Temple de l'Amour (Versailles)

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The Temple de l'Amour from Petit Trianon seen from

The Temple de l'Amour ( German Temple of Amor , incorrectly translated as the temple of love ) is a classicist column building in the park of Versailles Palace in France . It was built in 1778 in the English Garden on an artificial island east of the Petit Trianon .

Description and history

The temple was designed from marble by the architect Richard Mique ; the temple of Vesta in Rome served as a template . Its inauguration took place at a solemn ceremony on September 3, 1778. Marie Antoinette could see the temple from the windows of her room in the Petit Trianon, but also from those of the king in the attic.

The tholos is raised on a base and is accessible from all sides by a seven-step circular staircase. It consists of twelve Corinthian alabaster columns that support a dome decorated with stone coffers . Sculptures made of plaster of paris and wood by Joseph Deschamps , who also made the wax models, decorate the column capitals . The center of the dome ceiling is decorated with a trophy two meters in diameter and is surrounded by a bead of flowers , which is equipped with attributes of the Roman god of love Amor (“wreaths of roses, quiver arrows, fire torches, arrows connected with ribbons, which are entwined with roses and olive leaves become."). The floor is made of white, grained marble with compartments bordered in red; strips of Flemish marble are framed between the columns .

Deschamps looked for the center of the building, a Cupid before, but it opted instead for a statue of Edmé Bouchardon with the design: Amor carves himself a bow from the club of Hercules . This work, by the royal building director Philibert Orry under Louis XV. Commissioned and intended for installation in the Hercules Salon, was probably too innovative for the time. Because of its “nudity and youthful sensuality”, it had to be moved to the orangery at Choisy Castle . Meanwhile, Madame Pompadour had a copy made for her Bellevue Palace in Meudon ( Hauts-de-Seine ), which "her aunts" had removed again in 1774.

The sculpture in the center of the temple is also a copy commissioned to another sculptor, Louis-Philippe Mouchy , in September 1778 and executed by him in 1780. It was given to the Musée spécial de l'École française during the Revolution , then went to the orangery of Saint-Cloud Castle , before being returned to its place in the Temple de l'Amour in 1816. The original was moved to the Louvre by order of Queen Marie-Antoinette, where it is still kept today. In 1805, the missing statue at the temple was meanwhile by a statue group of Vassé replaced, the Venus represented Cupid.

In 1778, apple trees of paradise and snowball roses were planted on the island surrounding the temple , which gave off fragrant fragrances, but are no longer available today.

In the course of numerous evening events, there was more and more damage, which led to a restoration of the floor at the end of the 19th century. A full restoration, including a fortification of the pillars, was carried out in 2005/2006.

gallery

  • Temple de l'Amour

  • inside view

  • Coffered ceiling and statue

  • Cupid carves a bow out of the club of Hercules by Louis-Philippe Mouchy

Web links

Commons : Temple de l'Amour (Versailles)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ a b c Le jardin Anglais. Official website of the Palace of Versailles, accessed on March 21, 2013 (French).
  2. ^ Georges Gromort: Le Hameau de Trianon. History and description. Vincent et al. a., Paris 1928, p. 38.
  3. ↑ a b Pierre Arizzoli-Clémentel: L'Album de Marie-Antoinette. Vues et plans du Petit Trianon à Versailles. Alain de Gourcuff, Montreuil 2008, ISBN 978-2-35340-042-3 , p. 81.
  4. ↑ a b c d Gustave Desjardins: Le Petit Trianon. History and description. L. Bernard, Versailles 1885, pp. 106-107 .
  5. ↑ a b Montalbetti Valérie: L'Amour se taillant un arc dans la massue d'Hercule. Sculpture collection in the Louvre. Retrieved March 21, 2013 (French).
  6. ^ The daughters of Louis XV .: Adélaïde , Viktoria and Sophie .
  7. ^ A b Nicolas Jacquet: Versailles secret et insolite. Le Château, ses Jardins et la Ville. Parigrams, Versailles 2011, ISBN 978-2-84096-664-7 , p. 186.
  8. ^ A b Léon Rey: Le Petit Trianon et le hameau de Marie-Antoinette. Pierre Vorms, Paris 1936, p. 36.
  9. ↑ 1797 Création du musée spécial de l'Ecole française. Official website of the Palace of Versailles, accessed on March 21, 2013 (French).
  10. ↑ It is probably the statue Amor sitting on the seashore collecting pigeons for the sun chariot of Venus. ( Montalbetti Valérie: L'Amour assis sur le bord de la mer rassemblant les colombes du char de Vénus. Sculpture collection in the Louvre. Accessed March 21, 2013 (French). )

Coordinates: 48 ° 48 ′ 58 "  N , 2 ° 6 ′ 43.5"  E