Alphonse Hubert François Balat (; 15 May 1818 – 16 September 1895) was a Belgian

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Life

Balat was born in Gochenée. He studied at the Academie of

Namur Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur stands at the confl ...

and obtained his degree in architecture from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

in 1838. In 1839, he stayed in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

for a year but returned after his father's death. He was soon discovered by the Walloon

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

for which he built or renovated a number of

château A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking re ...

s (amongst others Jehay-Bodegnée Castle and Presles Castle). Stylistically, these constructions often contained

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

elements with a neoclassical stress. In his interior designs, he also used elements from the

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

and

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

styles. In 1846, Balat settled in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

. He was introduced to the

Belgian royal family The monarchy of Belgium is the constitutional and hereditary institution of the monarchical head of state of the Kingdom of Belgium. As a popular monarchy, the Belgian monarch uses the title king/queen of the Belgians and serves as the ...

after he was noticed for his design of a temporary festive decoration for the Salle de la Madeleine (Magdalenamarkt) where the royal family had been present (1848). In 1851 and 1856, he created several temporary festive decorations for the monarchy. In 1852, he was appointed as the architect of the

Duke of Brabant The Duke of Brabant (, ) was the ruler of the Duchy of Brabant since 1183/1184. The title was created by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in favor of Henry I, Duke of Brabant, Henry I of the House of Reginar, son of Godfrey III of Le ...

, the later King Leopold II. In 1856, he constructed the town palace (Hôtel) of the Marquess of Assche (

Asse Asse () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. It comprises the towns of Asse proper, Bekkerzeel, Kobbegem, Mollem, Relegem and Zellik. Asse is also situated in the Pajottenland. ...

) in the newly planned district called the

Leopold Quarter The Leopold Quarter (; Dutch language, Dutch: ) is a Quarter (country subdivision), quarter of Brussels, Belgium. The term is sometimes confused with the Brussels and the European Union#European Quarter, European Quarter, as the area has come t ...

. It was noticed for its austere classical

neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival ar ...

facade inspired by

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...

Palazzo Farnese Palazzo Farnese () or Farnese Palace is one of the most important High Renaissance palaces in Rome. Owned by the Italian Republic, it was given to the French government in 1936 for a period of 99 years, and currently serves as the French e ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. His rather sober classical approach was rare at that time when excessively decorated facades and interiors were much preferred. During his career, he built a large number of private residences. Most of them were demolished during the 20th century. After Leopold II ascended the throne in 1865, Balat became his principal architect. Balat made a number of designs for the sumptuous reception rooms of the

Royal Palace of Brussels The Royal Palace of Brussels ( ; ; ) is the official palace of the Monarchy of Belgium, King and Queen of the Belgians in the centre of the nation's capital, Brussels. However, it is not used as a royal residence, as the king and his family l ...

such as the Throne Room, the Grand Staircase, and the Grand Gallery. For this realisations, he greatly followed the example of the French royal residences. Balat realised the facade on the back of the palace and the facades of the courtyards. His design for the principal facade of the palace is deeply influenced by the work of the French architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel. It was not executed during Balat's lifetime and later completed in an altered form by Henri Maquet. Balat died at

Ixelles (French language, French, ) or (Dutch language, Dutch, ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located to the south-east of Pentagon (Brussels), Brusse ...

, aged 76, and was buried in Laeken Cemetery.

Royal Greenhouses of Laeken

Balat's most successful architectural project is the

Royal Greenhouses of Laeken The Royal Greenhouses of Laeken (, ) are a vast complex of monumental heated greenhouses in the park of the Palace of Laeken, Royal Palace of Laeken (northern part of the City of Brussels), Belgium. The historic complex contains Tropics, tropic ...

. It consists of a huge complex of several dome-shaped buildings in iron and glass that are connected by glass-roofed galleries. The centrepiece is the domed Winter Garden, which is a circular interpretation of the Palm House of the

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,10 ...

. Working with new materials like iron and glass, Balat was obliged to abandon his classical stance. This stimulated the architect's imagination. In the steel constructions, he introduced decorative motifs derived from plants and flowers. This formed a first step towards

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

architecture that was further developed by Victor Horta who served as an apprentice of Balat.

