c.1800 FRENCH SCHOOL
The Church of the Invalides, Paris
Sold
Pen and black and grey ink and grey wash, with touches of watercolour, over traces of an underdrawing in pencil.
Framing lines in black ink.
Faintly inscribed A3 (or AB?) at the lower left.
345 x 263 mm. (13 5/8 x 10 3/8 in.)
Framing lines in black ink.
Faintly inscribed A3 (or AB?) at the lower left.
345 x 263 mm. (13 5/8 x 10 3/8 in.)
The royal chapel of the Église du Dôme is part of the Hôtel national des Invalides, a large complex of buildings intended to serve as both a military museum, monument, and a home and hospital for retired soldiers in Paris. Initiated by Louis XIV, construction on the main buildings was started in 1670 and completed in 1676. The royal chapel itself, dominated by an immense cupola, was begun in 1679 and completed in 1706. Designed by the architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart, it is one of the masterpieces of French Baroque architecture.
