Categotry Archives: French Architecture

This week we will be exploring the past of the Musée du Louvre, more commonly known as The Louvre. Inside its walls, the Mona Lisa and seventy thousand other pieces of art are housed for over eight million people to visit annually. But what was its original use? Has the Mona Lisa always hung on its walls? What happened when the Nazis took over Paris? The Louvre tells many stories, these are only a few.

The first formal king of France, Philip II, built the Louvre as a military fortress on the Western border of the young country in the 12th century. The River Seine marked the Western boundary at that time. It was designed to guard against attacks from the North. In the 14th century, however, it was put out of commission because the city’s borders extended well past the Seine, and several other outposts were built on the outskirts of Paris. Some of the masonry can still be seen in the museum. The building largely fell to disuse until 1527. Francis I was a Renaissance ruler and a large patron to the arts, especially Leonardo da Vinci, He began a wide spread expansion, including several new buildings in the Renaissance style (famous Renaissance architects were brought in for the design) and galleries and pavilions connecting the buildings.

One of the most famous art heists in history involved the Mona Lisa. The painting was purchased by Francis after da Vinci’s death and was transferred to each of the royal dwellings, ending with Versailles. Once the Louvre became a public museum, Mona was given a home. A notable exception was her stint in Napoleon’s bedroom, at the same time the Louvre was renamed “Musée Napoleon”. In 1911, the painting was stolen right off the walls by Vincenzo Peruggia, a former Louvre employee, who wanted to return the painting to her native Italy. The painting was missing for two years, and Peruggia was hailed as a national hero, but he still served six months in jail for the theft.

Before Hitler’s invasion of Paris, curators at the Louvre prepared the evacuation of tens of thousands of pieces of art. The first to leave was the Mona Lisa, and it was quickly followed by every valuable, movable piece of art in the museum. When Hitler demanded the Louvre’s reopening when he reached Paris, the only items left were the large marble statues that were too heavy and big to move. The museum became a clearinghouse for the plundered art pieces taken from wealth French people, mostly Jews. Some of the pieces of art were deemed “degenerate” and the pieces, as well as those from the nearby Jeu de Paume, were burned in 1942.

Next time: We will be looking at a few of France’s most famous dishes, including bûche de Noël, escargots, and foie gras. The following post will be a recap of our series on Islam in France and a discussion about the upcoming elections in France, and what our election means for their future.

Links:

http://www.history.com/news/six-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-louvre

http://www.history.com/news/10-famous-art-heists-slideshow

We are going to focus on some of the raunchy characters of France’s Bourbon dynasty at the Palace of Versailles. This history isn’t exactly dark history, but definitely something the gets glossed over midst all of the other scandalous stories during the Absolutist era until the beginning of the first revolution.

We will begin our story with Louis XIV (aka “The Sun King”). Louis was known for his extravagant taste and his even stronger desire for power. Versailles became a permanent residence for the royal family during his reign, and it also became the new residence of the entire court. Louis wanted to keep the aristocracy close in order to prevent any power to be shifted from the crown to the rich. His bedroom was located in the center of the upper floor, and the courtiers were required to attend his waking and his bedtime everyday in order to keep their place in the court.

Louis XIV and his successors did limit their power in one way: Communion. Louis XIV and Louis XV were both known for their extramarital affairs and would cancel a ceremony where they would supposedly heal people because it would be sacrilegious to perform it whilst unclean.

The most prominent affairs were those of Louis XV. His two most famous (or possibly infamous) mistresses are Madame de Pompadour and Madame du Barry. The king and queen did not share the same bed, so passages were built from the mistresses’ quarters (and yes several lived in the palace at once) to the king’s bedroom. The women would be called upon and expected to make their appearance immediately upon request. Madame de Pompadour (and her successor du Barry) was the “official mistress” and also one of his closest confidantes. According to primary sources, she was said to have great sway with his policies and funding. She was a learned woman and after she grew too old to be his mistress, she stayed at Versailles as part of the court and became an official unofficial adviser. du Barry was his last mistress leading up to his death. Louis showered her with extravagant gowns and a diamond necklace. After he died, she was banished to an abbey by Marie Antoinette. She was later executed during the Reign of Terror.

