Jean Le Pautre's engravings and the royal entertainments of the seventeenth century Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Servin, Genevieve Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 07/10/2021 20:36:00 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/557263 JEAN LE PAUTRE'S ENGRAVINGS AND THE ROYAL ENTERTAINMENTS OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY by Genevieve Servin A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF ART In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS WITH A MAJOR IN ART HISTORY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1 9 7 9 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfill­ ment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowl­ edgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his judgment the proposed use of the material is in the inter­ ests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SzAAjlsiA^/ __________ APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below /? 7 ? ROBERT M. QUINN Date Professor of Art ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my appreciation to Professor Robert Quinn for his generous help and advice, and to the faculty of the Art Department for their valuable instruc­ tion. A special thank-you to my family for their patience and understanding. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS .......... .............. v ABSTRACT ^ ........... ix INTRODUCTION ................... 1 JEAN LE PAUTRE, SEVENTEENTH CENTURY ENGRAVER ........ 4 The Artist and His Times, a Biographical Note . 4 Le Pautre's Style ......... 21 JEAN LE ' PAUTRE AND THE ROYAL ENTERTAINMENTS ..... 34 Seventeenth Century Ornamental Art . 34 A Theatrical Age: The Spectacle as Ornament and Ornamentation as Spectacle . 38 The Three Great Festivals ................... 57 I: Festival of 1664 61 II: Festival of 1668 .......... 67 III: Festival of 1674 72 The Theatre and Ballet .............. 81 Politics ............... 82 Subject Matter .......... 91 Metamorphoses . 91 Symbolism ...»................. 98 Musical Motifs.............. ......... 110 Costume ........... Ill Scenography .......... .. -....................... 122 Religion . 12 8 EPILOGUE .......... 136 APPENDIX A. REGARDING INFORMATION CONCERNING THE ARTIST 140 APPENDIX B. REPRODUCTIONS OF JEAN LE PAUTRE1S PRINTS . .. .. 143 REFERENCES 218 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Self-portrait v ............................ 143 2. Baptismal font . 144 3. Les Fetes de 1'Amour et de Bacchus ....... 145 4. Night festivities at Versailles 146 5. Men and animals 147 6. Ornamental vase with Neptune «.............. 148 7. Cupid on a dolphin ................. 149 8. Frieze, 1657 ................. 150 9. Alceste ........... , 151 10. Terms showing the four seasons ......... 152 11. Designs with royal symbols and grotesques . 153 12. Design with military trophies ......... 154 13. Trophies . ................. 155 14. Musical trophies . .............. 156 15. Term designs ............... 157 16. Two terms ............ 158 17. Terms ..................... 159 18. Church interior ................ 160 19. Ornamental vase with Galatea 161 20. Frieze designs . ............... 162 21. le Malade imaginaire 163 22. Design for a fountain ....... 164 v vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS— Continued Figure Page 23. Grotto design . 165 24. P u l p i t .................................... 166 25. Alcove design with Bible scene . ............. 167 26. Ceiling ........ ...... 168 27. Design for a ceiling .............. 169 28. Ceiling, d e s i g n ................... 170 29. Ceiling with mythological figures ....... 171 30. Mythological subject in a decorative design . 172 31. Alcove design with scene from Ovid's Metamorphoses ................ 173 32. Alcove design with scene from the Metamorphoses ................. 174 33. Mythological subject, fountain design ..... 175 34. Design for an alcove with Bible scene ..... 176 35. Design for panel decoration . « . « 177 36. Decorative view of garden and fountain ..... 178 37. Frieze design . ............. 179 38. Design for fireplace ........ 180 39. Architectural ornament design . ........ 181 40. Architectural ornament, right half of engraving ..... 182 41. Ceiling decoration.......... 183 42. Fireplace design .... , , . 184 43. Military trophies , , . « . , . , . 185 44. Design for a fireplace ........................ 186 vii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS— Continued Figure Page 45. Design for architectural ornament , ......... 187 46. Architectural ornamentation 188 47. An architectural ornament design ........ 189 48. Interior with dining scene « . ■. 190 49. A church interior . 191 50. Architecture .................. 192 51. Interior architecture 193 52. Interior of a shop for men's attire ...... 194 53. Seventeenth century fashion .......... 195 54. Architectural design 196 55. Decoration for a ceiling . ........... 197 56. Designs with grotesques ............ 198 57. Lockwork design . ............... 199 58. Fountain design ................ 200 59. View of a garden and fountain ......... 201 60. View of a fountain and architecture , . , . 202 61. Fountain . ................... 203 62. Interior panelling ..... ..... 204 63. A design for architectural ornament ...... 205 64. Alcove design ............. 206 65. Ornamental vase design . ...... ......... 207 66. A design for an ornamental vase ........ 208 67. Design for church interior ornament 209 68. Design for choir doors ............. 210 viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS— Continued Figure Page 69. Design for tabernacle 211 70. Church interior with altar tabernacle ..... 212 71. Design for altar . , , . , ... 213 72. Design for pulpit ............... 214 73. Tabernacle design . .............. 215 74. Design for altar-piece . .. , . 216 75. Design with royal cypher . ........... 217 . ABSTRACT The first part of the study consists of a bio­ graphical essay on the ornamental engraver, Jean le Pautre, containing information about the artist and his times. The second, and larger, portion of the thesis deals with theatrical aspects of the art and life of the period under study. Engraving and ceremonial are seen to serve as forms contributing to the creation of the court's identity. Both forms share the quality of a basic sense of dramatic structure. Relationships are noted between Le Pautre1s work and the theatrical arts comprising the formal group- . entertainments, the major festivals of Louis XIV1s reign. Where it is pertinent, within the limitations of the subject matter, notions of baroque and classical art forms or trends are discussed. 'INTRODUCTION La derniere chose qu'on trouve en faisant un ouvrage est celle qu'il faut mettre la premiere --Pascal, Pensees The purpose of this study is to bring into relief against the social-historical framework of the seventeenth century the work of the ornamental designer Jean Le Pautre. The work of the seventeenth century practitioner in this large area of French art has an important place in art history but the subject has not often been dealt with in English. The literature on the subject is mainly in French and also tends to deal with the various workers in survey- type studies, such as the Inventaire du Fonds Frangais, so there is an abundance of information for the specialists looking for details to relate to larger studies, such as those of architecture, Certainly there are exceptions, as in the case of R.-A. Weigert’s treatise on Jean 1 Berain. However, in English all too few monographs exist on the period dealing with ornament, Interestingly, of two English works, one by Robert W, Berger in 1969, and the other by Fiske Kimball in 1943, the subjects happen to be two other 1. R.-A. Weigert, Jean I Berain (Paris, 1936). 1 1 Le Pautres, Antoine, brother of Jean, in Berger's book, and 2 Pierre, his son, in Kimball's book. Thus it is the intention in the present study to present a particular view of the ornamental work of an important designer-engraver of the mid-seventeenth century in France. It does not presume to be complete but its contribution may lie simply in a few insights into the nature of the work, and also perhaps in its presentation in the English language. It should be stated that while the biographical part in this study on Le Pautre will be an independent unit, information within it will be expanded later where the situation warrants additional explanation or more detailed exposition. In the various sections of this study there may seem to be an overlapping, whereby certain topics mentioned earlier will be taken up again later, in more detail, where they appear to be most pertinent. For example, in the biographical section, the Cabinet du Roi will be mentioned as it concerns the subject of the study, Jean Le Pautre. There it will be discussed briefly, but later on, as it also figures importantly in the section dealing