Belgique - Brabant wallon - Panorama de la bataille de Waterloo - 03

The Panorama of the Battle of Waterloo () is a

rotunda A rotunda () is any roofed building with a circular ground plan, and sometimes covered by a dome. It may also refer to a round room within a building (an example being the one below the dome of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.). ...

in Belgium that houses a monumental

panoramic painting Panoramic paintings are massive artworks that reveal a wide, Panorama, all-encompassing view of a particular subject, often a landscape, military battle, or historical event. They became especially popular in the 19th century in Europe and the Un ...

depicting the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

. The neoclassical building is located immediately to the north of the

Lion's Mound The Lion's Mound (, "Lion's Hillock/Knoll"; , "Lion of Waterloo") is a large conical artificial hill in the municipality of Braine-l'Alleud, Walloon Brabant, Belgium. King William I of the Netherlands ordered its construction in 1820, and it ...

on the battlefield of the Battle of Waterloo in the municipality of

Braine-l'Alleud Braine-l'Alleud (; ; ) is a Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, in the Provinces of Belgium, province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium, about south of Brussels. The municipality consists of the following districts: Braine-l'Alleud ...

in the Belgian province of

Walloon Brabant Walloon Brabant ( ; ; ) is a province located in Belgium's French-speaking region of Wallonia. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the province of Flemish Brabant (Flemish Region) and the provinces of Liège, Namur and Hainaut. Walloon Br ...

Design

The rotunda was designed by the architect in 1911. It has an external diameter of and stands high, with a conical roof. The white painted brick walls of the rotunda are decorated with recessed blind arches separated by Ionic pilasters, and crowned with parapet with a frieze of

palmette The palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. It has a far-reaching history, originating in ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art o ...

s. The entrance porch has two pairs of Tuscan columns supporting a triangular pediment. The rotunda houses an oil-on-canvas painting completed by French artist

Louis Dumoulin Louis-Jules Dumoulin (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 ...

in 1912, with 14 canvas panels sewn together to create a cylinder approximately in circumference and high. It is lit from above by a ring of glazing around the edge of the conical roof and is viewed from a high platform at the centre of the rotunda. The painting depicts several different episodes from the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, concentrating on charges by French cavalry. Physical elements in front of the painting, including cut-out figures, fences and bodies made of plaster and

papier mache Papier may refer to : *paper in French, Dutch, Afrikaans, Polish or German, word that can be found in the following expressions: **Papier-mâché, a construction material made of pieces of paper stuck together using a wet paste **Papier collé '' ...

, disguise the lower edge of the painting and enhance its immersive quality. The building and the painting were protected as historical monuments in 1998. In 2008 the Belgian government proposed that the panorama should be included within a

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

listing. The Waterloo Panorama is one of few original panoramas that have survived and which are still exhibited in their original location. Other panoramas of the Battle of Waterloo, by

Charles Verlat Charles Verlat or Karel Verlat (25 November 182423 October 1890) was a Belgian painter, watercolorist, engraver (printmaker), art educator and director of the Antwerp Academy. He painted many subjects and was particularly known as an animalier ...

, Paul Philippoteaux and have been lost. File:Waterloo panorama museum.JPG, The rotunda as seen from the Lion's Mound File:Panorama de la Bataille de Waterloo 02.JPG, The entrance File:Belgium-6745C - Marshal Ney (14154954584).jpg, Painting detail:

Marshal Ney Michel Ney, 1st Prince de la Moskowa, 1st Duke of Elchingen (; 10 January 1769 – 7 December 1815), was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. The son of ...

of France leading a charge File:Belgium-6756 - Duke of Wellington - back right (14152047342).jpg, Painting detail: the

Duke of Wellington Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...

and his staff (top right) sheltering from French

cuirassier A cuirassier ( ; ; ) was a cavalryman equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as man-at-arms, men-at-arms and demi-lancers discarding their ...

s in a square of Highland infantry

References

* ''Based on a translation of the French article''
Le Panorama de la Bataille de Waterloo, exemple particulièrement significatif de « Phénomène de Panoramas »
UNESCO submission, 8 April 2008 {{coord, 50, 40, 45, N, 4, 24, 19, E, display=title, region:BE_type:landmark Waterloo Battlefield locations Buildings and structures in Walloon Brabant Cycloramas 1912 paintings Waterloo campaign in paintings Buildings and structures completed in 1911 Neoclassical architecture in Belgium Rotundas in Europe Braine-l'Alleud Horses in art

Design

See also

References