Frenchneoclassicalarchitect, interior decorator, and designer Charles Percier was an illustrious representative ofDirectoireandEmpire Styles.
Image source:https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/1d6c19a5-3e0b-4d8e-b877-10c85c018296byRijksmuseum
About Percier’s Life
Percier was born in Paris in 1764. Then, in 1784, at age nineteen, he won the Prix de Rome, a government-funded scholarship in Rome. After, he metPierre-François-Léonard Fontaine, who became his friend for life. Their architecture firm, Percier & Fontainem became the leading firm of the Napoleonic period, and their work influenced the widespread adoption of theEmpire stylein Europe and America. Further, in 1801, he was appointed government architect.
珀西的主要磨破ks
For the oldroyal palacesand the new Bonapartes residences, together with Fontaine, he designed interiors, walls, ceilings, designed furniture, accessories, and ornament. Also, they designed the arcades of the Rue de Rivoli and Rue de Castiglione along the Louvre and designed the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel which connected the Louvre and Tuileries (1806–08). They also worked on theChâteau de Saint-Cloud and the Château de Fontainebleau.
Image source:https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/188b0440-4e64-4890-a013-fcaf3a98b925bycorno.fulgur75
In theRecueil de décorations intérieures(1801–1812) Percier’s products in interior decoration and furniture design were presented as a collection of 72 plates of furniture and furnishings in France at the epoch. It was his masterpiece, according to Fontaine’s admission. Although both signatures were affixed to the plates, he drew and engraved them himself.
Images source:https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/195473?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&ft=Charles+r&offset=0&rpp=20&pos=1
Features of Percier’s Style
Percier favored luxurious and grandiose renditions of neoclassicism in the so-calledDirectory style, and theEmpire style. The style is distinguished by a small amount of detail and ornamentation, inspired mainly by ancientRomanobjects that were discovered during发掘庞贝的. Directory furniture was the last phase of theLouis XVI style. Additionally, the Empire style was based on the inspiration of Napoleon by the greatness of AncientEgyptand imperial Rome.
Info sources:
Charles: Architecture and Design in an Age of Revolutions
http://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/architecture-biographies/charles-
