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47-656: Germain Boffrand ( French pronunciation: [ʒɛʁmɛ̃ bɔfʁɑ̃] ) (16 May 1667 – 19 March 1754) was a French architect. A pupil of Jules Hardouin-Mansart , Germain Boffrand was one of the main creators of the precursor to Rococo called the style Régence , and in his interiors, of the Rococo itself. In his exteriors he held to a monumental Late Baroque classicism with some innovations in spatial planning that were exceptional in France. His major commissions, culminating in his interiors at

94-582: A much more grandiose project with two adjoining parts; a choir for the pensioners, and a majestic domed royal church for the King. This was beyond what the Minister had proposed, but it apparently pleased the King, and, after long discussion, Hardouin-Mansart was given the project not only for the church, but for the Hôtel as well. Hardouin-Mansart briskly organized and completed the construction of residences and infirmaries for

141-475: A pool of talent and experience to draw from on his arrival. The square was a major project in urban planning, conceived by Stanislaus I of Poland as a way to link the medieval old town of Nancy and the "new" town built in the 17th century under Charles III, Duke of Lorraine . The square was also intended as a place royale to honour Stanislaus' son-in-law, Louis XV . The design created a large urban square or place that linked two handsome existing buildings:

188-597: A special majesty to interior surfaces, particularly in the chapel of Versailles , and the interiors of the Palace of Versailles and the Grand Trianon . He was adept at creating a sense of awe, as he demonstrated especially in the dome of Les Invalides (completed 1706 ) and in the garden façade of the Palace of Versailles, and in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. On March 1, 1676, François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois ,

235-423: A sword in his left hand and pointing towards the north with his right hand. The inscriptions on the high marble pedestal read: The Hôtel de Ville (City Hall), also known as Palais de Stanislas (Stanislas's Palace), is the largest building in the square at 98 metres long, and occupies the whole south side of the square. Built in 1752–1755, it has served as the city hall since its construction. It

282-453: Is defined by the hemi-cycles of colonnades that enclose the sides and are carried across the pre-existing façade of the Palais du Gouvernement . The four corners and the west and east sides of the square feature gilded wrought iron gates and lanterns, created by Jean Lamour (1698–1771) ; who was also responsible for the wrought iron balustrade on the main staircase in the Hôtel de Ville, and

329-499: Is paved with light ochre stones, with two lines of darker stones forming a diagonal cross motif. The square is surrounded by an architecturally harmonious ensemble of buildings, most notably these: The Arc Héré , a triumphal arch built by Emmanuel Héré de Corny , stands in the centre of the fourth side, leading to the adjoining Place de la Carrière, where the main axis is developed as a double avenue of trees, with symmetrical buildings facing each other down its length. The far end

376-571: The Hôtel de Soubise , were memorialised in his treatise Livre d'architecture , published in 1745, which served to disseminate the French Louis XV style throughout Europe. Born at Nantes , the son of a provincial architect, Boffrand went to Paris in 1681 to study sculpture in the atelier of François Girardon , before entering the large official practice of Jules Hardouin-Mansart. His uncle, Philippe Quinault , introduced him to prospective clients among

423-469: The Hôtel de Ville (city hall, now centred on its grand square) and the Hôtel du Gouvernement , the seat of the duchy. The seat of city government and the seat of Ducal government thus faced each other as complements through a series of rational, symmetrical but varied urban spaces , unequalled in Europe at the time. The square and the surrounding buildings, unified by their colossal orders, were designed by

470-477: The Louis XIV style or French classicism . A particular skill of Hardouin was his ability to create a wide variety of structures; chateaux, churches, pavilions, private residences, parks, and urban squares. He demonstrated an ability to adapt, modify, enlarge and rehabilitate, without losing the character of the original building, but adding his own original variations on the theme, as he demonstrated in particular at

517-473: The Minister of War , summoned Hardouin-Mansart to take over construction of Les Invalides , the enormous hospital and chapel the King was building in the center of Paris for his pensioned and wounded soldiers. The project had been begun in 1671 by Libéral Bruant , and some of the residential buildings were completed and already occupied, but the centerpiece, the chapel for the soldiers, had not been begun. The King

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564-507: The Place des Victoires (1685) and Place Vendôme (1699), were designed, like his other architecture, to express the majesty and glory of Louis XIV. The Place des Victoires was built as a setting for a monument to Louis XIV , surrounded by a circle of harmonious matching residential buildings. The original statue was melted down after the Revolution, and replaced later by a copy; while the square