Madame de Pompadour

Madame du Barry

We have to end with the infamous sexual relationship between Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The two were arranged to be married from a very young age and were only 16 and 15 when they wed. The court was originally required to witness the consummation of the marriage, but it is said that the two were not able to actually have intercourse for the first time until weeks later. Many historians have theorized that he might have had a condition that made it painful for him to have sex. Antoinette was disliked for her foreign birth, but became even more hated when she could not produce an heir. Once again, historians theorize that the fault lied with Louis.

Next week we will be exploring the Louvre and its famous thefts. French monuments such as Versailles and the Louvre have had tumultuous histories and have seen the rise and fall of several regimes.

Ahh, the Eiffel Tower. One of the world’s most well-known landmarks and a symbol of France to foreigners across the globe. Do those people know of the daring feats daredevils have tried to perform off the 1063′ structure? Do they know that the French originally detested the structure and there was even a petition against its construction? Do they know that it was key part in capturing a spy during World War I? Probably not. This week we will be diving into these three stories as part of a four week series on French architecture. Looking ahead, week ten will focus on the “so what?” question people ask when confronted with historical information.

First up, we are going to talk about the now-called “death jump” off of the Tower in the name of science. In February 1912, Franz Reichelt gained his spot in history when he tested his homemade parachute by jumping off the first platform (172 feet above the ground) of the Eiffel Tower. He gained permission and also a large media following for the day of his jump. The first time he ventured to the platform, he was overcome by fear and returned to the ground. Reichelt returned to the platform again after being goaded by his manager to continue with the jump, but still he hesitated as he stood on the railing. Franz did eventually jump, but he did not survive. The crowd held up his destroyed contraption and measured the indentation his body made with the ground. The video below is an actual recording of the jump. It does not show his body, but you do see him hit the ground from afar, so be warned.

The Eiffel Tower was finished on March 31, 1889 and was the masterpiece of Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, also known for his work on interior structure of the Statue of Liberty. He was commissioned by the French government to create the structure for the 1889 World’s Fair. After 20 years, the Tower would be handed back over to the government and deconstructed for scrap metal. Eiffel saved his masterpiece by inserting an antenna onto the top and showed its usefulness through communication, mostly through tests with telegraphs. Currently, the structure houses over 120 antennae that broadcast radio and TV signals across the globe. With all of the useful aspects of such a structure, one would think the French would love it. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. Many Parisians were worried it would interfere with their already beautiful atmosphere and skyline. 300 prominent artists and intellectuals published a petition on Valentine’s Day of 1877, but were unsuccessful in stopping the construction.

During World War I, the Eiffel Tower was used to intercept enemy signals to and from Berlin and assisted in the capture of Mata Hari. Earlier in the war, the intercepted signals helped the French land a surprise blow to the German troops in the Battle of the Marne. Mata Hari was an Indian temple dancer and made her rounds through Europe’s capitals. During the 1910s, she became close to several German officers and was considered suspicious by the French government. They tried to use her against the Germans and sent her into Spain to bring back confidential German plans and other news. The French, however, were highly suspicious of her and the chances of her being a double agent. A coded message was intercepted by the Eiffel Tower and was found to contain information about Mata Hari under her German spy name. She was arrested and charged for being a double agent in 1917. The second link below is an eyewitness account of her execution.

Next week, we will be exploring some of the darker stories behind the Palace of Versailles. I know these stories aren’t quite as dark as the past five weeks, but are worth discussing all the same. We may know things a certain way in our culture, but they have a different undertones than what we might expect. Thanks for reading!

Links:

http://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-eiffel-tower

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/matahari.htm