MANSART, François
(b. 1598, Paris, d. 1666, Paris)

Exterior view

1635-38
Photo
Gaston apartment, Château de Blois (Loir-et-Cher)

During the regency of Marie de Médicis, architects like Salomon de Brosse, François Mansart, and Louis Le Vau conducted intensive research into modern methods for resolving traditional building problems. They developed models of palace and church buildings which were to have lasting influence, not only for French Baroque architecture.

At Blois, François Mansart made the dome the main feature of the central building of Gaston of Orléans's new château, the Gaston apartment, placing a grand staircase underneath it. The two features fit together naturally and were so well established that Mansart stressed them in his proposals for the Louvre in 1664-65.