Jean-Antoine Alavoine
Encyclopedia
Jean-Antoine Alavoine was a French architect best known for his column in the Place de la Bastille
, Paris
(1831–40), the July Column
to memorialize those fallen in the Revolution of 1830
. The column, consciously larger-scaled than the column in the Place Vendôme
, has a capital freely based on the Corinthian order
, with exaggerated corner volutes flanking putti holding swags, a complicated and somewhat incoherent design that found no imitators.
However, in 1813 working with another architect, Bridan, Alavoine had designed to Napoleon's orders, under the direction of Ambroise Tardieu
, a colossal elephant fountain, the Elephant of the Bastille
. This monument was intended for the same Place, to be constructed with a cast-bronze skin over a framework. The statue, in a circular pool, complete with a bronze mahout on its shoulders, would contain a staircase by means of which visitors could admire the view from its howdah
. The monument was actually erected, but in staff, a moderately weather-resistant plaster, which lasted until 1846 before it was torn down, to great local relief.
Alavoine's hothouse for the botanical garden of M. Boursault, at Yerres, near Brunoy, was illustrated in Jean-Charles Krafft, Recueil d'architecture civile : contenant les plans, coupes et élévations des châteaux, maisons de campagne, et habitations rurales, jardins anglais, temples, chaumières, kiosques, ponts, etc., situés, aux environs de Paris... (Paris 1812) Plate XLVII, as well as a bridge for M. Hypolitte, in the park at Cassan (Plate XLII).
In the early stages of the Gothic Revival in France, he produced a design for the spire of Rouen Cathedral in 1823, based upon the spire of Salisbury Cathedral
(Glaser).
Place de la Bastille
The Place de la Bastille is a square in Paris, where the Bastille prison stood until the 'Storming of the Bastille' and its subsequent physical destruction between 14 July 1789 and 14 July 1790 during the French Revolution; no vestige of it remains....
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(1831–40), the July Column
July Column
The July Column is a monument to the Revolution of 1830. It stands in the center of the Place de la Bastille, in Paris, to commemorate the Trois Glorieuses, the "three glorious" days in July 1830 that saw the fall of Charles X of France and the commencement of the "July Monarchy" of...
to memorialize those fallen in the Revolution of 1830
Revolution of 1830
The Revolution of 1830 can be:* The July Revolution in France leading to a constitutional monarchy lasting until the revolutions of 1848* The Belgian Revolution in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands leading to the creation of Belgium...
. The column, consciously larger-scaled than the column in the Place Vendôme
Place Vendôme
Place Vendôme is a square in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France, located to the north of the Tuileries Gardens and east of the Église de la Madeleine. It is the starting point of the Rue de la Paix. Its regular architecture by Jules Hardouin-Mansart and pedimented screens canted across the...
, has a capital freely based on the Corinthian order
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
, with exaggerated corner volutes flanking putti holding swags, a complicated and somewhat incoherent design that found no imitators.
However, in 1813 working with another architect, Bridan, Alavoine had designed to Napoleon's orders, under the direction of Ambroise Tardieu
Ambroise Tardieu
Ambroise Tardieu was an eminent French cartographer and engraver, and is celebrated for his version of John Arrowsmith's 1806 map of the United States. Tardieu's son, Auguste Ambroise Tardieu , was also an artist and a famous forensic medical scholar, who supplied the illustrations for Dr...
, a colossal elephant fountain, the Elephant of the Bastille
Elephant of the Bastille
The Elephant of the Bastille was a monument in Paris between 1813 and 1846. Originally conceived in 1808 by Napoleon, the statue was intended to be created out of bronze and placed in Place de la Bastille, but only a plaster full-scale model was built...
. This monument was intended for the same Place, to be constructed with a cast-bronze skin over a framework. The statue, in a circular pool, complete with a bronze mahout on its shoulders, would contain a staircase by means of which visitors could admire the view from its howdah
Howdah
A howdah, or houdah, also known as hathi howdah, is a carriage which is positioned on the back of an elephant, or occasionally some other animal, used most often in the past to carry wealthy people or for use in hunting or warfare...
. The monument was actually erected, but in staff, a moderately weather-resistant plaster, which lasted until 1846 before it was torn down, to great local relief.
Alavoine's hothouse for the botanical garden of M. Boursault, at Yerres, near Brunoy, was illustrated in Jean-Charles Krafft, Recueil d'architecture civile : contenant les plans, coupes et élévations des châteaux, maisons de campagne, et habitations rurales, jardins anglais, temples, chaumières, kiosques, ponts, etc., situés, aux environs de Paris... (Paris 1812) Plate XLVII, as well as a bridge for M. Hypolitte, in the park at Cassan (Plate XLII).
In the early stages of the Gothic Revival in France, he produced a design for the spire of Rouen Cathedral in 1823, based upon the spire of Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture....
(Glaser).
Further reading
- Chirol, Pierre, 1920. Jean-Antoine Alavoine (Rouen: Lainé) The only monograph.
- J.-C. Krafft, Receuil... 1812
- Stephanie Glaser, "The Gothic Cathedral and Medievalism"
External links
- "The Elephant of Revolutionary Oblivion" Alavoine's 1813 watercolor design for the elephant monument, Place de la Bastille.
- Watercolor of the elephant project: Louvre, inv. no. 23521
- Bronze portrait medalion of J.-A. Alavoine, by David d'Angers, 1833. Inscribed "Alavoine architecte".