Views of the Gallery

Charles Percier, Reconstructed view of the gallery from the east end, and a detail of one panel of the wood paneling and a detail of the support of one of the benches and of its wingèd lion arm rest (and three other details of the fireplace in the Chambre de la Reine).  Paris, Bibliothèque de l’Institute, MS. 1015, Vol. 2, fol. 4 (Fig.Percier Gallery, full view and sketches).  Watercolor.  Lossky, 1970, 207–208, Fig. 9; Pressouyre, “Cadre architectural,” 1972, 13, 14, Fig. 3.

A hypothetical reconstruction of the gallery made in 1796 (Fig.Percier Gallery, full view; Lossky, “Contributions,” 1969, 127–128) showing the beams at their original level before their elevation but falsely showing the upper stuccoes altogether clear of these beams.  This view also shows the areas of the north windows covered with paneling up to the top level of the paneling under Rosso’s decoration.  Originally the windows at the north and south were sufficiently low to allow views from them (see above), but not as low as seems indicated by the woodwork apparently of an embrasure of the easternmost window of the north side at the far left of Percier’s drawing.  The drawing also shows the center of the north wall without the fireplace built in 1786 and that was still there when this view was drawn.  Originally there was not a bench in this location.  However, Percier does restore a bench under all the other large pictures and in this respect his reconstruction appears correct.

Alfred Guesdon, View of the gallery from the west end. (Fig.Guesdon).  Lithograph.  Herbet, 1937, 175, as published in Les Arts au moyen âge, 1837, Pl. VIII.  Lossky, 1970, 205, 207, Fig. 8; Pressouyre, “Cadre architectural,” 1972, 13, 22, n. 10 (given wrongly Castellan, 1840, Pl.44); Lossky, 1974, 42, Fig. 5, 47.

A view of the gallery before the restoration of 1846–1853, and according to Pressouyre well before 1840, showing the original placement of the beams and the relation of the stuccoes to them.  In the center of the north wall is the fireplace built in 1786 surmounted by a copy of the frame of the Danaë across from it but framing Louis de Boulogne le Jeune’s Minerva and the Arts with a Bust of Francis I.