Synopses & Reviews
A Royal Passion is the first in-depth study of the Sun King as a patron of architecture. Surveying such monuments as the Louvre, Versailles, the Invalides, and other buildings that are closely identified with Louis XIV, Robert W. Berger demonstrates why these buildings, gardens, urban spaces, and their decorations were so important to him. Serving as functional necessities, objects of aesthetic delight, and as political statements, his architectural enterprises collectively underscored his absolutist authority. Moreover, by adopting the guise of 'builder-prince', Louis XIV reasserted his kinship with the Roman emperors, whose grandeur he sought both to emulate and to surpass.
Review
"The greatest value of A Royal Passion is its comprehensive scope. ...there is no other comparable work, in English or in French." Journal of the Society of Architectural HistoriansA fascinating and beautiful book--Stanley Abercrombie in the magazine "INTERIOR DESIGN"...a well-written survey of the crown's major architectural commissions." Richard Cleary, Architronic"This readable and cogently presented text is accompanied by suitable photographs and floor plan of the buildings that permit the reader to comprehend both the buildings' authentic structures and aesthetic sensibilities. Berger's style is thoroughly engaging, a sardonic sense of humor resonating across his finely crafted scholarly prose. Like the architecture he describes, his analyses are elegantly crafted and provide the reader a superb impression of the relationship between Louis's architectural achievements and the king's own character." Simon P. Sibelman, The European Studies Journal
Synopsis
An in-depth study of King Louis XIV as a patron of architecture.
Synopsis
An in-depth study of King Louis XIV as a patron of architecture.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction; 2. The Regency (1643-1661); 3. The early years of personal rule: the King and Colbert (1661-1671); 4. The Louvre and Tuilleries; 5. A building for the sciences: the Observatoire; 6. Versailles I (1661-1677); 7. Paris I; 8. A palace for a mistress: the Chateau of Clagny and the rise of Jules Hardouin-Mansart; 9. The Invalides; 10. Versailles II (1678-1715); 11. Marly; 12. Paris II; 13. Vauban and the architecture of war; 14. Le Roi-Architecte; 15. Absolutism and architecture; 16. Epilogue: the old King in triumph and sorrow.