ETIENNE-LOUIS BOULLEE
62 Architectural Project for the
Church of the Madeleine
Pen and gray ink and black, pink, and gray wash; H: 54.3
cm (2i^3 /s in.); W: 71.4 cm (28 Vs in.)
84.GA.53
MARKS AND INSCRIPTIONS: None.
PROVENANCE: Private collection, United States; art
market, New York.
EXHIBITIONS: None.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: H. Rosenau, Boullee and Visionary Ar-
chitecture (London, 1976), p. 15.THIS SECTION DRAWING WAS MADE IN CONNECTION
with Boullee's unexecuted plans for the church of the
Madeleine, Paris. It was made after the death of the ar-
chitect Contant d'lvry in 1777 and before 1785 (Rosenau
1976 , p. 15). Compared with another section drawing for
the same project in the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris
(inv. HA. 57, no. 3), this rendering contains a more cen-
tralized placement of the crossing, not an unexpected de-
velopment for an architect with a keen interest in build-
ings "under the filiation of St Peter's" (Rosenau 1976, p.
16). The Museum's drawing is also a notable example of
Boullee's incorporation of painterly details of color and
light; these and the tiny figures around the altar remind
one of his early aspiration to be a painter.146 FRENCH SCHOOL • BOULLEE