CHAPTER XII

LESCOT AND DE L’ORME

French architecture further changed by Lescot and De l’Orme, yet still without elimination of native characteristics--Lescot’s design for the Fountain of the Nymphs--The sculptures by Goujon--Possible derivation of the design from a drawing by Serlio--Lescot’s design for the Louvre--Capricious treatment of neo-classic details in this design--The traditional logic of French design ignored by Lescot--Excessive ornamentation of the Louvre--The architectural work of De l’Orme--Paucity of extant examples--His design for the palace of the Tuileries--De l’Orme’s column--His claim that this column was his own invention--Earlier instances of the same--A conscious effort to be original gave rise to most of the artistic aberrations of the Renaissance--Noble architecture not a personal, but a communal and national, product--Analysis of the façade of the Tuileries--De l’Orme’s other architectural aberrations--The château of Charleval--The freakish character of this design--Discussion of Viollet le Duc’s comments on it--The church architecture of the French Renaissance--The church of St. Eustache--Its unmodified Gothic structural system--Its neo-classic details--St. Étienne du Mont--SS. Gervais and Protais at Gisors--The apse of St. Pierre of Caen--The Portal of St. Maclou at Pontoise 194