Germain Boffrand: Book of Architecture Containing the General Principles of the Art and the Plans, Elevations and Sections of some of the Edifices Built in France and in Foreign CountriesThis title was first published in 2003. Germain Boffrand was one of the great French architects of the early eighteenth century. His work encompassed not only the design of town and country houses for the wealthy but also mines, bridges and hospitals. His Livre d’Architecture is one of the most original books on architecture ever written in France. Taking the Art of Poetry by the Latin poet Horace as its starting point, it developed an aesthetic of architecture focused on character, style and the emotional impact of a building that influenced Blondel, Le Camus de Mezieres and Soane, and is still central to contemporary debate about the nature and meaning of architecture. Translated for the first time by David Britt, Boffrand’s text is here accompanied by an extensive introduction and notes by Caroline van Eck who situates Boffrand within the main issues of eighteenth-century architectural aesthetics. Beautifully illustrated, including all the pictures chosen by Boffrand for his original publication, this book is an invaluable tool for teaching the history of architectural theory and an essential work for any architectural library. Germain Boffrand is published with the assistance of the Getty Foundation. |
Contents
Optical Correction | |
A NOTE ON THE FRENCH AND LATIN VERSIONS AND THE PLATES | |
Table of contents and of engraved plates | lxxi |
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Common terms and phrases
Académie aesthetics ancient Antechamber apartments arch architect architectural theory Art of Poetry beauty Bedchamber Blondel Boffrand Bouchefort bucket building built Cabinet Cambridge caractère chapel character Classical Classical architecture Claude Perrault Corinthian order Cours d’Architecture court courtyard decoration decorum diameter Doric column Doric order double waling Duke Duke of Lorraine Duke of Orléans edifice entablature Explanation of Plate expression façade feet Figure French gallery Gallet garden Garms genres Germain Boffrand Gothic goût Grand staircase Greeks ground floor guardroom height Horace’s Art Hôtel Hôtel de Soubise inches Ionic Jacques-François Blondel Kalnein Latin Livre d’Architecture lodge Lorraine Lunéville main block Malgrange module mouldings Nancy nature optical orders of architecture ornaments painting palace Paris Perrault principles of architecture profiles proportions qu’il Quintilian reservoir rhetoric Royale d’Architecture salon shows the elevation shows the plan style taste toises treatises University Press ut pictura poesis vault Vestibule Vitruvian Vitruvius