310 RENAISSANCE ARCHITECTURE IN FRANCE. 



above it. A prize was offered for a design to supply one. Many archi- 

 tects, both French and Italian, competed, but, as may be imagined, 

 their designs proved to be merely variants on the old orders embellished 

 with new emblems, such as cocks, fleur-de-lys, &c., or else on Gothic 

 types. It is uncertain if the prize was awarded, but it was decided to 

 steer clear of untried experiments by falling back on the trusty 

 Corinthian, and risking the disgrace of placing it above the Composite. 



THE GALERIE D'APOLLON. The most important work of decoration 

 carried out under Louis XIV. at the Louvre was on the upper floor of 

 the Petite Galerie, built and decorated as the Galerie des Rois for 

 Henry IV., and all but destroyed by fire in 1661. Its redecoration, as 

 the Galerie d'Apollon in compliment to the " Sun King," was Le Brun's 

 first work in the royal palaces (Fig. 296). It was not finished in his 

 lifetime not indeed till its restoration by Duban (1848-51), in which 

 Le Brun's designs, which are still extant, were followed in the main. 

 It measures about 200 feet by 31, and 37 feet in extreme height. It 

 has thirteen square-headed recesses on each side the full height of the 

 walls, twelve of which on one side are windows. Pilasters occur only 

 at the ends, but the piers crowned by trophies, and sharply defined by 

 the bold architraves of the openings, constitute a sort of order of the 

 requisite sturdiness to carry with apparent ease the barrel vault which 

 springs from the cornice. This vault has five main painted panels of 

 various shapes at the crown, and smaller ones at the sides ; and among 

 the wealth of figures and architectural features, which decorate it, strong 

 horizontal lines carry the eye along the vista and lighten the effect. 



THE TUILERIES : LE VAU'S EARLIER WORK. Since the death of 

 Henry IV. building operations at the Tuileries had been at a standstill. 

 In 1659 Colbert entrusted their continuation to Le Vau. To realise the 

 difficulties of the task set him of bringing the existing portions into some- 

 thing approaching uniformity, it is necessary to glance at the state of 

 the palace when work was resumed (Fig. 297). A spectator standing 

 in the Gardens and facing east would see on the right the great mass of 

 the Pavilion de Flore with a giant Composite order and tall attic. Next 

 it, and set some way back, was a long 'gallery ("Galerie de Diane" or 

 "des Ambassadeurs") with the giant order, but with projecting stair turrets 

 with two orders at each end ; then Bullant's building with two orders and 

 an attic whose cornice ranged with that of the giant order ; next again 

 de 1'Orme's southern gallery with its projecting loggia of one order and 

 an attic ending at the central pavilion, which had two orders, an attic, 

 and a dome. Beyond this to the north was de 1'Orme's similar northern 

 gallery and the first courses of a pavilion to match Bullant's. Le Vau 

 began operations by building (1659-63), on the north, the Pavilion de 

 Marsan to match the Pavilion de Flore, a gallery, the "Galerie des 

 Machines," containing a theatre to match the Galerie de Diane, and a 



