Le Vau, Louis

Le Vau, Louis (lwē lə vō), 1612–70, French architect, involved in most of the important building projects for Louis XIV. He settled on the Île Saint-Louis, where he built his own house and the Hôtels Lambert and Lauzun. In 1655, Le Vau succeeded Jacques Lemercier as architect for the Louvre, on which he collaborated with Claude Perrault. He designed the palace of Versailles, where he worked with Lebrun, creating a nucleus later completed by J. H. Mansart. Among his other designs are the château of Vaux-le-Vicomte; the Collège des Quatre Nations, Paris, now the Institut de France; and the Church of St. Sulpice, Paris, the facade of which was later built by Servandoni.

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Le Vau, Louis 

Born circa 1612 in Paris; died there Oct. 11, 1670. French architect.

Le Vau, one of the leading masters of classicism, was made “first architect” of the king in 1654. His buildings include the Hotel Lambert (from 1640, Paris), the Square Court of the Louvre (1654–63, Paris), the College of the Four Nations (from 1661, Paris), parts of the Palace of Versailles (1661–68), the château at Vaux-le-Vicomte (Île-de-France, 1656–61). Marked by strict elegance and diversity of design, Le Vau’s buildings have splendidly finished interiors. Working in collaboration with C. Le Brun and A. Lenôtre, he helped transform the traditional aristocratic castle into a palace and garden ensemble.

REFERENCES

Hautecoeur, L. Histoire de l’architecture classique en France, vol. 2. Paris, 1965. (Bibliography.)