611-868: The War of the Polish Succession in 1737, the Duchy of Upper Lorraine , of which Nancy was the capital, was given to Stanislaus I Leszczyński ( Stanisław in Polish, Stanislas in French), former King of Poland and father-in-law to King Louis XV of France. An earlier ruler, Leopold, Duke of Lorraine , had undertaken much reconstruction in Lorraine, which had been ravaged by a series of wars . He had recruited numerous artists and architects for this work, including Germain Boffrand , who trained Emmanuel Héré . Hence, Stanislaus found

658-481: The ' Place Napoléon '. In 1831, a bronze statue of Stanislaus was placed in the middle of the square; since then it has been known as the 'Place Stanislas'. The square has always been used for public assemblies and festivities. It has undergone several makeovers in its history and, in a low period of appreciation, served as a car parking area for nearly a quarter of a century, between 1958 and 1983. The city has since reserved it for pedestrian use. In 2004 and 2005,

705-702: The Bâtiments du Roi to commence work, at first in Lorraine and in the Netherlands , then after his return to Paris in 1709, for a distinguished private clientele in Paris, well disposed towards his audacious innovations, such as the oval forecourt of the Hôtel Amelot de Gournay (1710–13), that were unthinkable in the royal works. In 1709, he was placed in charge of the interior apartments of the Hôtel de Soubise, where he soon succeeded

752-569: The Hôtel de Duras. Abroad, Boffrand worked for the Duke of Lorraine (not yet a part of France), where he was appointed Premier Architecte to Duke Léopold in 1711, but little of significance remains. He also constructed a fountain and a hunt pavilion, Bouchefort, in the gardens of the schloss belonging to the Elector of Bavaria , Maximilian II Emmanuel. In 1724 Boffrand worked on site at Würzburg with Balthasar Neumann , who had been consulting him in Paris, on

799-459: The King himself. In 1677, he began working on the expansion of the royal Palace of Versailles , a project which occupied him for the rest of his life. Soon afterward became a member of the Académie royale d'architecture . In 1678, he became director of the work at Versailles. and the most prominent architect in the royal entourage. He was named First Architect of the King in 1681 and was raised to

846-427: The Palace of Versailles. His architecture is especially characterized by simplification; by large smooth spaces, the repetition of forms (especially arcades with semicircular arches and detached columns; long horizontals, and detached open spaces. He often used long rows of columns in front of a façade to give an air of grandeur and to hide the irregularities of the structure. He used the architectural orders to give

893-429: The Palace of Versailles. Much of his success was due to his ability to select and guide very talented collaborators. his collaborators included the interior designer Charles Le Brun , who designed many of the interiors of Versailles, in perfect harmony with his architecture, and Robert de Cotte , a designer who also became his brother-in-law and in 1708 became his successor, completing the major projects he had begun in

940-580: The Prince-Bishop's Residenz (under construction 1719–1744). His designs were carried out in the main suite of rooms, where Fiske Kimball detected Boffrand's artistic control in the stuccowork by Johann Peter Castelli of Bonn. Among the architects trained in his atelier were François Dominique Barreau de Chefdeville , Charles-Louis Clérisseau and Emmanuel Héré de Corny , the architect of the Place Stanislas at Nancy . Boffrand's two sons collaborated in

987-505: The architect Pierre-Alexis Delamair (1676–1745). None of his early interiors survive, largely replaced by his spectacular Rococo work of the years following 1735. Boffrand was received by the Académie royale d'architecture in 1709. The following year he was among those employed in the additions to the Palais Bourbon . In 1732, he was appointed inspecteur général des ponts et chaussées and produced plans for restructuring Les Halles . He

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1034-604: The aristocracy of Paris and at Court. He was employed from 1689 (Kimball) on works in the Bâtiments du Roi under Mansart, notably at the Orangerie of Palace of Versailles and in Paris at Place Vendôme , where Boffrand was among the draughtsmen responsible for the first designs (from 1686) and for the Convent of the Capucins, Hôtel de Vendôme From 1693 he was less employed and in 1699 he left

1081-458: The balcony across the centre of its main façade. The north-west and north-east corners also feature ornate fountains designed by Barthélémy Guibal (1699–1757). Because of these gates, Nancy is nicknamed City with Golden Gates ( Ville aux Portes d'Or ). The statue in the centre of the Place Stanislas, created by Georges Jacquot , represents Stanislas standing, dressed in flowing robes, holding

