Louis Le Vau | |
|---|---|
 Louis Le Vau, c. 1650 | |
| Born | Louis Le Veau c. 1612 |
| Died | 11 October 1670 (aged 57 or 58) |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Buildings | |
| Design | Oval salon atVaux-le-Vicomte |
Louis Le Vau (French pronunciation:[lwiləvo]; c. 1612 – 11 October 1670) was aFrench Baroquearchitect, who worked forLouis XIV of France.[1] He was an architect that helped develop the French Classical style in the 17th century.[2]
Born Louis Le Veau, he was the son of Louis Le Veau (died February 1661), a stonemason, who was active in Paris.[3] His younger brotherFrançois Le Vau (born in 1624[4]) also became an architect. The father and his two sons worked together in the 1630s and 1640s. The two brothers later changed the spelling of their surname from "Le Veau" to "Le Vau" to avoid its association with the French wordveau (calf).[3]
Le Vau started his career by designing the Hotel de Bautru in 1634.[5] By 1639, he was developing town houses (hôtels particuliers) for rich citizens such as Sainctot,Hesselin, Gillier, Gruyn des Bordes, and Jean Baptiste Lambert in theîle Saint-Louis, which was being developed as a residential area.[2] His most notable work during this period is theHôtel Lambert (c. 1638–1653).[6]
Le Vau also designed country houses, including the Château de Livry (c. 1640–1645), later known as theChâteau du Raincy.[2][7]
In 1654, his career was advanced through his appointment as the first architect to the king,[2] succeedingJacques Lemercier.[8] He was commissioned byJules Cardinal Mazarin to help rebuild part of the medievalChâteau de Vincennes.[9]
Shortly after, in 1656 he was given the important commission to build the chateau of Nicolas Fouquet,Vaux-le-Vicomte with the help ofAndré Le Nôtre andCharles Le Brun.[2][10] Le Vau's most notable work in the Vaux-le-Vicomte is the oval salon facing the garden. This design, an example of asalon à l'italienne (vaulted, two-storied room),[11] develops the idea that a simple form governs the shape of the main section of the building.[2]
In the 1660s Le Vau helped on royal projects, such as the hospital ofLa Salpêtrière and the facade of theTuileries Palace. From 1661 to 1664 Le Vau worked on rebuilding theGalerie d'Apollon in theLouvre after it burned in a fire.[2]Claude Perrault and Charles Le Brun were also involved in creating the famous façade for theeast front of the Louvre from 1665 to 1674, which acted as a prelude forClassical Architecture in the 18th century.[10]
The most notable work of Le Vau's career was at thePalace of Versailles with which he was involved for the remainder of his life.[10] He added service wings to the forecourts and, after 1668, had rebuilt the garden façade to be totally classical.[2] Le Vau was assisted byFrançois d'Orbay, who completed the work after Le Vau's death. Le Vau and d'Orbay's work at Versailles was later modified and extended byJules Hardouin-Mansart.[10]
Le Vau's designs for theCollège des Quatre-Nations (now housing theInstitut de France) were completed after his death by his assistant François d' Orbay and showed unlikely rapport with Italian baroque techniques.[2][10]
Louis Le Vau died on 11 October 1670, aged around 57, at the former Hôtel de Longueville and was buried at the church ofSaint-Germain l'Auxerrois in Paris.[12]
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