THE STYLE OF THE EMPIRE. 



485 



COLONNE VEN- 

 DOME. In addition 

 to the triumphal 

 arch, Napoleon also 

 borrowed the me- 

 morial column and 

 the temple from the 

 Romans, as means 

 of commemorating 

 the successes of his 

 arms. Trajan's 

 column served as 

 a model for the 

 "Colonne de la 

 Grande Armee," 

 generally known as 

 "Colonne Ven- 

 dome " from the 

 " place " in which 

 it stands (Fig. 455). 

 It is an almost 

 exact copy of its 

 original, both as 

 regards size and 

 design, with the dif- 

 ferences, however, 

 that it is cased in 

 bronze from cap- 

 tured Austrian cannons and that the figures are in modern dress. The 

 column, which is about 116 feet high to the top of the abacus, was 

 erected (1805-10) by Gondouin, assisted by the practical experience of 

 J. B. Lepere. It was destroyed under the Commune in 1871, but 

 rebuilt three years later. Another Napoleonic monument is the Doric 

 column at Boulogne by de la Barre and Henry (1808-40), which is nearly 

 173 feet high, and has a plain stone shaft with a foliage band below 

 the necking and a high sculptured pedestal. 



THE MADELEINE : Its History. The works at the Madeleine 

 Church had been carried on since Contant d'lvry's death (1777) by 

 Couture, with an interruption caused by the Revolution, but the walls 

 had not risen far out of the ground when he died (1799). Napoleon 

 decided shortly after this to convert the edifice into a Temple of Glory, 

 dedicated to his armies and decorated with their trophies. A competi- 

 tion was held, in which Beaumont was placed first, while Vignon, 

 Gisors, and A. M. Peyre received premiums. But the Emperor, who 



455. PARIS : COLONNE DE LA GRANDE ARMEE, OR 

 VENDOME, BY GONDOUIN AND LEFERE (1805-10). 



