François d'Orbay

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François d'Orbay

François d'Orbay (French pronunciation:

Jules Hardouin Mansart.[1]

Early training and career

D'Orbay was born in Paris and likely received his early training as an architect from his father, who was a master mason and entrepreneur. In the late 1650s he became an assistant to the architect Louis Le Vau, when the latter was working on the Château de Vincennes.[2]

Project for Trinità dei Monti in Rome, 1660

In 1660 Le Vau sent d'Orbay to Rome for further study. While in Rome, d'Orbay created an ambitious but unexecuted design for a stair in front of the Trinità dei Monti, as well as three buildings adjacent to the church. He probably returned to Paris before the end of 1660.[2]

Église des Réligieux de Prémontré (1662; demolished 1719)

Commissioned by Anne of Austria, d'Orbay designed and built the entrance to the church of the convent of the Prémontrés de la Croix-Rouge in 1662. A friend, the sculptor Étienne Le Hongre, executed the patron's coat of arms and the bas-relief of the attic (The Eucharist Carried by Angels). The church was located between the rue de Sèvres and the rue du Cherche-Midi in the Faubourg Saint-Germain, but was demolished in 1719.[3]

In 1663 d'Orbay received an official post with the

Premier Architecte du Roi. D'Orbay produced numerous drawings for the Louvre, Versailles, and the Collège des Quatre-Nations. After Le Vau's death in 1670, d'Orbay was left in charge of completing much of the ongoing work, sometimes introducing significant changes to Le Vau's original designs.[2]

Escalier des Ambassadeurs at Versailles (1671–1680; demolished 1752[4])

At Versailles he is thought to have been primarily responsible for the design of the Escalier des Ambassadeurs [fr] (decorated by Charles Le Brun), although d'Orbay apparently relied very heavily on an earlier design by Claude Perrault for a stairway at the Louvre.[2]

In 1671 d'Orbay became one of the founding members of the

Académie Royale d'Architecture and that same year designed the portal of the Hôpital de la Trinité (destroyed), rue Saint-Denis, Paris.[5]

In 1960 the French architect

Jules Hardouin Mansart was made principal architect of Versailles in 1678, after which d'Orbay resumed his former job as draughtsman (now under Mansart).[2] Mansart was promoted to Premier Architecte du Roi in 1681.[8]

Late career

D'Orbay did however execute some independent work in the latter part of his career:[2]

D'Orbay died in Paris.

References

Notes

  1. ^ "Orbay, François d'", pp. 539–540, in Curl 2006; "Orbay, François d'", p. 411, in Fleming et al. 1998; Berger 1982 and 1998. Hautecoeur 1948, p. 123, gives d'Orbay's date of death as 4 September 1697, however Berger 1998 does not repeat it.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Berger 1998.
  3. ^ Hautecoeur 1948, p. 121.
  4. ^ Ayers 2004, p. 336.
  5. ^ Hautecoeur 1948, p. 121; Berger 1998.
  6. ^ Laprade 1960; for a discussion of the enveloppe of Versailles, see History of the Palace of Versailles#Second building campaign.
  7. ^ Blunt & Beresford 1999, p. 294 note 38; Berger 1982 and 1998.
  8. ^ Jestaz 1998, p. 296.

Sources

External links