East facade of the Sully Wing 2009-06-02

The Louvre Colonnade is the easternmost façade of the

Louvre Palace The Louvre Palace (, ), often referred to simply as the Louvre, is an iconic French palace located on the Right Bank of the Seine in Paris, occupying a vast expanse of land between the Tuileries Gardens and the church of Saint-Germain l'Auxe ...

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 ...

. It has been celebrated as the foremost masterpiece of French architectural classicism since its construction, mostly between 1667 and 1674. The design, dominated by two loggias with trabeated

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or curv ...

s of

coupled ''Coupled'' is an American dating game show that aired on Fox from May 17 to August 2, 2016. It was hosted by television personality, Terrence J and created by Mark Burnett, of '' Survivor'', '' The Apprentice'', '' Are You Smarter than a 5th ...

giant columns, was created by a committee of three, the Petit Conseil, consisting of Louis Le Vau,

Charles Le Brun Charles Le Brun (; baptised 24 February 1619 – 12 February 1690) was a French Painting, painter, Physiognomy, physiognomist, Aesthetics, art theorist, and a director of several art schools of his time. He served as a court painter to Louis XIV, ...

, and

Claude Perrault Claude Perrault (; 25 September 1613 – 9 October 1688) was a French physician and amateur architect, best known for his participation in the design of the east façade of the Louvre in Paris.François Le Vau, also contributed. Cast in a restrained classicizing baroque manner, it interprets rules laid down by the ancient Roman architect

Vitruvius Vitruvius ( ; ; –70 BC – after ) was a Roman architect and engineer during the 1st century BC, known for his multi-volume work titled . As the only treatise on architecture to survive from antiquity, it has been regarded since the Renaissan ...

, whose works Perrault translated into French (1673).Neumann 2013, pp. 296–297. Its flat-roofline design, previously associated with Italy and unprecedented in France, was immensely influential.

Description

Little that could be called

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

can be identified in the Colonnade's cool classicism that looks back to the 16th century. The use of one central and two terminal pavilions is typically French, while the main entrance, a

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

ed '' avant-corps'', resembles a

triumphal arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road, and usually standing alone, unconnected to other buildings. In its simplest form, a triumphal ...

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

front. The simple character of the ground floor basement sets off the paired Corinthian columns, modeled strictly according to Vitruvius, against a shadowed void. This scheme of coupled columns on a high podium goes back as far as Bramante's House of Raphael (1512). The effect of the Colonnade has been likened to that of an ancient Roman temple whose elevations have "been flattened, as it were, into a single plane." Crowned by an uncompromising Italian balustrade along its distinctly non-French flat roof, the whole ensemble represents a ground-breaking departure in French architecture. File:Louvre-facade-est.jpg, The 183-metre long east façade in 2005

History of the design

Louis Le Vau, the King's First Architect at the time of the death of

Cardinal Mazarin Jules Mazarin (born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino or Mazarini; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), from 1641 known as Cardinal Mazarin, was an Italian Catholic prelate, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Lou ...

in 1661, completed the south wing of the Louvre's Cour Carrée in 1663. He had already started designing the east wing around 1659 and by late 1663 began laying the foundation. On 1 January 1664, Jean-Baptiste Colbert purchased the post of Surintendant des Bâtiments du Roi from Antoine de Ratabon and suddenly halted all work on the east wing. He invited other French architects to submit designs, in effect starting a competition. He later extended his invitation to four Roman architects, including

Pietro da Cortona Pietro da Cortona (; 1 November 1596 or 159716 May 1669) was an Italian Baroque painter and architect. Along with his contemporaries and rivals Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini, he was one of the key figures in the emergence of Roman ...

and

Gian Lorenzo Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, ; ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 1598 – 28 November 1680) was an Italians, Italian sculptor and Italian architect, architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prom ...

, and sent them Le Vau's designs. Among the French projects submitted at that time were two of special interest: one (lost) shown anonymously by Claude Perrault, a physician and scientist, and one by François Le Vau, Louis Le Vau's younger brother and an accomplished architect in his own right. Nevertheless, Colbert selected Bernini based on two preliminary projects and invited him to Paris to further revise and complete his designs. Bernini arrived in June 1665 and stayed until late October. During his stay he sculpted a portrait bust of Louis XIV, which is now in the Salon of Diana at the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

. Bernini's design for the Louvre was very Italianate and ambitious, encompassing the entire building rather than just the east wing. The foundation cornerstone was laid at a royal ceremony a few days before Bernini left for Rome. File:François Le Vau Louvre project drawing – Nationalmuseum, Stockholm.jpg, Drawing by François Le Vau, which may be his proposal of 1664 File:Bernini.jpg, Bernini's first project (1664), drawing,

