drawing;
architectural drawing
- Museum number
- 1972,U.822
- Description
-
Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, bird's eye view of the chateau with its formal gardens and parkland, and on SE the theatre flanked by porticos and with terrace fronting onto River Seine; La Muette and St Michel's chapel in the grounds to right, village at left
Pen and black ink with grey wash; on vellum
- Production date
- 1570 (c)
- Dimensions
-
Height: 506 millimetres
-
Width: 741 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- One of five drawings (on four sheets) on the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye drawn by Du Cerceau for this album; see 1972,U.793 for comment on whole series.
The theatre was first entrusted to Philibert Delorme. The galleries flanking the central building were added when Primaticcio took over the project in 1567, hinting that Du Cerceau must have started gathering his documentation of Saint-Germain after this date. However he is caught embellishing reality here, as at the time the theatre was unfinished (as stated on the plan 1972,U.821) and the central building was still roofless. He might have reproduced the architect's drawings.
For further comment see Boudon/Mignot, 'Jacques Androuet Du Cerceau', Paris 2010, pp.86-93.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1886
- Acquisition notes
- Transferred from the Department of Printed Books.
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Registration number
- 1972,U.822