1128-703: The church of the Val-de-Grâce , designed by his great-uncle, François Mansart and Jacques Lemercier (1645–1667), and the Collège des Quatre-Nations (1662–1670). His original plan called for a single great space under the dome, and painted decoration on the interior of the dome. However, while the work was in progress, the French army suffered reverses in the Netherlands, and the Superintendent of Finances , Colbert ,

1175-503: The city undertook a massive restoration of the square, based on the original 18th-century plans. The ten-month project cost approximately 9 million  euros . It was financed by a combination of city and local, regional, national and private funds. The inauguration of the new Place Stanislas, in May 2005, coincided with the square's 250th anniversary. The Place Stanislas is 125 metres (410 ft) long and 106 metres (348 ft) wide. It

1222-478: The death of Hardouin-Mansart. It remains his most famous work. From 1677 until his death, Hardouin-Mansart was responsible for the design and construction of much of the Palace of Versailles of Louis XIV . He succeeded the royal architect Louis Le Vau and became the surintendant des Bâtiments du Roi (Superintendent of royal buildings). Beginning in 1678, he completed the "envelope" of new buildings surrounding

1269-424: The discipline control within a large, classically trained studio. Hardouin-Mansart used the mansard roof ( mansarde ), named for his great-uncle François Mansart, at the château of Dampierre-en-Yvelines, built for the duc de Chevreuse , Jean-Baptiste Colbert's son-in-law, a patron at the center of Louis XIV's court. This French Baroque château of manageable size lies entre cour et jardin as even Versailles did,

1316-419: The end of his life he built a separate smaller one-story palace, the Grand Trianon (1687) as a refuge for the King from the noise and ceremony of the court. His final project at Versilles was the chapel (1699–1710), which was carefully integrated into the architecture of the south wing. Hardouin-Mansard was also an important urban designer, the creator of two notable Paris residential squares. Both squares,

1363-513: The inventive spatial arrangements in the hôtel that swiftly became the Hôtel Amelot de Gournay, Germain Brice remarked in his early 18th-century guidebook that "one will note some remarkable and daring lay-outs, which however appear rationally based, providing several amenities". Boffrand's pavilion of 1712–15 that inaugurated the new quarter of the Faubourg Saint-Honoré was purchased and became

1410-504: The nobility in 1682. He became intendant of the King in 1685, and royal inspector-general of buildings 1691, under the elderly superintendent of buildings, Villacerf , whom he finally replaced in 1699. He owed his rise not just for his ability to please his patron with his designs, but especially because of his ability to manage enormous and complex projects with many elements and designers. He would sketch out an idea; stand back and intervene and adjust when needed, from time to time to visit

1457-704: The office, both dying young, in 1732 and 1745. Boffrand's folio, Livre d'architecture , was published in 1745. There are no surviving caches of his drawings. In January 1745 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London. Germain Boffrand died in Paris in 1754 at age 86. The following commissions of Boffrand are largely taken from Fiske Kimball, The Creation of the Rococo , 1943. Château de Roissy-en-France , 1704–1715 (destroyed) attributed to Boffrand after archeological research Jules Hardouin-Mansart Born Jules Hardouin in Paris in 1646, he studied under his renowned great-uncle François Mansart , one of

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1504-447: The orders of Stanislaus I , the square is one of the oldest examples of an architecturally consistent and monumental public square, and is an excellent example of 18th-century urban architecture. Since 1983, the architectural ensemble comprising the Place Stanislas, the extension of its axis, the Place de la Carrière and the Place d'Alliance, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site . After

1551-488: The original Château by Louis XIII , which had been begun by his predecessor, Louis Le Vau . He transformed the first-floor terrace of the Palace overlooking the garden, into the celebrated Hall of Mirrors , richly decorated by his collaborator, the artist Charles Le Brun . He also reconstructed the façade of the first floor facing the marble courtyard, giving it large arched windows and bringing in more light, and added new central residential wing, also with larger windows, for

1598-454: The originators of the classical tradition in French architecture; Hardouin inherited Mansart's collection of plans and drawings and added Mansart's name to his own in 1668. He began his career as an entrepreneur in building construction, in partnership with his brother Michel, but then decided in 1672 to devote himself entirely to architecture. In 1674, he became one of the group of royal architects working for Louis XIV. His first important project