Musée du Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

File:L'Architecture française (Marot) BnF RES-V-371 167v-f357 Louvre, Principale Entrée du côté de Saint-Germain du dessein du Cavalier Bernin (adjusted).jpg, Bernini's third project (1665), engraved by

Jean Marot Jean Marot (; Mathieu, near Caen, 1463 – c. 1526) was a French poet of the late 15th and early 16 century and the father of the French Renaissance poet Clément Marot. He is often grouped with the " Grands Rhétoriqueurs". Jean Marot seems ...

Bernini's plans were not well received by French architects, who objected and eventually won the upper hand. In April 1667, Colbert, with the king's approval, appointed Louis Le Vau, Charles Le Brun, and Claude Perrault to a committee, the Petit Conseil, to prepare new designs.

Charles Perrault Charles Perrault ( , , ; 12 January 162816 May 1703) was a French author and member of the Académie Française. He laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from earlier folk tales, published in his ...

, Claude Perrault's younger brother and Colbert's chief assistant, acted as the secretary of the committee and probably wrote the ''Registre ou Journal des déliberations...'', which records the activities of the committee during April and May 1667.Berger 1993, p. 26. The ''Registre'' begins by describing Colbert's dissatisfaction with the French and Italian projects and his decision to create a committee "to allow for mutual consultation." Le Vau, Le Brun, and Perrault are instructed to work together "unanimously and conjointly on all designs for the construction of the Palais du Louvre, so the designs will be regarded as the work of the three equally, and for conservation of good collaboration, none should spoil by claiming to be the particular author to the detriment of the others." After several meetings, the Petit Conseil drew up two schemes, and, according to the ''Registre'', "one was adorned with an order of columns forming a peristyle or gallery above the first floor .e., the ground floor and the other was simpler and more unified, without an order of columns". The architects of the designs were not identified.Berger 1993, p. 27. On 14 May, at the royal

Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye The Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a former royal palace in the commune of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the department of Yvelines, about 19 km west of Paris, France. Today, it houses the '' Musée d'Archéologie nationale'' (Nationa ...

, two paintings of the proposals were shown to Louis XIV, who chose the design with the colonnade. In July 1667 Colbert finally informed Bernini that his plans had been abandoned. The new façade was begun that summer and was mostly complete in 1674, when the stones of the central pediment were hoisted into place. The authorship of the Colonnade's design has remained controversial ever since. Le Vau may have been responsible for the use of the colonnade, possibly based on the 1664 design of his brother François, which employed paired, free-standing columns. A change in the order from Composite to Corinthian may have been due to the influence of Roland Fréart de Chambray, who was called to Paris to become a member of the Petit Conseil in 1668. At some point that same year the decision was made to double the width of the south wing. This resulted in the widening and redesign of both the south and north pavilions of the east façade. Perrault probably became the main designer in 1668 and was responsible for the final design. The severely designed colonnade overlooking the Place du Louvre — for which buildings including the Hôtel du Petit-Bourbon were demolished to provide the necessary urban space — became widely celebrated. The pediment sculpture of 'Minerva surrounded by the Muses of Victory crowning the bust of Napoleon' is by François-Frédéric Lemot (1808–1810). Napoleon was later replaced by Louis XIV, although the face was kept. File:Louvre - Élévation de la principale facade au côté de Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois - Architecture françoise Tome4 Livre6 Pl7.jpg, Engraving of the east façade from Blondel's ''Architecture françoise'', 1756

Interior

Between 1807 and 1811, Percier and Fontaine created monumental staircases at the southern and northern ends of the wing behind the Colonnade, and projected a suite of prestige rooms between the two staircases on the first floor. The architectural sculpture of the southern staircase (Escalier du Midi) were created in the early 1810s by François Gérard, Auguste Marie Taunay, Augustin Félix Fortin, and .

Digging out of the moat

Lifting of the Louvre pediment stones 1674 by Le Clerc - Berger 1993 fig86

In 1964, the French

Minister of Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organiza ...

André Malraux Georges André Malraux ( ; ; 3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976) was a French novelist, art theorist, and minister of cultural affairs. Malraux's novel ''La Condition Humaine'' (''Man's Fate'') (1933) won the Prix Goncourt. He was appointed ...

