CHÂTEAU DE CHAMBORDFrancis I indulged his passion
for building by commissioning several large châteaux,among them the
Château de Chambord (FIG. 23-11). Reflecting more peaceful times,
these châteaux, developed from medieval castles, served as country
houses for royalty, who usually built them near forests for use as hunt-
ing lodges. Construction of Chambord began in 1519, but Francis I
never saw its completion. Chambord’s plan, originally drawn by a pupil
of Giuliano da Sangallo, includes a central square block with four cor-
ridors, in the shape of a cross, and a broad, central staircase that gives
access to groups of rooms—ancestors of the modern suite of rooms
or apartments. At each of the four corners, a round tower punctuates
the square plan, and a moat surrounds the whole. From the exterior,
Chambord presents a carefully contrived horizontal accent on three
levels, with continuous moldings separating its floors. Windows
align precisely, one exactly over another. The Italian Renaissance
palazzo served as the model for this matching of horizontal and verti-
cal features, but above the third level the
structure’s lines break chaotically into a
jumble of high dormers, chimneys, and
lanterns that recall soaring ragged Gothic
silhouettes on the skyline.
LOUVRE, PARIS Chambord essen-
tially retains French architectural charac-
teristics. During the reign of Francis’s
successor, Henry II (r. 1547–1559), how-
ever, translations of Italian architectural
treatises appeared, and Italian architects
themselves came to work in France.
Moreover, the French turned to Italy for study and travel. These ex-
changes caused a more extensive revolution in style than earlier, al-
though certain French elements derived from the Gothic tradition per-
sisted. This incorporation of Italian architectural ideas characterizes
the redesigned Louvre in Paris, originally a medieval palace and
fortress (FIG. 20-16). Since Charles V’s renovation of the Louvre in the
mid-14th century, the castle had languished relatively empty and fallen
into a state of disrepair. Francis I initiated the project to update and ex-
pand the royal palace, but he died before the work was well under way.
His architect,Pierre Lescot(1510–1578), continued under Henry
II and produced the classical style later associated with 16th-century
French architecture.
Although Chambord incorporated the formal vocabulary of
the Early Renaissance, particularly from Lombardy, Lescot and his as-
sociates were familiar with the architectural style of Bramante and his
school. In the west wing of the Cour Carré (Square Court;FIG. 23-12)636 Chapter 23 NORTHERN EUROPE AND SPAIN, 1500 TO 160023-12Pierre Lescot,west wing of the
Cour Carré (Square Court) of the Louvre,
Paris, France, begun 1546.
Lescot’s design for the Louvre palace
reflects the Italian Renaissance classicism
of Bramante, but the decreasing height of
the stories, large scale of the windows, and
steep roof are Northern European features.23-11Château de
Chambord, Chambord,
France, begun 1519.
French Renaissance
châteaux, which developed
from medieval castles,
served as country houses
for royalty. King Francis I’s
Château de Chambord
reflects Italian palazzo
design but features a
Gothic roof.