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Philibert Delorme is the first French architect to have something of the universality of the great Italians. He combines the engineering skill of the French mason with the learning of the Italian artist. He is classical without being merely an imitator of the Italians. Both before and after the death of Henry II he was also concerned with church building. Little of his documented work in this field survives, but there are reasonable grounds for thinking that he designed the celebrated screen in Saint-Étienne-du-Mont. In style the pierced balustrades and the spiral staircases are very close to those at the Château d'Anet, and it seems reasonable to suggest that they may be by the same architect.
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