1645-434: The paved and gravel forecourt ( cour d'honneur ) protected behind fine wrought iron double gates, and enclosed by the main block and its outbuildings ( corps de logis ), linked by balustrades, symmetrically disposed. A traditional French touch is the modest pedimented entrance flanked by boldly projecting pavilions. Behind, the central axis is extended between the former parterres , now grass. The park with formally shaped water

1692-457: The pensioners. In 1676 he began work on the choir, the portion of the church intended for the pensioners. By the summer of 1677 the roof was in place, and in April 1678 he was able to order the woodwork of the stalls, and in 1679, the cabinetry for the organ. The work on the royal chapel proceeded more slowly. Its distinctive feature was the dome, one of the earliest constructed in Paris, following

1739-565: The royal architect Emmanuel Héré de Corny (1705–1763). Construction began in March 1752, and ended in November 1755. Barthélémy Guibal and Paul-Louis Cyfflé created a bronze statue of Louis XV that was erected in the center of the square. It was removed during the iconoclasm of the Revolution , when it was replaced with a simple winged figure. The square was renamed the ' Place du Peuple ', and later

1786-620: The royal family. To house the growing number of staff and servants in the Château, he built the Grand Commun (1682–85), and for the horses and carriages of the royal household constructed two palatial stables on the city-side of the Palace (finished in 1682). His later additions to the Palace included the Orangerie (1684–86), halfway underground at the end of south wing, accessed by two monumental stairways and opening onto its own sunken garden. Toward

1833-424: The site, and to see that the budget was kept under control. In the latter part of his career he left more of the details to the architects who worked under him, notably Robert de Cotte , who was his chosen successor. He was given the title of Count of Sagonne in 1702, but died six months later at the royal Château de Marly . Hardouin-Mansart was the leading master of the architectural style that became known as

1880-490: The tone for the restrained French Late Baroque architectural style, somewhat chastened by academic detailing , that was influential as far as Saint Petersburg and even echoed in Constantinople . At the same time, the size of support staff in his official bureaucratic position has often raised criticisms that he was less than directly responsible for the work that was constructed under his name, criticisms that underestimate

1927-517: The virtues of the Saints and the French Kings. By 1690 a large group of sculptors was at work at statues for the niches of the façade. The war was followed by a financial crisis; work was halted entirely in 1695, and did not resume until the war ended in 1699. Once the war ended, constructed resumed, and the royal chapel was finally consecrated, in the presence of the King, on 22 August 1706, not long before

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1974-581: Was a participant in the competition for the design of Place Louis XV . Named chief architect to the hôpital général in 1724, he constructed in the Île de la Cité a foundling hospital, the Hôpital des Enfants Trouvés (1727, demolished). Boffrand also worked for the hospitals at the Salpêtrière, at Bicêtre, and at the Hôtel-Dieu. He built a series of hôtels particuliers in Paris as speculative business enterprises. Of

2021-465: Was laid out by André Le Nôtre . There are sumptuous interiors. The small scale makes it easier to compare to the approximately contemporary Het Loo (Netherlands), for William III of Orange . He died at Marly-le-Roi in 1708. Place Stanislas The Place Stanislas is a large pedestrianised square in the French city of Nancy , in the Lorraine historic region. Built between 1752 and 1756 on

2068-405: Was much altered in later years, with the addition of traverse streets and buildings in a different style. The later Place Vendôme was a larger square, but Hardouin-Mansard broke the rigid box shape with corner buildings facing inward, decorated with ornamental pediments. His most prominent position in France put him in place to create many of the significant monuments of the period, and to set

2115-412: Was not satisfied with the plans that were offered to him by Bruant, and complained about the slowness of the work. On March 1, 1676, Louvois dismissed Bruant and summoned Hardouin-Mansart, who was little known outside the royal household, and asked him to take over the church. The chapel originally planned by Bruant for the veterans was relatively modest in size and decoration. Hardouin-Mansart proposed

2162-399: Was slow in providing funding. Hardouin-Mansart had to modify the original plan, eliminating the painted ceiling, and redesigning the dome with an interior dome, not visible from the outside. He mounted the dome on two successive drums, giving it greater height than the earlier Paris domes. He commissioned the sculptor François Girardon to make statues illustrating the themes of the building,

2209-483: Was the Château de Clagny , built for the King's consort, Madame de Montespan . He quickly showed he was a master of bureaucratic diplomacy as well as design and construction; he gained the protection and support of Madame de Montespan, then François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois , the Minister of War. He studied under and then collaborated with landscape designer André Le Nôtre , before finally working directly with

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