Honours

* 1881: Grand Officer in the Order of Leopold. * 1862: Member of the Royal Academie.Index biographique des membres et associés de l'Académie royale de Belgique (1769-2005)

Works

*For

Leopold II of Belgium Leopold II (9 April 1835 – 17 December 1909) was the second king of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909, and the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908. Born in Brussels as the second but eldest-surviving son of King Leo ...

: **

(1866–1874) : Grand Staircase, decoration of divers room, Throne Room, back facade, several projects for the principal facade. ** Royal Castle of Laeken : manège (1873–1874), new entrance gate (1879–1880), restoration after the fire (1890) **

(1874–1890) ** Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (1875–1880), rue de la Régence/Regentschapsstraat,

. ** Royal Castle of Ardenne (near

Houyet Houyet () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia in the Namur Province, province of Namur, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 4,485 inhabitants. The total area is 122.31 km², giving a population density of 37 ...

), later converted into a luxury hotel. (1874-) ** Royal Castle of Ciergnon (near

). ** Project for a 'Panthéon National', in

Koekelberg Koekelberg (; ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-western part of the region, it is bordered by Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Ganshoren, Jette, and Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. In common with al ...

(1880 - not realised), (colossal ionic temple) ** Facade of the Royal Castle of Ciergnon (1880) ** Project for the 'Montagne de la Cour', today called 'Mont des Arts'/'Kunstberg' in

(1882, not realised) *For other private patrons: ** Transformations on the Castle of Jehay-Bodegnée ** Castle of Warfusée in Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse : facade in

Louis XV of France Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

style and interior decoration (1840) ** Château Saint-Marc, near

: facade ** Château de Seilles-lez-Andenne ** Castle of : exterior renovation. ** Château de Presles (1855) ** Gentilhommière à Dave (1858) ** Palace of Charles Vander Noot, Marquess of Assche, rue de la Science, 33 (today square Frère Orban)

(1856–1858) ** Transformation of the Opheylissem abbey into a 'château de plaisance' (dome)(1870) ** Reconstruction of the Castle of Freÿr after the fire (since 1875) ** Transformations on the Castle of Mirwart *Other projects: ** Festive decoration of the salle de la Madeleine in

(1848) ** Festive decoration of the 'salle du palais ducal' in

(1851) and (1856). ** 'Victoria Regia' greenhouse in the Zoo of Brussels (

Leopold Park Leopold Park (, ; ) is a public park of located within the Leopold Quarter (Brussels and the European Union, European Quarter) of Brussels, Belgium. It is adjacent to the Espace Léopold, Paul-Henri Spaak building, the seat of the European Par ...

). Moved to the National Botanic Garden of Belgium in Meise. ( Bouchout Castle)

Gallery

Bibliography

* Bordiau, G., ''Notice sur Alphonse Balat'', in ''Annuaire de l'Académie Royale des Sciences des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique'', Brussels, 1903, pp. 129–148. * Clément, J., ''Alphonse Balat. Architecte du roi (1819-1895)'', Palais des Académies, Brussels, 1956. * Martiny, V.G., 'Balat, Alphonse' in ''Biographie nationale', Brussels, 1971, kol. 15–18. * ''Poelaert en zijn tijd''/''Poelaert et son temps'' (exhib. cat.), Gemeentekrediet/Crédit communal, Brussels, 1980, pp. 199–209. * Vandeweerdt, Dirk, ''Kunstgeschiedenis, architectuur en beeldhouwkunst'', deel 6 in ''Culturele Geschiedenis van Vlaanderen'', Baert, s.l., 1980. * Goedleven, E., Fornari, B. en Vandenbreeden, J., ''De Koninklijke Serres van Laken'', Lannoo, Tielt, 1988. * Smets, Irène, ''De Koninklijke Serres te Laken'', Ludion, Ghent, 2001.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balat, Alphonse 1818 births 1895 deaths Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp) alumni Members of the Royal Academy of Belgium Burials at Laeken Cemetery 19th-century Belgian architects