of the Visitation in Paris using thePantheon in Rome as an inspiration.[3]
Most of Mansart's buildings have been reconstructed or demolished. The best preserved example of his mature style is theChâteau de Maisons, which retains its original interior decoration, including a magnificent staircase. The structure is symmetrical, with much attention given to relief. It is thought to have heralded and inspired 18th-centuryNeoclassicism.
In the 1640s, Mansart worked on the convent andchurch of Val-de-Grâce in Paris, a much coveted commission fromAnne of Austria. Following allegations of profligacy in the management of the project's costs, he was replaced with a more tractable architect, who largely followed Mansart's design.
In the 1650s, Mansart was targeted by political enemies of the prime ministerCardinal Mazarin, for whom Mansart frequently worked. In 1651, they published "La Mansarade", a pamphlet accusing Mansart of wild extravagance and machinations.
AfterLouis XIV's accession to the throne, Mansart lost many of his commissions to other architects. His designs for the remodeling of theLouvre were not executed because he would not submit detailed plans.[4]
In the year before his death he produced two plans for the proposedChapelle des Bourbons [fr], a complex of funeral chapels for the Bourbon kings of France to be added to theBasilica of Saint-Denis which houses the tombs of French royals. Both were presented toJean-Baptiste Colbert.Gian Lorenzo Bernini also made plans for this project, also unbuilt.
Some of his plans were reused by his grandnephew,Jules Hardouin Mansart, notably forLes Invalides. Mansart died in Paris on 23 September 1666.
![The Church of the Visitation in the Rue Saint-Antoine, Paris, now the Temple du Marais[5]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aTemple_Sainte-Marie_rue_Saint-Antoine_4.jpg)
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