THE STYLE OF LOUIS XIV. 



3^5 



ling two of the gates of Paris, those of St Bernard and St Antoine, to 

 give them a decorative character, designed the gate of St Denis anew 

 (1672). It is curious that this protagonist of the Palladian proprieties 

 should not only have broken new ground to such an extent as he did in 

 this case, but have been convinced that he was conforming to the purest 

 classicality ; for while it shows no actual breaches of the letter of the 

 law, no building of the time is more inspired by the magniloquent spirit 

 of barocco, expressed in terms of French rationalism, than this arch. 

 Its architectural elements are reduced to a minimum (Fig. 311). There 

 are no orders, no pediments, no rustication. The elevation consists in 

 a plain square mass, 78 feet high, crowned by a bold cornicione and 

 pierced by a single arch. Its whole decoration consists in a sort of 

 engaged obelisk on a pedestal on each pier. The obelisks bear trophies 

 in high relief, the pedestals, the spandrils of the arch, and an oblong 

 panel above it have low relief panels. Everything in the design, from 

 the scale of the sculpture (executed chiefly by the brothers Anguier 

 from designs by Le Brun) and of the laconic inscription " Ludovico 

 Magno," to the minuteness of the openings for foot passengers through 

 the pedestals, which by contrast make the arch look even more colossal 

 than it is, conspires to produce an overwhelming impression of irresist- 

 ible power. 



The neighbouring Porte St Martin (1674), whose height and width 

 are both about 60 feet, by Pierre Bullet (1639-1716), and the similar 

 Arc du Peyrou at Montpellier (1691-1710), designed by d'Orbay and 

 carried out by d'Aviler (Fig. 312), in both of which rustication is 

 largely used, though more satisfactory compositions from a strictly 

 architectural point of view, are less effective decoratively. The Porte 

 de Paris at Lille (1690) and the Porte de Brisach at Belfort (1687) 

 are examples of other forms of gate treatment. As an example of bridge 

 design, the Pont 

 Royal in Paris, by 

 Jacques II. Gabriel 

 and J. H. Mansart 

 (1685), is a worthy 

 rival to the earlier 

 Pont Neuf. 



THE INVALIDES, 

 &c. Another grand- 

 iose creation of this 

 reign was the Hopital 

 des Invalides, to ac- 

 commodate 6,000 old HH 

 or disabled soldiers. 3I3 ]> A RIS : HOSPICE DES INVALIDES, BY LIBERAL 

 It was built (1671-4) BRUAND (1671-74). PRINCIPAL COURT. 



MM in 