, ordered the digging out of the dry moat in front of the Colonnade. A characteristic feature of pre-classical French architecture, it is shown in nearly every project and early drawing of the east façade, and its reexcavation revealed the original ''soubassement'', or podium (see the engraving from Blondel's book). The moat may have been filled in around 1674 to facilitate construction (see the engraving by

Sébastien Leclerc Sébastien Leclerc or Le Clerc ( aptized26 September 1637— 25 October 1714) was a French artist from the Lorraine (duchy), Duchy of Lorraine. He specialized in subtle reproductive drawings, etchings, and engravings of paintings; and worked m ...

) and not restored due to lack of funds to build the ''contrescarpe'' after Louis XIV's attention shifted to the

. However, in 1981 Germain Bazin argued that the reconstruction of the moat was misguided, since for aesthetic reasons Louis XIV had never wanted it.

Influence

For centuries, the Colonnade has provided a model for many grand edifices in Europe and America: * In Paris, Ange-Jacques Gabriel's buildings on the

Place de la Concorde The Place de la Concorde (; ) is a public square in Paris, France. Measuring in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées. It was the s ...

(1755–1775) and the principal façade of Charles Garnier's Opéra (1860–1875) * The central part of the East and West Fronts of the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the United States Congress, the United States Congress, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, federal g ...

(1792–1811) in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

*The

Cannon House Office Building The Cannon House Office Building, often called the "Old House Office Building", completed in 1908, is the oldest office building of the United States Congress in Washington, D.C. A significant example of the Beaux-Arts style of architecture, it ...

in Washington, D.C. *The Raczyński Library (1822–1828) in

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

*The

Metropolitan Museum The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the third-largest museum in the world and the largest art museum in the Americas. With 5.36 million v ...

(1874) in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

*The original Pennsylvania Station (1910) in New York City * War Memorial Opera House (1932),

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, USA

Notes

Bibliography

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The Dictionary of Art ''Grove Art Online'' is the online edition of ''The Dictionary of Art'', often referred to as the ''Grove Dictionary of Art'', and part of Oxford Art Online, an internet gateway to online art reference publications of Oxford University Press, ...

'', edited by Jane Turner, reprinted with minor corrections in 1998. New York: Grove. . * Burchard, Wolf (2016). ''The Sovereign Artist: Charles Le Brun and the Image of Louis XIV''. London: Paul Holbertonn Publishing. . * Cojannot, Alexandre (2003). "Claude Perrault et le Louvre de Louis XIV. À propos de deux livres récents," ''Bulletin Monumental'', vol. 161, no. 3, pp. 231–239. * Feldmann, Dietrich (1996)
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'', 34 volumes, edited by Jane Turner. New York: Grove. . * Gargiani, Roberto (1998). ''Idea e costruzione del Louvre. Parigi cruciale nella storia dell'architettura moderna europea''. Florence: Alinea. . * Laprade, Albert (1960). ''François d'Orbay: Architecte de Louis XIV''. Paris: Éditions Vincent, Fréal. . * Neuman, Robert (2013). ''Baroque and Rococo Art and Architecture''. Boston: Pearson. . * Pérouse de Montclos, Jean-Marie (1989). ''Histoire de l'architecture française. De la Renaissance à la Révolution''. Paris: Mengès. . * Petzet, Michael (2000). ''Claude Perrault und die Architektur des Sonnenkönigs. Der Louvre König Ludwigs XIV. und das Werk Claude Perraults''. Munich/Berlin:

Deutscher Kunstverlag The Deutscher Kunstverlag (DKV) is an educational publishing house with offices in Berlin and Munich. The publisher specializes in books about art, cultural history, architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and bu ...

. . * Preimesberger, Rudolf; Mezzatesta, Michael P. (1996)
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'', edited by Jane Turner, reprinted with minor corrections in 1998. New York: Grove. . * Summerson, John (1963). ''The Classical Language of Architecture''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press. . * Sutcliffe, Anthony (1993). ''Paris: An Architectural History''. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. . * Tadgell, Christopher (1980). "Claude Perrault, François Le Vau and the Louvre Colonnade", ''The Burlington Magazine'', vol. 122, no. 926 (May 1980), pp. 326–337. * Whiteley, Mary; Braham, Allan (1969). "Les soubassements de l'aile orientale du Louvre". ''Revue de l'art'', vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 30–43. * Wischermann, Heinfried (1997). ''Paris: An Architectural Guide''. Venice: Arsenale Editrice. . {{coord, 48, 51, 36.59, N, 2, 20, 22.71, E, type:landmark, display=title Louvre Palace French art Classicism Colonnades Ancien Régime French architecture Neoclassical architecture in Paris