Pierre CONTANT d'IVRY - Lot 113

Lot n° 113
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Estimation :
6000 - 8000 EUR
Pierre CONTANT d'IVRY - Lot 113
Pierre CONTANT d'IVRY (Ivry sur Seine 1698-1777) Elevation of a project for the king on the quai Malaquais with a town hall Pen and black and grey ink, black and grey wash, watercolor highlights, on two assembled sheets, collage of the middle statue 31 x 93 cm Annotated at the top Elevation of the buildings forming the place du Roy and the major face of the city hall proposed vis a vis the middle of the great gallery of the Louvre on the quay malaquêt between the hotel de Bouillon and the mo des Theatins. Folds. Bibliography: P. Patte, Monumens érigés en France à la gloire de Louis XV, Paris, 1767, chapter XI, pp. 201-203, reproduced pl. LII. On June 17, 1748, the provost of the merchants and the aldermen of Paris decided to erect an equestrian statue of King Louis XV. Bouchardon was approached for the realization of the monument in bronze. The architects of the Academy, as well as the other artists, were invited to present a project for a new royal square, each being free to choose the location in Paris. About one hundred and fifty projects were submitted to the king, including ours. Contant d'Ivry chose the Quai Malaquais, which allowed for a whole new layout with a new Hôtel de Ville at the bottom, as described very precisely by P. Patte (see Op. cit. supra, pp. 201-203). Two staircases on either side of the building provided the entrance. Two other staircases led down to the Seine. An arcade in the center of the Hôtel de ville would have allowed the king's statue to be seen from the rue des Saints Pères. A public garden was also planned behind the building. The events or shows given on this new square could have been followed by the king from the windows of the Grande Galerie du Louvre. The Slodtz brothers, who also competed, designed a project on the same site. Not wishing to cause the destruction of inhabited buildings, nor to upset the economic interests of the Parisians, Louis XV chose another option, and decided to use a piece of unbuilt land located between the Tuileries and the Champs Elysées, which corresponds to the current Place de la Concorde. A second competition was organized. Passionate about architecture. Louis XV finally approved the project of Ange Gabriel which made a synthesis of various elements taken on the works of several candidates. Architect to King Louis XV, Pierre Contant d'Ivry is considered one of the most important and innovative personalities of his time, one of the most important and appreciated architect of the reign of Louis XV. He was one of the most important and appreciated architects of the reign of Louis XV. He made the link between the Rocaille style and Neoclassicism. He worked almost exclusively for the King or the most prominent personalities of the time. He built the castle of Bizy for the marshal of Belle-Isle, or refurbished the Hotel de Crozat in Paris, which today houses the Ritz. Contant d'Ivry was also renowned as an ornamentalist and he also created gardens, including the one at Chamarande with its famous vegetable garden. Contant d'Ivry had learned drawing from Antoine Watteau before becoming a pupil of the architect Nicolas Dulin, He started out in Paris and was, between 1737 and 1749, the architect of the Prince of Conti, then from 1750 the architect of the Duke of Orléans. He was responsible for the renovation of the Palais Royal in 1754. His project for the construction of La Madeleine was selected in 1757, but unfortunately his death in 1777 prevented its execution. He trained a whole generation of architects, among whom Nicolas Ledoux.
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